LSAT Registration and Fees

The LSAT registration fee for the August 2026 through June 2027 testing year is $253. It covers the multiple-choice administration and LSAT Argumentative Writing. The fee is the same for a first-time test taker and a retaker. Candidate expenses can go beyond registration if they add Score Preview, change a test date after the free-change window, purchase credential services, or send application reports to schools.

Published U.S. and Canada dates through June 2027

The standard U.S. and Canada table differs from the international calendar. For example, international January 2027 testing is listed for January 15-16, while the North American administration runs January 13-16. Confirm that you are using the row for your testing region. LSAC lists receipt deadlines at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, and each administration page has additional details for accommodations, refunds, date changes, and scheduling close.

The October and November 2026 U.S./Canada registration deadlines have passed by October 6, 2026. January 2027 is the next administration in this table with an open registration deadline. It begins testing January 13 and closes registration December 1. Do not confuse the January administration's registration deadline with its December 22 scheduling opening or its February 3 score release.

Registration and scheduling are separate steps

First, create or sign in to your LSAC account and register for a specific administration. Provide candidate information that matches your identification and select the testing region. Registration is the step that secures a place in that administration; it does not assign the final testing appointment. For 2026-2027, LSAC assigns candidates a scheduling window based on the order in which they registered.

When the scheduling window opens, find the assigned day and time in the LSAT Status area of JD Services. Then use Prometric ProScheduler to select an available appointment. LSAC emails a reminder about the upcoming window. Candidates who register earlier are placed earlier in the scheduling order, which can improve the opportunity to choose among available appointment times, but does not guarantee a specific slot.

The appointment choice can include a test center and, for qualifying candidates, an eligible remote arrangement. During the 2026-2027 cycle, LSAC is moving to in-center testing for most candidates. Remote testing is limited to exceptions for certain disability accommodations or candidates who are beyond the stated distance threshold from an available domestic center. A candidate should not register assuming remote test delivery is an unrestricted option.

For a concrete timeline, a candidate registering for January 2027 by December 1 should expect scheduling to open December 22 and the primary test days to run January 13-16. That candidate still needs to complete Argumentative Writing, which opens January 5, and should plan for score release on February 3. Treat each date as a separate milestone in the application calendar.

What the registration fee includes

The $253 fee includes one LSAT administration and the Argumentative Writing task. Writing can be completed separately, remotely, and at a convenient time after it becomes available for your administration. For a first-time test taker without a previous approved sample, an approved writing submission must be on file before the multiple-choice score can be released.

A retaker pays the same $253 registration fee. If a valid writing sample is already on file, the candidate does not need to complete another sample for the test to be considered complete or for score release. If the candidate wants to write again, LSAC's fee page says to contact Candidate Services; Argumentative Writing is not sold as a standalone service.

Optional LSAT fees

A free date change is available through the administration's registration deadline. After that, the charge depends on how many days have elapsed. The published general fee schedule lists $153 through seven days after that deadline and $253 from eight days after through the day before testing. The exact administration page controls the dates and any special deadline differences. A late fee can equal the full registration fee, so choose an administration that fits your preparation and application timeline.

CAS and law school report costs are separate

The Credential Assembly Service (CAS) fee is $219. A CAS Law School Report is $45 for each school that requires it; LSAT-only reports are also listed at $45 where a school accepts them. This is an application service rather than an exam fee. A candidate applying to five schools that each require a report should budget $225 for those reports, in addition to the $219 CAS fee and $253 LSAT registration.

Some schools require CAS reports; others accept LSAT-only reports. Check the requirements of each program before paying. Other costs can include transcript processing, application fees, credential evaluations, test preparation, travel to a test center, and future retakes. These vary by candidate, school, and service, so build a budget around the actual applications rather than treating $253 as the full cost of applying to law school.

Fee waivers and refunds

LSAC offers fee waivers for financially under-resourced law school candidates. Waivers may cover the LSAT registration fee and many other costs associated with applying. Eligibility, documentation, and the services covered depend on the current waiver process and tier. Review the application timing before registering, since a waiver typically must be approved before a candidate pays for covered services.

Refund deadlines are tied to the administration. LSAC's dates page says that for most tests, the registration deadline is also the last day to request a full refund, but details may vary. The refund policy is separate from withdrawing after the refund deadline. A withdrawal can preserve fee-waiver eligibility for another registration under the published rules, while a late missed scheduling deadline can lead to automatic withdrawal without a refund. Read the chosen administration's terms before making changes.

Plan around accommodations

A testing-accommodation request is due by the receipt deadline shown for the administration. Registration, the accommodation request, and appointment scheduling are related but distinct actions. Candidates seeking accommodations should leave time to submit the required information and supporting documentation. The 2026-2027 calendar notes that for most administrations the registration deadline is also the accommodation request deadline, but the administration-specific page gives the controlling date.

If an accommodation affects delivery mode or appointment length, confirm how that interacts with the new scheduling process. Remote delivery has limited availability in the current testing cycle, even for candidates who might have preferred it for convenience. Approved accommodations are handled through LSAC's process, and candidates should not rely on a general FAQ to infer that a specific modality or slot will be available.

A candidate budget example

Suppose a first-time applicant registers for January 2027, purchases Score Preview before testing, and applies to five schools requiring CAS reports. The listed direct LSAC charges would be $253 for the test, $46 for Score Preview, $219 for CAS, and $225 for five reports, totaling $743 before school application fees, preparation costs, and any travel. If the applicant qualifies for an LSAC fee waiver, some of these charges may be covered, depending on the approved waiver.

A retaker without Score Preview who applies to the same five schools would pay $253 for another administration plus any remaining CAS and report expenses. They may not need a new writing sample if an approved sample is already on file. If a late date change becomes necessary, the additional $153 or $253 charge can materially change the budget. The useful habit is to list the fee, its deadline, and whether it recurs before each purchase.

A candidate who is applying to only one school may still need to pay the CAS fee and one report if that school requires CAS, so reducing the number of schools does not remove the service fee. Conversely, a candidate submitting applications to ten schools should expect report costs to scale with the number of reports required. Check whether a target school accepts an LSAT-only report before assuming a CAS report is mandatory. The total application budget is a sum of separate services, not a single package price.

A late change can also create a timing problem, not just a financial one. If the test is moved after an application deadline, the new score may arrive too late to support that application cycle. Compare the new score release date with the school's deadline before paying the fee. If a candidate simply cannot attend, withdrawal rules, refund eligibility, and whether an absence counts toward the LSAT limit are separate questions; they should not be treated as equivalent to a free reschedule.

Before you submit registration

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Keeping these steps separate prevents common surprises: a registered candidate may still need to schedule; a scheduled candidate may still need to complete writing; and a test taker may complete both but still wait for the published score-release date. One calendar with each milestone makes the process easier to manage.

Sources

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