Cas And Law School Applications: Are They Necessary?

Applying to law school can be a complex process, but the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) simplifies the process for both candidates and law schools. CAS is part of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and is designed to make the application process more straightforward. It works similarly to the Common App for college applications. Instead of submitting your transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc., to every school, you only submit them once to LSAC, and they then send a full report to your designated schools. This report includes your LSAT scores and writing samples, copies of transcripts, and letters of recommendation. Most American Bar Association-approved law schools and many others require that JD applicants use CAS.

What is CAS?

CAS stands for Credential Assembly Service. It is part of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and is designed to make the application process more straightforward. The CAS is managed by the same organisation that administers the LSAT.

The CAS simplifies the law school application process for both candidates and law schools. With CAS, your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and any other documents required for each of your law school applications only need to be sent once to LSAC. All applications are available electronically through your CAS account, saving you time and effort. LSAC combines your documents with your LSAT score and forwards a full report to all the schools you apply to.

Your CAS Report 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.
• Your LSAT (or LSAT-Flex) score(s) (if required by the law school requesting your report) and writing sample(s).
• All undergraduate, graduate, and law/professional school transcripts.
• Your admission index, if the law school has requested one.
• Letters of recommendation, if applicable.
• Other relevant information, such as prior matriculation.

Your CAS subscription remains active for five years and includes the following:

• Transcript summarization (as well as authentication and evaluation of academic records for internationally educated JD applicants, if applicable)
• Creation of your CAS Report
• Letter of recommendation processing
• Electronic application processing for all ABA-approved law schools and some non-ABA-approved schools

Most American Bar Association-approved law schools and many others require that JD applicants use CAS. If you are only applying to law schools in Canada, CAS will not be required.

What does CAS include?

The Credential Assembly Service (CAS) is a service provided by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) that simplifies the law school application process.

CAS includes an Academic Summary Report, which acts as a cover sheet for your credentials. This summary includes all of your undergraduate work and any work completed at a graduate, law, or professional school prior to receiving your four-year undergraduate degree.

Additionally, CAS includes your LSAT (or LSAT-Flex) scores, writing samples, and all undergraduate, graduate, and law/professional school transcripts. If required by the law school, your admission index and letters of recommendation will also be included.

Other relevant information, such as prior matriculation, may also be included in your CAS report.

The CAS subscription is active for five years and includes transcript summarization, creation of your CAS Report, letter of recommendation processing, and electronic application processing for all ABA-approved law schools and some non-ABA-approved schools.

How much does CAS cost?

The Credential Assembly Service (CAS) simplifies the law school application process for both candidates and law schools. With CAS, your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and any other documents required for each of your law school applications only need to be sent once to LSAC. All ABA-approved law school applications are available electronically through your CAS account, saving you time and effort. LSAC combines your documents with your LSAT score and forwards a full report to all the schools you apply to.

The CAS costs $195 to create an account, plus $45 for each CAS report sent to law schools. For extreme cases of need, fee waivers are available.

Your CAS subscription remains active for five years and includes the following:

• Transcript summarization (as well as authentication and evaluation of academic records for internationally educated JD applicants, if applicable)
• Creation of your CAS Report
• Letter of recommendation processing
• Electronic application processing for all ABA-approved law schools and some non-ABA-approved schools

Law school candidates who are financially under-resourced can apply for an LSAC fee waiver to cover many of the costs related to applying to law school, including the CAS subscription fee and up to six CAS Reports.

Who qualifies for an LSAC waiver?

The LSAC fee waiver program is designed for prospective law students who are financially under-resourced, with the goal of increasing equity and access to legal education. The LSAC fee waiver is available to both U.S. and Canadian citizens.

To be eligible for a U.S. LSAC fee waiver, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• Be a resident of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau.
• Be a permanent resident alien of the U.S. with an Alien Registration Receipt Card.
• Have temporary protected status in the U.S.
• Have been granted or applied for deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (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).

For Canadian citizens, the following criteria must be met to be eligible for an LSAC fee waiver:

• Be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
• Be classified as a “Protected Person” or “Convention Refugee” by the country of Canada.

The LSAC fee waiver program recognizes different levels of financial need and has developed a two-tiered benefit system to assist applicants with varying economic circumstances. The program takes into account factors such as income, tax-filing status, maximum asset and cash balance levels, and other factors considered by LSAC.

Is CAS necessary for law school?

The Credential Assembly Service (CAS) is a service offered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) that simplifies the law school application process. It is not necessary for all law schools, but it is required by most American Bar Association-approved law schools and many others. If you are only applying to law schools in Canada, CAS is not required.

CAS allows you to send all your important documents for your law school applications at once. It combines your transcripts, test scores, and evaluations into a single report that it sends to law schools when you apply. It also adjusts your grades to a universal scale so that law schools can evaluate their applicants on the same basis.

The CAS report includes:

• LSAT Scores and Writing Samples
• Copies of Transcripts
• Letters of Recommendation
• Academic Summary Report
• Admission Index (if requested by the law school)
• Prior Matriculation and Misconduct and Irregularities in the Admission Process indications

The cost of creating a CAS account is $195, plus an additional $45 for each CAS report sent to a law school. Fee waivers are available for those who qualify.

The benefits of using CAS include saving time and effort in the application process, as well as standardized and efficient processing of documents. It also provides a central site to monitor the receipt of materials.

Frequently asked questions