Apply for an LSAC Fee Waiver

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. 

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.

U.S. Residents

To be eligible for a U.S. LSAC fee waiver, you must either:

• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Be a U.S. national.
• Be a resident of either the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RFI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), or the Republic of Palau.
• Be a permanent resident alien of the U.S. with an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151 or I-551).
• Have temporary protected status in the U.S.
• Have been granted deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
• Have applied for deferred action under DACA.
• Be seeking asylum in the United States through the affirmative asylum process and have filed Form I-589 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Note: If you have a status not listed above that is recognized by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), you may also be eligible for a fee waiver. If you think you might be eligible for a fee waiver based on a recognized USCIS or DHS status, please apply and submit your basis for eligibility for LSAC’s review.

Canadian Residents

To be eligible for a Canadian LSAC fee waiver, you must either: 

• Be a Canadian citizen.
• Be a permanent resident of Canada.
• Be classified as a “Protected Person” or “Convention Refugee” by the country of Canada.

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.

U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, and Permanent Resident Aliens of the U.S.

• All tax documents supporting your fee waiver application, including all federal income tax schedules filed with the Form 1040. These include:
  • Schedule 1 (Additional Income and Adjustments to Income)
  • Schedule 2 (Additional Taxes)
  • Schedule A (Itemized Deductions)
  • Schedule B (Interest and Ordinary Dividends)
  • Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ (Profit or Loss from Business | Sole Proprietorship)
  • Schedule D (Capital Gains and Losses)
  • Schedule E (Supplemental Income and Losses)
  • Schedule F (Profit or Loss from Farming)
  • Schedule J (Income Averaging for Farmers and Fishermen)
• The Verification of Nonfiling Letter from the IRS — if you were not required to file a federal tax return. More information about this documentation is available at 2024-2025 Verification of Nonfiling Instructions.

Applicants with Temporary Protected Status in the U.S.

• Your Application for Temporary Protected Status (Form I-821)

Applicants Who Have Been Granted (or Applied for) Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Upload one of the following:

• Your DACA Approval Notice (Form I-797, Notice of Action)
• Your DACA Application Receipt (Form I-797C, Notice of Action)
• Your U.S. Employment Authorization Card (showing category #C33 indicating your eligibility through DACA)

Applicants Seeking Asylum in the United States through the Affirmative Asylum Process

• Verification that you are seeking or have been granted asylum in the U.S. — upload either:
  • Your Application for Asylum and Withholding of Removal form (Form I-589) and your “Acknowledgment of Receipt” from USCIS. 
  • Your U.S. Employment Authorization Card (showing category #C08 indicating your eligibility through asylum)
• Copies of your most recent paystubs (if applicable)

Residents of either the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RFI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), or the Republic of Palau

Upload one of the following:

• Your driver’s license
• Your passport
• Your state ID
• Your U.S. Employment Authorization Card (showing category #A08 indicating you are a resident of either the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau)

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.

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:

1. Option 1: Delay submitting your law school application until you receive "Final Approval” of your Fee Waiver application. (Your Fee Waiver application cannot receive “Final Approval” until you submit all the required supporting documentation.)
2. Option 2: Send the law school application electronically to the applicable law school and pay the required fee. (NOTE: LSAC cannot refund the cost of a law school application that you paid for and submitted. If your LSAC Fee Waiver application receives “Final Approval” after you pay for and submit your law school application, you will need to contact the law school directly to request a refund. Whether the law school provides a refund for the cost of your law school application is within the law school’s sole discretion.)
3. Option 3: Print the law school application and mail it directly to the law school with a letter explaining that you have applied to participate in LSAC’s Fee Waiver program. If LSAC issues “Final Approval” of your Fee Waiver application, you must forward a copy of the approval letter to the applicable law school. If LSAC denies your Fee Waiver application, you must pay any and all applicable law school application fees directly to the applicable law school.

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.