Applying to Law School

LSAC's Credential Assembly Service simplifies the admission process for law school applicants by allowing you to submit all of the necessary documentation one time, regardless of the number of schools to which you apply. American Bar Association-approved law schools and many other law schools require the use of CAS for JD applicants.

How It Works

You must make sure that all of your documentation is sent to LSAC. This includes

• undergraduate, graduate, professional, and law school transcripts;
• letters of recommendation;
• and evaluations

We summarize your undergraduate work and combine all of your documents with your LSAT score and writing sample to create a report that we send to the law schools to which you apply. Most applicants use the electronic applications included as part of CAS to apply to law schools. When law schools receive your completed application, they will request your law school report from LSAC.

NOTE: LSAC will release applicant information only to the applicant. Information is not released to a parent, spouse, friend, or any other person.

Completing Your Credential Assembly Service (CAS) File

The basic steps for assembling your CAS file can be done in any order, but they must all be completed before any law school reports will be sent.

• Create your secure LSAC.org account if you have not already done so;
• Make sure there is a reportable LSAT score in your LSAC file;
• Provide information about the schools you attended to LSAC;
• Make sure all required transcripts are sent to LSAC;
• Make sure all required letters of recommendation and evaluations are sent to LSAC; and
• Pay the fee for the Credential Assembly Service. (Your account will remain active for five years.)

The Credential Assembly Service fee covers:

• transcript summarization (as well as authentication and evaluation of academic records for internationally educated JD applicants, if applicable);
• creation of your law school report;
• letter of recommendation and evaluation processing; and
• electronic application processing for all ABA-approved law schools and some non-ABA-approved schools. (NOTE: Individual law school application fees are not included as part of CAS.)

Fee waivers may be available in cases of extreme need.

Important: You should sign up and pay the fee for the Credential Assembly Service at least four to six weeks before your first law school application deadline. It takes approximately two weeks to process a transcript or letter of recommendation from the time it is received.

NOTE: LLM degree applicants should go to the LLM Credential Assembly Service page.

Also, transfer students may not be required to use CAS; contact the law school for information.

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