Fee Waivers
There are TWO types of fee waivers - a fee waiver from LSAC (the Law School Admissions Council) that de facto acts as a type of umbrella waiver, and also individual waivers from law schools.
LSAC Fee Waiver
The LSAC fee waiver pays for a variety of fees, including the LSAT test, Credentials Service, law school reports, and practice tests. Students must apply for the fee waiver 4-6 weeks before the deadline to register for the LSAT, and it is suggested that students apply as soon as the test registration opens for your desired date. The application link and more details are available here.
The initial fee waiver determination is made by an algorithm. For a personal review of the circumstances, students must appeal the initial determination. If you have a good faith reason to believe that the initial determination was wrong, you should absolutely request an appeal.
Law School Fee Waivers
In general, if a student has received a fee waiver, the law schools will also waive their own fees associated with the application.
However, many law schools will waive their individual application fees even if you do not qualify for an LSAC waiver.
- Information about fee waivers is generally available on the website or in the application materials of each law school.
- You may also receive unsolicited offers of fee waivers from law schools—these offers are not an indication of your chance of admission at those particular schools.
- If you cannot locate information about fee waivers in connection with a particular law school, it is not inappropriate to send a polite email asking how to apply for one.