Schools with Free Applications

"Why can't we hunt something cool? Like a hawk or an eagle, something with talons?"
"That'd be awesome. We could get something like big game. Even a gorilla, or a rhinoceros, or a f***ing human being! That'll get you jacked up."
                         - Wedding Crashers (2005)

What do you like better - Christmas, or Application Season? I'd definitely go with Christmas. Sorry, Vince Vaughn.

In my personal journey towards law school, I'm well past the application cycle (no duh). But if you're gearing up to apply for the 2011-2012 cycle, there are a fair few things you should be taking the summer to get done, especially if you're still in undergrad.

Of course, you should take the LSAT. At this point the June LSAT has occurred, but if you still haven't taken it, or if you plan on re-taking because of a less than stellar score, now is the time to study for the test. If you put in even an hour a day, four or five days a week during the summer, then once school starts you're golden. All you'll have to do is take a BUNCH of practice tests, but you'll already have worked out the approaches to the different sections that are effective for you.

Since it's been years since I studied for the LSATs I don't want to talk about that too much. What I do want to talk about it identifying your application strengths and weaknesses, and working on a list of where to apply. If you're planning to apply for admission to law school for next fall, you should be setting up your list of target schools now, and applying as early as possible (especially if you're a splitter or your numbers are on the less-competitive side for a given school). A lot of applications go up in September, and an early application never hurts, so you should have your applications, and any supplemental materials, ready to go by then.

Take some time to re-read my post from last year about picking where to apply. Use those tools to craft a target list for yourself. Another good resource for finding out information about each application you might be interested in (fee, deadlines, requirements, etc.) in one centralized location is AppReqs.com. You can filter and sort results based by what's important to you (deadline, essay length, application fee), and it has a majority of the ABA-accredited law schools

But bear in mind the cost of applying to each school. Those $60 applications add up REALLY quickly. So, I've taken it upon myself to craft a list (not exhaustive, but pretty good) of schools that have no application fee. Some of this data is available on TLS, but in threads that are locked, so you can't find it really easily.

Don't forget, you can always ask for a fee waiver! And even if the application is free or you get a waiver, you still have to pay the LSAC fee of $12. Check out my list after the jump!

Akron
Arkansas
Arkansas - Little Rock
Appalachian
Baylor (if you apply online)
Brooklyn
California - Irvine
Case Western
Charlotte School of Law
Cleveland State
Cooley
Creighton (before January 4)
Drake (if you apply online before April 1)
Drexel
Elon
George Mason (if you apply online)
Golden Gate (before December 31)
Hofstra (if you apply online)
Illinois (at least for my application cycle they did)
Loyola-Chicago
New York Law School (if you apply online)
Phoenix SOL (if you apply online)
Toledo
Washington & Lee
Widener (before January 1)
Willamette (if you apply online)