The LSAC Fee Waiver Program is incremental to helping lower-income students venture into the legal field. If approved for an LSAC Fee Waiver, candidates receive a slew of benefits, including waived LSAT and law school application fees.
LSAC recently redesigned its fee waiver program. Applicants will now be considered for two package tiers based on income and other qualifiers.
You are eligible for Tier 1 if you are: (1) A financially independent candidate earning up to 250% of the federal poverty guidelines or (2) a financially dependent candidate earning up to 150% of the poverty guidelines and if your income combined with your parents’ income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty guidelines. Candidates must also meet LSAC’s other fee waiver criteria.
• Fees waived for two official LSAT exams and one LSAT Writing
• Fees waived for one CAS registration, which includes the Letter of Recommendation Service and access to electronic applications for all LSAC-member law schools. Some law schools will even waive their application fees for fee waiver recipients.
• Fees waived for six CAS Law School Reports
• Fee waived for a one-year subscription to LSAC’s Official LawHub Advantage
• Fee waived for two Score Previews; Score Preview allows test-takers to see their score before deciding whether or not to cancel it.
• Discount on a Blueprint LSAT Live Course or Self-Paced Package
You are eligible for Tier 2 if you are: (1) A financially independent candidate earning 250-300% of the federal poverty guidelines or (2) a financially dependent applicant with an income that doesn’t exceed 200% of the poverty guidelines and if your income combined with your parents’ income is between 300-350% of the poverty guidelines. You must also meet other LSAC requirements.
• Fees waived for one official LSAT exam and one LSAT Writing
• Fees waived for one CAS registration, which includes the Letter of Recommendation Service and access to electronic applications for all LSAC-member law schools.
• Fees waived for three CAS Law School Reports
• Fee waived for a one-year subscription to LSAC’s Official LawHub Advantage
• Fee waived for one Score Preview
• Discount on a Blueprint LSAT Live Course or Self-Paced Package
Aside from the income and asset requirements for Tier 1 and Tier 2, there are also more qualifications you need to meet before applying for a fee waiver. You must either:
• Be a U.S. or Canadian 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).
• Be a permanent resident of Canada.
• Be a Protected Person/Convention Refugee in Canada.
1. Decide when should you apply for an LSAC Fee Waiver. When you’ve chosen an LSAT date(s), try to apply for a fee waiver at least six months before the registration deadline of your testing date.
2. Log into your LSAC account and complete the fee waiver application.
3. You will also need to upload supporting documents within 45 days of submitting your application, including all federal income tax schedules filed with Form 1040, a Verification of Non-filing Letter from the IRS, and/or DACA documentation.
Your fee waiver application will be either conditionally approved or denied before LSAC reviews your entire application and supporting documents. While you wait, you can still take the LSAT but your score won’t be released until a final decision has been made.
If you’re denied, you can appeal their decision. However, if your appeal is denied, that decision is final and you will need to wait until the next fee waiver cycle.
Beginning September 3, 2024, test takers who have been approved for the LSAT fee waiver will need to complete specific tasks before receiving their benefits.
If you were approved for an LSAC fee waiver before September 3, 2024, this change will not affect you.
Once you have your fee waiver approval, reach out to us to inquire about your Blueprint LSAT prep discount and if you need help choosing an LSAT prep style!
Good luck, and don’t forget to check out all our free LSAT resources, including a personalizable study planner and practice test!
An earlier version of this article was published May 12, 2023.
