What Does the LSAT Cost in 2017-18?

2017-2018 LSAT Fees Including Test Reports and Late Registration Fees

Pencil held over a multiple choice exam
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by Kelly Roell
Updated August 27, 2017

The LSAT is going to cost $180 in the 2017-18 academic year, and those costs will go up for each law school to which you apply. Additional fees include credential assembly services, test date changes, late registration fees, and handscoring 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.

 

2017-18 LSAT Fees
Test/CircumstanceFeeMore Info if Applicable
The LSAT Test$180 
Credential Assembly Service (CAS)$185LSAC's service that summarizes undergrad work and combines documents with LSAT score and writing sample to create a report to send to law schools.
Late Registration$100Typically, late registration starts 30 days prior to test date
Test Center Change$100 
Test Date Change$100 
Handscoring$100If you're not content with your score, you can pay to have someone score your LSAT by hand.
Former Registrant Score report$45If you need to get an old LSAT score
Law School Reports$35This is a fee paid per school
Nonpublished Domestic Test Centers$285If 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$380 

Unlike the SAT, ACT and GRE, the LSAT does not provide applicants with any free score reports, so you can expect to pay $35 for each of your 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.

  1. 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 five score reports. Her situation is typical of law school applicants. Total Cost: $540.
  2. Justin registered late for the LSAT, and he is planning on applying to eight law schools. Each of those schools either requires or recommends the Credential Assembly Service. Justin will get billed for the LSAT, late registration, CAS, and eight score reports. Total Cost: $745.
  3. 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 six score reports. Total Cost: $855 

LSAT Fee Waivers

Law school tends to be more expensive than many other graduate programs, and testing for the exam is similarly more expensive. Fee waivers for the exam are available, but the criteria for qualifying for a waiver are stringent.

Essentially, paying the fees needs to prove impossible for you, not just difficult or inconvenient. You can learn about the possibility of a waiver on the LSAC website.

article edited and expanded by Allen Grove