You may have heard that applying to Law School is expensive. It’s true! Applying to Law School can cost anywhere from $500 (if you apply to only one school) to several thousand (if you apply to numerous schools and take the LSAT multiple times).
In this post I’m going to break down the different numerous costs you’ll encounter in the process of applying to law school. When you apply to law school, you will have to not only pay for study materials for the Law School Admissions Test but also application fees, school report fees, and potentially travel expenses for interviews.
LSAT Study Material
Ok, so before you submit your applications and take the Law School Admissions Test, you should study for the test itself. Doing so mean buying the books, flashcards, and other documents to practice the various aspects the LSAT.
I did not study sufficiently for the exam, but the little studying that I did was from one book: the LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim. I found this book by searching for self-studying LSAT resources. At that point, I did not want to take a LSAT class or course and figured that since I would be doing a lot of self-studying in Law School, I could use the same method for the LSAT.
Additionally, I purchased 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests to supplement the LSAT Trainer, as instructed in the book. Each year, LSAC, the organization which administers the LSAT, releases 10 LSAT tests from the previous year in book form.
Every time I looked at the prices for such courses as Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Blueprint, I wanted to preemptively declare bankruptcy Michael Scott style.
Self-Studying
Yeah.. that was a substantial reason I wanted to self-study, especially since I was unemployed for 7 months after graduation. I mean.. these courses cost anywhere between $800 to $2,100?! C’mon..
If that’s a concern for you too, and you are curious about other self-study options, here are a few that some of my friends and colleague-attorneys have recommended:
Princeton Review LSAT Premium Prep
Although you can forgo studying for the LSAT entirely or just use free resources to prepare for the test, I don’t recommend that. The LSAT is a way too important aspect of your application to underestimate.
Competitive Law Schools have LSAT cut-off scores under which they won’t consider your application at all, and many schools use LSAT scores to determine merit-based scholarship awards. Don’t sleep on the LSAT.
Costs – low end: If you go the self-study route, you will spend between $40.00-100.00 for the study materials.
Costs – high end: if you end up purchasing a course, you will spend anywhere between $800.00 for a basic self-paced version of a course and all the way up to $2,100.00 for private on-on-one tutoring plus course materials.
*Keep in mind that you may have to purchase study materials in addition to whatever LSAT class you bought.
Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) Fees
After you purchased your materials and/or courses, you will then register for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and the Credential Assembly Service (CAS).
The LSAT itself costs $200.00 every time you take the exam.
That’s right. If you prepare properly and get a great score, you’ll only part ways with $200.00. But if you get a score with which you are not satisfied and you want to retake the LSAT, that’s going to cost you another $200.00 each time you retake it.
Oh, and we’re not done yet with the LSAT fees! If you need to change the location or date of the test, you’ll have to shell out $125.00. Further, if you live at least 100 miles away from the nearest test center, you can request a nonpublished location closer to you.
Plan in Advance
The astronomical LSAT costs illustrate how important advanced planning is in this process. I had to register at least 4 months in advance of my test date to get an accessible testing location and notify my clients that I won’t be available on the Monday I took the test.
If you wait until the last minute to register for the LSAT, you risk having to pick a location or date that isn’t convenient for you and increasing your odds of paying hundreds of dollars to change your exam later.
Costs – low end: If you only take the LSAT once with no changes to your test center and date, you’ll pay only $200.00 total for the exam and writing portion.
Costs – high end: If you have to retake the exam, change the date or testing center, and/or request a nonpublished location, you’re looking at a hole in your pocket between $495.00 and $1,150.00.
LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Fees
If you’re already getting a bit dizzy at how expensive applying to law school is, you may want to take a break and mediate because we haven’t even actually submitted any applications yet.
To apply to law school, you will have to purchase the LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service aka the CAS. This Service is what the Law School Admission Counsel (LSAC) uses to compile your application, letters of recommendation, transcript, LSAT score, and other documents into a single report and sends that to individual law schools on your behalf.
The vast majority of law schools require that you use the CAS to apply so its pretty much compulsory.
The CAS fee is $195.00!!
That’s right… You pay LSAC almost $200.00 for them to combine all of your materials into one pdf document and calculate a score for your GPA and LSAT.
I’m not sure why that costs $195.00, but that’s just the way it is so shut up and fork over your cash.
Costs: $195.00
Transcript Request Fees
Now, you will need to request your post high-school transcript(s) to include in your CAS reports. So you must pay whatever fees your college demands for them to electronically send 6 pieces of paper to LSAC.
My college demanded $8.00 so I paid that and within a week I had uploaded my transcript to my LSAC account. Simple enough
But if you got an advanced degree or received any other credits besides your bachelor’s degree, you will also have to request your transcripts from all those other schools as well.
Further, if you transferred schools while pursuing your degree, you will still have to get transcripts from every institution your attended, even if that school wasn’t the one that granted your degree.
Costs – low end: If you have one degree and only attended one school, you may pay as little as $8.00 like I did.
Costs – high end: If you attended more than one school, have more than one degree, or just have earned some credits at different schools, you may have to pay that $8.00 or more for each school. So let’s say on the high end, you’d end up paying $24.00-$32.00 if you transferred school during undergrad, went on to get a master’s degree, and took a few classes at another school.
Admissions Coaching
Ok, so now that we have paid all those mandatory fees for the LSAT transcripts, and the CAS, let’s review the some costs that you can totally avoid. I say that you can avoid these costs because I didn’t pay anything for these services, and I’ve been accepted to several law schools so far so..
I’m talking about your resume, personal statement, and other essays and addenda. There are numerous law school admissions coaching services out there that can provide guidance on editing your resume into a format that will enhance your application.
You cannot simply reuse the resume that you’ve been sending to jobs. Your law school resume serves a different purpose. If that line of thinking shocks you, you may want to conduct a little bit more research into creating a law school specific resume or pay someone to do it for you.
These services also include coaching for your essays, interviews, diversity statements, and any other aspects of your application that may need some guidance. They can provide holistic feedback to your entire application and can probably answer any question you have about the process. The costs for these services can either be in a flat-fee package or bundle or they can be offered hourly. And they are pricey.
Worth the Cost?
If you are having trouble with your application, you may want to consider some consulting or commit to doing your free due diligence from online sources such as this site, YouTube channels, and other blogs.
Consulting is probably is the least popular but most expensive cost you can pick up when applying to law school. Law School Admissions consultants and coaches may enhance your application with years of navigating the Law school admissions process. Some consultants are even former law school admissions officers so their expertise isn’t something to underestimate.
I did not receive any consulting, but I’m sure that some of you may benefit from it. Law School Admission is an investment in your future as a lawyer.
Costs – low end: I’ve seen basic law school admission consulting packages as low as $300.00-$900.00 and admission consulting hourly rates for $200.00 per hour. But maybe you can email and tweet your favorite YouTube law school student or graduate and ask them to look at your documents for $75.00?? Let me know how that works if you try it.
Costs – high end: From my cursory online research, advanced consulting packages range from $1,500.00 all the way up to over $6,000.00!! Whew! And I’ve gathered that law school consulting hourly rates go up to $350.00 per hour.
Law School Application & Report Fees
Ok. So now we’ve covered all the costs associated with putting your application together. Now let’s discuss actually submitting your applications.
Each application that you submit to each law school requires a report through the CAS. This report includes your LSAT score(s), your transcripts, and letter of recommendation.
According to this page on LSAC.org, each law school report also includes an Academic Summary Report which “serves as a convenient cover sheet for your credentials. This summary comprises all of your undergraduate work, including any work completed at a graduate, law, or professional school prior to the granting of your four-year undergraduate degree.”
Each report that you send costs $45.00 . That’s a separate fee from whatever application fee the law schools choose to charge you to accept your application.. Yeah, for example Georgetown, Boston University, and Howard University all charge $85.00, $85.00, and $60.00 respectively on top of $45.00 law report fee.
That bright side is that most school don’t charge these fees or they waive the application fees if you apply before a certain date. Also, you can always email the schools and request an application fee waiver at any point int he admissions cycle.
Costs – low end: If you only apply to 1-3 law schools with waived application fee, that’s $45.00-$135.00.
Costs – high end: If you cast a wide net and apply to ten to fifteen schools, a few of which have application fees, that’s $450.00-$760.00 out of pocket.
Travel To Law Schools
Now we’re finally at the last cost of this process and some of you may actually not have to spend any money on this step.
Some law schools, especially the more competitive ones at the top of the USA News rankings, request interviews with applicants. If you applied to one of these law schools, you may be invited to the school’s campus and to have an in-person interview with the admissions committee.
Unfortunately, this invitation doesn’t usually come with traveling reimbursements. You can ask the school to cover your costs if you can provide proof of your economic need. But the law school probably won’t provide this type of assistance beyond an accommodation in their visitation housing.
If this is the case, you will have to pay for your travel expenses. Depending on your proximity to the law school, this could involve booking plane tickets for an overnight trip or a simple drive across town. Because of the nature of law school admission time constraints, you won’t be able to book a flight months in advance to save costs.
Online Interviews
With the outbreak situation happening during this admissions cycle, I had my interview over Skype. I’m sure that all interviews are happening virtually now. For future cycles, this will probably be a more accessible option, too.
Lastly, when you do get accepted, you may want to visit the law schools before you choose which one to attend. You need to consider the costs of traveling to each school Admitted Student Day.
Costs – low end: $0.00-$40.00 if you have an virtual interview or live in the same city and book a few cabs over to campus.
Costs – high end: $300.00-$1,200.00 if you have to book a few flights and pay for other advanced travel and housing accommodations to get to campus.
Total Costs
Ok, so let’s tally all the costs of applying to law school from the low end and high end.
Total Costs – low end: If you decide to reign in costs, keep things simple, plan ahead, and apply to few schools without going to any interviews or traveling to campus, you may only have to spend between $800.00-$1,700.00.
Total Costs – high end: If you choose to heavily invest in your LSAT preparation and admission coaching and traveling to multiple schools, you may end up spending up to $3,800.00-$11,350.00!!!
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