University of Virginia Library

Deferments Clarified

The Selective Service System has clarified
expected changes on undergraduate student
deferments.

College students who were enrolled full-time
in the 1970-71 academic year will be eligible
for student deferments in the 1971-72 school
year if they continue to make satisfactory
progress in their programs of study. Selective
Service officials said. However, young men who
entered school for the first time this summer
and those who enroll as freshmen this fall will
not qualify for student deferments if the
pending changes to the Selective Service Act are
passed by Congress. The House has completed
action on the bill and final Senate action is
expected in September.

Dr. Curtis W. Tarr, Selective Service
Director, said: "Few incoming freshmen
students are likely to be inducted in the near
future because of the student deferment
phaseout. Of the 1,034,000 incoming freshmen
males estimated by the Office of Education,
approximately 80% are 18 years old and only
20% are 19 years of age and older. The 18 years
olds will receive their lottery numbers in 1972,
and they will not be subject to induction until
1973, when draft calls should be low. The 19
year old freshmen received their lottery
numbers August 5 of this year and will be
subject to induction next year; at least ½
should have high enough lottery numbers to
preclude their induction.

Of those remaining, approximately 50% will
be disqualified on mental, moral or physical
grounds. This means that a maximum of 50,000
men will be directly affected in 1972 by the
student deferment phaseout and one-half of
these, or 25,000, will probably not be inducted
because of enlistments in Regular, Reserve or
National Guard units, participating in
commissioning programs or because of
procedural delays.

Dr. Tarr said that college students will not
be drafted in the middle of a semester or term.
"If called while enrolled, they will be allowed
to postpone their induction until the end of the
semester, or term. If in their last academic year,
they will be able to postpone their induction
until after graduation."

Currently, there are approximately six
million young men under age 35 with
deferments. Approximately 500,000 of these
normally lose their deferments during a
12-month period. The largest groups of
deferred men are those who have received
fatherhood, occupational or student
deferments.