Asking for Fee Waivers

One of the things I talked about in my last post was picking and choosing which schools to apply to. One of the main reasons we talk about limiting the scope of your applications is because the application fees can add up. Really quickly. At between $50 and $80 a pop, not to mention the $12 LSAC reporting fee (what a racket, my god!), your pockets can empty on the LSAC website faster than mine at a J. Crew sale.

If you have demonstrated financial need, you can apply for a fee waiver through LSAC. You have to send in your tax and income documents, as well as a few other supplements, and they don't give out that many, from what I understand. But, should you get an LSAC fee waiver many schools will honor them and waive their fees as well (you just need to email them ahead of time to get a code).

However, if you don't make the cut financially, it doesn't mean you need to break the bank to apply. You can ask for merit fee waivers to any school you want to apply to. Some of the times the school will ask for the documentation, or say they only give fee waivers to those who have received LSAC fee waivers.

However, if your numbers (or really, just one number) are competitive, they will often just send you a code, or enter you into the system, and then VOILA, free app (well, free +$12 for the LSAC reporting fee. Grrrr).

The best way to go about getting an individual merit-based fee waiver is to email the admissions office directly. Find the school you're interested in applying to online, click on to their "Admissions" page, and fish around for a general "Contact Us" email address. Then just send them an email with all of your pertinent information and wait for a response.

Want a sample email? Here you go:

Dear Admissions Office,

My name is XXX, and I recently obtained my bachelors degree from XXX University (Class of 20XX). I scored a XXX on the December 20XX LSAT and I am working on completing my law school applications. XXX School of Law has an excellent academic reputation, which, along with its location in XXX, makes it one of my top choices to continue my legal education.

Unfortunately, the cost of applications has delayed my application process and restricted the number of schools to which I am able to apply. Therefore, I am writing to request an application fee waiver from the School of Law. I believe my scores and experience make me an ideal candidate for the J.D. program, and know that I will make a positive contribution to the class. I have had over a year of work experience at a mid-sized law firm in XXX.

My LSAC account number is LXXXXXXX. Please let me know if you require any additional information. As I mentioned, I am really interested in XXX School of Law and look forward to applying as soon as possible.

Thanks,

XXX

See, it really is simple. You can substitute your GPA for LSAT score if you're a reverse splitter, or include both of your numbers if you're above both of the school's medians. And it works more often than not in my experience (then again, I wasn't asking Harvard or Yale for fee waivers). This helped me really spread my applications around, which is important for a splitter. Now I haven't actually told this to anyone who's asked, because it's super-embarrassing, but I applied to a whopping (gulp) 33 schools. I was honestly positive I wasn't going to get in anywhere! And I only paid for one full application fee!

But watch out, those $12 fees can really add up!