The ARRL has instituted a program geared towards encouraging participation in Amateur Radio by individuals who are not yet adults. As the existing body of active amateur operators ages, the average age of such operators continues to rise. As a hobby or intellectual interest, Amateur Radio will benefit greatly by an infusion of youthful participants, who will be able to sustain the pastime for many years to come.
ARRL’s Youth License Grant Program provides for the reimbursement, to the original payer, of the $35.00 FCC license application fee for those successful exam candidates who sit for the exam at a VE session hosted by a VE team that is affiliated with the ARRL VEC. At the present time, that includes sessions hosted by the GCARC VE Team.
In the ARRL’s Youth License Grant Program documentation, we find the following statements:
“ARRL will cover the one-time $35 application fee for new license candidates younger than 18-years old for tests administered under the auspices of the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC). The $35 FCC application fee will be reimbursed after the ARRL VEC receives the completed reimbursement form and the new license has been issued by the FCC. The reimbursement check will be mailed to the fee payer. Also, candidates younger than 18-years old would pay a reduced exam session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC VE team at the time of the exam. Proof of under 18 status is required at the session.”
The reduced exam fee is reflected in the payment methods on our Payment – Youthful Candidates page. While the system will take the reduced payment on faith, proof of age must be provided at the test session in order to maintain that payment level and to qualify for the FCC license application fee reimbursement as above. The GCARC VE Team can provide any youthful candidates (or their parents or guardians) with the proper ARRL form used for the FCC license application fee reimbursement request.
Additional candidate information and payer instructions are located on the ARRL website at www.arrl.org/youth-licensing-grant-program.