LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS) simplifies the law school application process for both candidates and law schools. With CAS, your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and any other documents required for each of your law school applications only need to be sent one time to LSAC. All ABA-approved law school applications are available electronically through your CAS account as well, saving you time and effort. LSAC combines your documents with your LSAT score and forwards a full report to all the schools you apply to.
Most American Bar Association-approved law schools and many others require that JD applicants use CAS. If you are only applying to law schools in Canada, CAS will not be required.
What does CAS cost?
| Credential Assembly Service (CAS) subscription | $207 |
|---|---|
| CAS Reports | $45 each |
Your CAS subscription remains active for five years and includes the following:
- Transcript summarization (as well as authentication and evaluation of academic records for internationally educated JD applicants, if applicable)
- Creation of your CAS Report (Note: CAS Reports cost $45 each. You will need to purchase a CAS Report for each law school to which you are applying.)
- Letter of recommendation processing
- Electronic application processing for all ABA-approved law schools and some non-ABA-approved schools
Law school candidates who are financially under-resourced can apply for an LSAC fee waiver to cover many of the costs related to applying to law school, including the CAS subscription fee and up to six CAS Reports.
Getting Started with CAS
You can complete the steps to assemble your CAS file in any order, but you must complete all steps before we can send your CAS Report.
- Create your secure LSAC JD Account.
- Make sure there is a reportable LSAT score in your file (if required by the law school requesting your CAS Report).
- Provide information about the schools you attended.
- Send all required undergraduate, graduate, professional, and law school transcripts.
- Send all required letters of recommendation.
- Pay the CAS fee.
This is important. It takes approximately two weeks to process a transcript and up to five business days to process a paper letter of recommendation from the time we receive it. Electronic letters of recommendation are usually available as soon as we receive them.
CAS Authentication & Evaluation (CAS A&E)
If you received your education outside of the United States, its territories/associated states, or Canada, many law schools will require your international transcripts to be authenticated and evaluated. Most ABA-approved law schools accept — and many require — the authentication and evaluation (A&E) feature included in LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS); however, some schools require a different service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to sign up for the Credential Assembly Service?
Most ABA-approved law schools and many other law schools require CAS for JD applicants. If you are a JD applicant educated outside the United States or Canada and are not applying to any school that requires CAS, you are not required to register. However, you may choose to register for CAS to use the electronic application or letter of recommendation service.
Do I need to register for the LSAT and CAS at the same time?
You do not need to sign up for CAS when you register for the LSAT, but you should sign up at least four to six weeks before your first law school application deadline. It takes approximately two weeks to process a transcript once we receive it.
How can I obtain a refund of the CAS registration fee?
Starting May 20, 2024, LSAC will no longer offer partial refunds of the CAS fee.
How does CAS work with electronic applications?
Your CAS fee covers electronic application processing for all LSAC-member law schools. Completing applications electronically will save you time; generic application sections are pre-filled with information from your account. You can add schools to your CAS school list, making it easy to work on your selected applications.
Can I use this service if I’m a transfer student?
Check with the law schools for their LSAC report requirements. Some schools will accept the record from your current law school in lieu of a CAS Report.
If the school does require a CAS Report, you must have a current CAS file, and you must arrange for both your current law school transcript and your undergraduate transcript to be sent to LSAC. Your undergraduate transcript must indicate the date your bachelor’s degree was awarded.