Applying to Law School

What is the LSAC and why do I care?

If you are going to apply to law school you will need to create an account with the Law School Admission Council (www.LSAC.org). This account will allow you to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) required by most law schools and to send your transcripts and letters of recommendation to law schools.

Through its Credential Assembly Service (CAS), LSAC will compile the information you need to apply to law school and will be your gateway for applying to law schools. The CAS bundles your transcripts, letters of recommendation, LSAT scores and other documents together so you only upload them once. The CAS also produces a report synthesizing your academic background, including summaries based on your grades (and its own recalculated cumulative GPA), GPA in your major, LSAT score, and a comparison of you to other law school applicants. You will need to provide transcripts for every school you attended after high school.

Almost every law school has gotten rid of paper applications and only accepts e-applications through LSAC. Furthermore, most law school websites have a link to apply to their program that redirects you to the LSAC website. You can’t escape!

So how does the LSAC work?

Once you have logged on to LSAC.org and created your personal account, you can upload or send LSAC your transcripts, letters of recommendation, writing samples, and other application documents (and just once). When you actually apply to law school, you can select which letters and other documents you submit to which schools (and you can also direct where your LSAT scores get sent). You will still need to fill out an actual e-application that contains mostly biographical information for each school.

Besides allowing me to apply to law school what else should I know about LSAC?

The LSAC website will give you valuable materials for getting ready for the LSAT, including free practice LSATs and explanations, LSAT prep videos, and a lot of other great (free!) resources through LSACs law school prep partner Khan Academy. Through Khan you can create a personalized practice plan and build your LSAT and law school skills with interactive lessons

The LSAC will also give you info on upcoming Law School Forums, one or two day events that give you a chance to attend panels on law school admission, financial aid, what to expect in law school, etc. and meet with law school admissions representatives. In our area, New York (in NYC) and New Jersey (Montclair State University hosts) have the two nearest Forums. LSAC also has a Candidate Referral Service, a free, opt-in recruitment and scholarship service allowing law schools to reach out to you based on features of your application that may be appealing (such as where you come from geographically, your ethnicity, GPA, etc.)

How much does all this cost?

Going to law school is expensive. Applying to law school is expensive. Some aspects of LSAC and applying to law school are free (Khan Academy resources; initial account creation; the Candidate Referral Service) and others cost money. As of Spring 2021 (but please check LSAC.org to confirm), the official fees include:

$190 to register for the LSAT; $125 to change either your test date or your test location ($250 for both). So plan carefully! In an ideal world you will study for the LSAT and do well enough to only take it once, but that may not happen. There are fee waivers available for the LSAT for those with financial need.
$195 for the Credential Assembly Service registration fee (one time expense).
$45/school for sending the CAS report (most law schools will require this). There are fee waivers available for the CAS.
$0-$85 application fees/school. These fees are put in place by the law school (not LSAC) as a cost for applying and reviewing your application. Fee waivers are available at most law schools. Applicants may qualify for waivers by meeting certain GPA/LSAT criteria or simply attending recruitment events. If you haven’t yet received a waiver from a school, email them with a waiver request. Provide your LSAC number, GPA/LSAT statistics, and a brief statement about your interest in the program.

In addition to these “official” fees, you will want to think about expenses for LSAT prep (study guides, copies of prior tests, and possible prep courses) and possible campus visits (before and especially after you are accepted).