LSAC’s Fee Waiver program is designed for prospective U.S. and Canadian law students who are financially under-resourced, with the goal of increasing equity and access to legal education.
To increase the number of fee waiver applicants we can assist, the LSAC Fee Waiver Program recognizes different levels of financial need. We have developed a two-tiered benefit system to assist applicants of varying economic circumstances in receiving Fee Waiver benefits.
Under the two-tiered LSAC Fee Waiver Program, applicants are eligible for different benefit packages based on their tax-filing status and income levels. The table below summarizes these income requirements.
| Tax-Filing Status | Income Eligibility | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | ||
| Independent | Up to 235% of the federal poverty guidelines | 235 to 260% of the federal poverty guidelines | |
| Dependent | Applicant’s Income: | Up to 150% of the federal poverty guidelines | Up to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines |
| Applicant’s Income + Parents’ Income: | Up to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines | 200 to 300% of the federal poverty guidelines | |
Please note: The income levels outlined above do not guarantee approval. The Fee Waiver criteria also include maximum asset and cash balance levels, as well as other factors LSAC may consider in its sole discretion.
To be eligible for a U.S. LSAC fee waiver, you must either:
To be eligible for a Canadian LSAC fee waiver, you must either:
You must complete an online Fee Waiver application through your LSAC JD Account . You will be required to input information about yourself, your spouse (if applicable), or your parents if your tax-filing status is “dependent.” A decision will be made based on the information you provide.
If your application is denied, you may appeal the decision once ; appeal decisions are final.
If accepted, your Fee Waiver application will be “Conditionally Approved.” While your Fee Waiver application is “Conditionally Approved,” a “hold” is placed on your LSAC JD Account. This “hold” prevents LSAT scores and CAS Reports from being released to you or to the law schools to which you have applied until the “hold” is removed. This “hold” will be removed when a final decision is made on your Fee Waiver application.
Before your Fee Waiver application can receive “Final Approval,” you must submit all required supporting documentation through your LSAC JD Account no later than 45 days after submitting your application online. See Supporting Documentation Requirements (below) for more information.
After submitting your online Fee Waiver application, you must upload copies of all documentation supporting your application to your LSAC JD Account . This documentation must be submitted through your LSAC JD Account no later than 45 days after submitting your application online, or your Fee Waiver application will be canceled. (However, in most cases, your application can be reinstated after all required documentation is received.)
Documentation requirements vary based on your citizenship status. Please follow the guidelines below.
Upload one of the following:
Upload one of the following:
This is important. All supporting documentation must be uploaded directly through your LSAC JD Account . We can no longer accept Fee Waiver documentation submitted via email or postal mail.
This is important.
Once you have submitted your online Fee Waiver application and all required supporting documentation, your Fee Waiver application will be either approved or denied. Decisions are usually made within two to five business days of LSAC receiving all the required supporting documentation.
You will be notified via email whether you have received a Tier 1 or Tier 2 Fee Waiver. Your Fee Waiver will be valid for two years from the date of LSAC’s “Conditional Approval” of the waiver.
To receive your full benefit package, you must complete the following tasks in LawHub™ :
You will be billed for any services redeemed while your Fee Waiver was “Conditionally Approved.” A “hold” will remain on your LSAC JD Account until the balance is paid in full.
If you have not already submitted an appeal, you may appeal the “Denied” decision once; appeal decisions are final. The review process is usually completed within two weeks after receipt of your appeal and any additional supporting documentation. More information about the appeals process will be provided to you via email.
The LSAC Fee Waiver program has been redesigned so that it helps aspiring students better understand how to apply to law school and helps improve their likelihood of securing admission and financial aid.
Starting September 3, 2024, Fee Waiver recipients will need to complete the tasks described below to redeem their full benefit package. These tasks are designed to help recipients maximize their Fee Waiver benefits.
| Benefit 1 – LawHub Advantage | Benefit 2 – LSAT | Benefit 3 – CAS and CAS Reports | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When You Receive Each Benefit | As soon as your Fee Waiver application receives “Final Approval” | As soon as you’ve completed 2 LSAT PrepTests in LawHub using “Exam Mode” | As soon as you’ve completed the “How Do I Apply to Law School?” course in LawHub |
| What You Receive (Tier 1 package) | One-year subscription to LawHub Advantage | Two LSATs (including LSAT Argumentative Writing and LSAT Score Preview) | Five-year Credential Assembly Service (CAS) subscription AND 6 CAS Reports |
| What You Receive (Tier 2 package) | One-year subscription to LawHub Advantage | One LSAT (including LSAT Argumentative Writing and LSAT Score Preview) | Five-year Credential Assembly Service (CAS) subscription AND 3 CAS Reports |
| End Date | One year after your “Final Approval” date | Two years after your “Conditionally Approved” date | Two years after your “Conditionally Approved” date * |
* You must redeem your CAS subscription within your two-year Fee Waiver period. After that, you have five years from your CAS subscription start date to use CAS and redeem your free CAS Reports.
This is important.
LSAC’s Fee Waiver program is designed for prospective U.S. and Canadian law students who are financially under-resourced, with the goal of increasing equity and access to legal education.
The LSAC Fee Waiver Program recognizes different levels of financial need. We have developed a two-tiered benefit program to assist applicants of varying economic circumstances in receiving Fee Waiver benefits.
You can learn more about the LSAC Fee Waiver income-eligibility levels above .
Individuals who are granted a Fee Waiver will receive either Tier 1 or Tier 2 benefits, depending on their determined level of need based on the documentation they provide. Please review Income Requirements — Fee Waiver Tiers (above) and Fee Waiver Benefits (above) for more information.
We recommend that you submit your completed Fee Waiver application to LSAC at least six months prior to the registration deadline for the LSAT administration you wish to take. Applying this early will enable you to have plenty of time to take the two “Exam Mode” PrepTests, which must be completed to receive the LSAT portion of the Fee Waiver package.
Even if there are fewer than six months before the LSAT registration deadline, don’t hesitate to apply. Please complete your Fee Waiver application as soon as you can. LSAC reviews completed Fee Waiver applications on a rolling basis and typically provides a decision within two to five business days.
Please review the 2023-2024 Fee Waiver program guidelines for information about eligibility and Fee Waiver benefits.
Yes, we encourage you to take the “Exam Mode” PrepTests under the same conditions that you expect to have on test day. You can adjust the “Minutes per section” when you begin a new practice test in LawHub. (By default, LawHub’s PrepTests are set to “Self-Paced Mode” — so make sure to switch to “Exam Mode” when completing the two required PrepTests.)
Under standard testing conditions, test takers receive 35 minutes per section. However, extended testing time may be approved as an accommodation for test takers with documented disabilities. To learn more about requesting LSAT accommodations, please review the LSAC Policy on Accommodations for Test Takers With Disabilities.
Some law schools waive their application fee for applicants who have received a Fee Waiver under LSAC’s Fee Waiver program. For schools that waive application fees, this will be noted within your LSAC JD Account when you select the school’s application and when you’re preparing to submit your completed application.
If your Fee Waiver application has received “Final Approval,” your law school application fee will be waived automatically for these schools.
If your Fee Waiver application has been “Conditionally Approved” and you are applying to a school that waives application fees for LSAC Fee Waiver recipients, you have three options:
LSAC wants to make sure all relevant evidence of need is considered in granting Fee Waivers. If your Fee Waiver application is denied, you can appeal that decision. However, all appeal decisions are final. You will be eligible to reapply during the next Fee Waiver season (July through June).
Your dependency status is based on your answers in Step 1 of the Fee Waiver application. If you are deemed to be a dependent, you will be required to provide both your own and your parents’ tax documentation. LSAC’s determination of your dependency status may not be the same as the determination made by other organizations.
LSAC’s Fee Waiver program is designed to help students who are financially under-resourced, with the goal of increasing equity and access to legal education. The Fee Waiver program has helped thousands of under-resourced students in their journeys to law school. At the same time, many more Fee Waiver recipients ultimately end up not applying to law school or not attending. We continuously evaluate our programs to find ways to improve them. In that spirit, we decided to add some milestones to the program, to help ensure that Fee Waiver recipients better understand how to apply to law school and to help improve their likelihood of securing admission and financial aid. For more information about the benefits of these requirements see this blog post .
No. After receiving “Conditional Approval” of their Fee Waiver application, Fee Waiver recipients need to complete two practice tests in LawHub using “Exam Mode,” in order to access their Fee Waiver benefit for registering for the LSAT free of charge.
Fee Waiver recipients can check their practice test status by logging into LawHub and visiting the LSAT Prep library.
No. Fee Waiver recipients need to complete the “How Do I Apply to Law School?” course in LawHub to access the CAS and CAS Reports benefit. We anticipate the course will take approximately 30 minutes to complete, and it includes a wide range of helpful information and resources to assist prospective applicants.
LSAC Fee Waivers are also available for financially under-resourced undergraduate students who are registered to participate in the LawReady program at their school.
