(NAPS)—According to the U.S. Department of Education, some 3.2 million high school students are expected to graduate this year. If any of them is a young man you care about, first, congratulations, and second, there’s an important step he needs to take to qualify for many kindsofjobs and scholarships: registering with the Selective Service. WhyRegister? By law, young men must do so within 30 days of turning 18 to be eligible for Pell Grants, Federal Work-Study and Guaranteed Student PLUS Loans, federal job training andfederaljobs. It’s also necessary for jobs with many state and municipal governmentsas well as government contractors. Even summer and temporary workers with the federal government need to register. Some places even require it for a driver’s license. Immigrants who arrive after their 18th birthday must register within 30 days of their arrival if younger than 26. Failure to register is a violation of federal law and could mean a $250,000 fine, a prison term or both. Young men whohopeto getPell Grants, Federal Work-Study and Guaranteed Student PLUS Loans mustfirst register with the Selective Service. How to Register Fortunately, even before he graduates, a student can get help with that at school. Many high schools have volunteer registrars to assist students with signing up. In addition to seeing the high school registrar, students and graduates can check block #22 on the Federal FAFSA application or go online at www.sss.gov from a smartphone or computer. Registra- tion formsare also available at any USS. post office. Learn More For further facts and to sign up, go to WWW.SSS. gov. Quick Registration If you have a Social Security number and are able to register online, go to www.sss.gov/Registration/Register-Now/RegistrationForm. If you do not have a Social Security number, are an immigrant male (documented or undocumented) age 18 through 25 or are not able to register online, you can pick up a Selective Service registration form at the post office or download the form at www.sss.gov/Portals/0/PDFs/regform_copyINT.pdf. Print, sign, and mail the form to Selective Service System, P.O. Box 94739, Palatine, IL 60094-4739.
