What Are the LSAT Costs and Fees for 2018-2019?

The basic fees for the LSAT during the 2018-2019 academic year is $190, and those costs may go up for each law school to which you apply. Additional fees include things like test date changes, late registration fees, and hand-scoring of your exam. A typical law school applicant will often spend over $500 on the LSAT, and nearly all law schools require the LSAT. The table below provides details on all the fees associated with the LSAT.

2018-2019 LSAT Fees

Test/Circumstance	Fee	More Info if Applicable
The LSAT Test	$190	This provides 1 free score report; additional charges apply for more reports.
Credential Assembly Service (CAS)	$195	LSAC's service that summarizes undergrad work and combines documents with LSAT score and writing sample to create a report to send to law schools.
Additional Score Reports (each)	$45
Test Center Change	$125
Test Date Change	$125
Handscoring (optional)	$100	If you're not content with your score, you can pay to have someone score your LSAT by hand rather than by machine.
Former Registrant Score report	$45	If you need to get an old LSAT score
Law School Reports	$45	This is a fee paid per school.
Nonpublished Domestic Test Centers	$295	If you can't travel to a published/listed test center, and you're farther than 100 miles from an open, published center, you may request to test elsewhere.
Nonpublished International Test Centers	$390
LSAT Registration Refund	$50
CAS Registration Refund	$50
Late Registration	n/a	As of February 2018, the Law School Admission Council announced that the late registration period would be eliminated.

Unlike the SAT, ACT, and GRE, the LSAT only provides applicants with one free score report, so you can expect to pay $45 for each of your additional law school applications. Also, you're likely to find that CAS, the Credential Assembly Service is not really optional; law schools that are approved by the American Bar Association typically require this service.

Case Studies of Law School Costs

Don't be fooled by the $180 cost of the LSAT itself. Chances are you are going to pay $500 or more in total LSAT costs as the examples below illustrate.

Gretta is applying to five law schools, and each of those schools requires the Credential Assembly Service. She will need to pay for the LSAT registration, CAS, and four additional score reports. Her situation is typical of most law school applicants. Total Cost: $565.
Justin registered for the LSAT, and he is planning on applying to eight law schools, but he had to change his testing date. Each of those schools either requires or recommends the Credential Assembly Service. Justin will get billed for the LSAT, testing date change, CAS, and seven additional score reports. Total Cost: $825.
Fernando is applying to six law schools. The first time he takes the LSAT, he doesn't get scores that are strong enough to be admitted to his top choice schools, so he takes the LSAT again. When a family crisis comes up, he has to change his test center location. His schools all require the Credential Assembly Service. Fernando will need to pay for the LSAT twice, CAS, his test center change, and five additional score reports. Total Cost: $925

LSAT Fee Waivers

Fee waivers for the exam are available, but the criteria for qualifying for a waiver are stringent. Qualified applicants need to meet specific standards, and it is stated that only those with extreme need should apply. If qualified, the waivers will cover two LSAT test dates, which must be taken within a two-year period, one CAS registration, and four CAS Law School Reports. Applicants applying to more than four schools will need to cover the additional costs independently. You can learn about the possibility of a waiver on the LSAC website.

Article edited and expanded by Allen Grove