The LSAC CAS credential assembly service is the single hub every JD applicant uses to send transcripts, letters of recommendation, and an LSAT score to ABA-approved law schools. The 2025-2026 subscription is $215, each per-school report is $45, and your account stays active for five years. This guide walks through every cost, every document, every processing window, and the most common mistakes applicants make before their first deadline.
The Credential Assembly Service — almost always called CAS — is LSAC's centralized clearinghouse for everything a law school needs to evaluate you. When you register, LSAC sets up a single file in your name that will accept transcripts, letters of recommendation, your LSAT score, and your Argumentative Writing sample. Once a law school requests your report, LSAC packages all of those documents together, applies a standardized GPA calculation, and delivers the bundle electronically. This single-pipe approach is why ABA-approved schools insist on CAS for JD applicants: instead of chasing twelve registrars and a dozen recommenders, every admissions office gets the same complete, comparable file.
Without CAS, every applicant would have to mail original transcripts, hand-deliver letters, and re-submit identical documents to every school on their list. CAS replaces that with one electronic file you build once. LSAC also evaluates international academic records (via AACRAO) so that schools see a comparable GPA picture whether your degree was earned in Boston or Bangalore. Because the service combines documents with your LSAT score, it doubles as the source of truth schools use to compute their median LSAT and GPA each year.
The LSAT is a test you sit for; CAS is a subscription that handles the paperwork around your application. The two are bought separately ($248 for the LSAT, $215 for CAS in 2025-2026), and registering for one does not register you for the other. Your LSAT score does eventually flow into your CAS file automatically, but you still need both services to apply to most law schools.
The CAS subscription stays active for five years from the date you register. That means if you take a gap year, defer for a cycle, or end up applying twice, you do not need to pay the $215 again — you only pay per CAS Report ($45 each) when a school requests your file. Reapplicants find this especially useful, since transcripts and old LORs already live in the system.
Every CAS Report has the same anatomy. Schools always see four core elements — an Academic Summary Report, your transcripts, your LSAT score(s) plus Argumentative Writing sample, and your assigned letters of recommendation. Knowing which party is responsible for each piece is the first step to making sure nothing is missing the day a school requests your file.
| Component | What it contains | Who provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Summary Report | GPA breakdown by year, cumulative GPA, and converted course grades on the 4.33 scale | LSAC (calculated from your transcripts) |
| Undergraduate transcripts | Every undergraduate course and grade you've earned | Your registrar(s) |
| Graduate / professional transcripts | Courses from graduate, law, or other professional programs (when applicable) | Each graduate or professional registrar |
| LSAT score(s) | Score from each LSAT or LSAT-Flex administration in your reportable window | LSAC (auto-pulled) |
| Argumentative Writing sample | Your written response from the LSAT Writing portion | LSAC (auto-pulled) |
| Letters of recommendation | Up to four assigned letters per applicant | Your recommenders |
| International credential evaluation | Equivalency analysis for foreign academic records (when applicable) | AACRAO via LSAC |
The Academic Summary Report acts as the cover sheet your admissions reader opens first. It shows year-by-year and cumulative LSAC GPAs, your conversion of every graded course to LSAC's 4.33 scale, and totals for credits attempted and credits earned. Schools use this snapshot to gauge academic trajectory long before they read a personal statement.
CAS requires transcripts from every undergraduate, graduate, and professional institution where you earned credit — not just the one that conferred your degree. That includes community-college dual enrollment, study abroad, and post-baccalaureate coursework. If a class shows up on your home institution's transcript already, that often counts, but anything not pre-mapped requires its own transcript request.
Your LSAT score is pulled into your CAS file automatically. Schools will see every score within your reportable window, alongside the Argumentative Writing sample LSAC pulls from your most recent qualifying writing administration. You do not request these separately — but you should confirm they appear in your CAS preview before any school requests the report.
CAS can process up to four letters per applicant. Most law schools require two; a few accept three. Letters can be general (sent to every school you apply to) or targeted (assigned to a single school). Once a letter is submitted, you cannot edit it — only your recommender can, and only before it is uploaded.
The LSAC CAS fee is one of the most-searched parts of the law school application process — partly because there are several charges that stack up across a cycle. The headline numbers are simple: $215 for the subscription, $45 for each CAS Report sent to a school, and $248 for the LSAT itself. The table below puts every standard LSAC charge in one view so you can build a realistic budget.
| Service | Fee (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CAS subscription | $215 | One-time, valid for five years |
| CAS Report (per school) | $45 | Charged each time a school requests your report |
| LSAT registration | $248 | Includes the LSAT Argumentative Writing section |
| Score Preview (pre-test sign-up) | $45 | Optional; preview score before deciding to release |
| Score Preview (post-test sign-up) | $85 | Higher price if you wait until after the test |
| Official Candidate LSAT Score Report | $50 | Optional, sent to candidate |
| Score Audit | $150 | $75 with pre-approved fee waiver |
| Test Date Change (within deadline) | $0 | No charge before the change deadline |
| Test Date Change (1-7 days after deadline) | $150 | Late change fee |
| Test Date Change (8+ days after deadline) | $248 | Equivalent to a full re-registration |
The CAS subscription is a one-time charge that opens a five-year window during which you can use the service for as many cycles as you need. If you are reapplying after a gap year, this is one of the most cost-effective parts of the entire law school process — your transcripts and old letters stay on file, and you do not pay the subscription fee twice.
Each time a law school requests your CAS Report, you are charged $45. The fee is per school, not per request — so if a school re-pulls your updated report after a new LSAT score, there is no additional charge in the same admission year. Add this up early: ten schools means $450 in report fees on top of the subscription.
Most applicants think of the LSAT as the main expense, but CAS quietly adds 50% or more depending on how many schools you target. Then layer in each school's own application fee (often $60-$85, sometimes waived for LSAC fee-waiver recipients), and the full LSAC + application bill for an eight-school cycle can easily clear $1,300 before prep materials.
Worked Example
Setup: You're applying to eight law schools in the 2025-2026 cycle and need to take the LSAT once. How much will LSAC alone cost you (before each school's own application fee)?
Enter how many schools you plan to apply to and whether you'll take the LSAT once or twice. We'll show your total LSAC bill (CAS subscription + reports + LSAT) before any school's individual application fees.
LSAC CAS registration sounds simple — and it is — but the timing matters more than the mechanics. The processing windows for transcripts and letters of recommendation eat up weeks, so registering late can knock you out of the early submission advantage that rolling admissions rewards. The cleanest play is to set CAS up months before you actually plan to apply.
LSAC's own guidance is to register at least four to six weeks before your first law school application deadline. Most pre-law advisors push that earlier — registering in July for a cycle that begins in September gives you breathing room for transcript delays, recommender hesitancy, and your own personal-statement edits. International applicants should add another month or two; AACRAO evaluations are slower than U.S. and Canadian transcripts.
| Month | Action | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| June | Finalize school list and identify recommenders | Gives recommenders six to ten weeks of lead time before deadlines |
| July | Register for CAS and request all transcripts | Earliest reasonable date; matches LSAC's own scheduling rhythm |
| August | Confirm transcripts received; send LOR requests via your LSAC account | Lets you catch missing documents while there is time to resend |
| September | Take or retake LSAT if needed; draft personal statement | Most early-cycle test administrations land here |
| October | Verify CAS report preview; finalize school list | Catches GPA discrepancies and missing letters before submission |
| November | Submit applications under rolling admissions | Most schools open in September; earlier submissions tend to fare better |
Registration happens inside your LSAC.org account. After creating an account (or signing into an existing one), you'll select the CAS subscription, pay the $215, and be moved straight into the transcript-request and letter-of-recommendation modules. The process is largely self-serve, but you may need to mail transcript request forms to a couple of old institutions if they do not yet support electronic delivery to LSAC.
Do not let CAS sit. The day after registering, log back in and complete two tasks: send transcript request forms to every registrar where you've earned credit, and identify two-to-four recommenders. Then send their LOR requests through your CAS account so the letters route directly into your file. The two-week clock on transcript processing only starts when LSAC physically receives the document, so the earlier you trigger requests, the earlier the buffer begins.
LSAC transcript processing time is the single biggest source of timeline anxiety in a CAS file. The headline number — about two weeks for U.S. and Canadian transcripts — is accurate, but everything around it (registrar mailing time, weekend delays, international evaluations) compounds. Add the surprise of seeing a lower LSAC GPA than the one on your diploma, and many applicants spend a frustrating October chasing documents they thought were settled in August.
| Document Type | Typical Processing Time | Buffer to Build In |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. or Canadian transcript | ~2 weeks after LSAC receives it | Allow 4 weeks total to cover registrar mailing time |
| International transcript (with AACRAO evaluation) | 1 month or more after receipt | Allow 6-8 weeks total |
| Paper letter of recommendation | Up to 5 business days | Allow 2 weeks total once the letter is mailed |
| Electronic letter of recommendation | Usually processed shortly after receipt | Still send the link 3-4 weeks early |
| Updated CAS report after a new LSAT score | Automatic, same admission year | Allow 1-2 weeks for downstream school processing |
Pick a document type to see typical LSAC processing time plus the buffer you should build in before your first deadline.
For domestic transcripts, the standard window is roughly two weeks once LSAC physically receives the document. Registrars vary wildly in how quickly they mail or transmit electronically — some respond in days, others in three weeks. Treat the two-week clock as the back half of the process; the front half is the registrar's pipeline.
International academic records take longer because LSAC routes them through an AACRAO-administered evaluation that converts foreign grading systems into U.S. equivalents. Plan on a month or more once your documents reach LSAC, and substantially longer if any required documentation is missing. If you studied outside the U.S., Canada, or any other location LSAC considers domestic for transcript purposes, start the international evaluation early — eight weeks before your first deadline is a realistic floor.
CAS GPA calculation follows LSAC's own conversion table rather than your university's. LSAC uses a uniform 4.33 scale where an A+ equals 4.33 grade points, includes both attempts of any repeated course (even if your college only kept the higher grade), and incorporates study-abroad and non-degree coursework. The cumulative GPA you see on your CAS Academic Summary Report can easily land a tenth or two below the GPA on your diploma — that is normal, not an error.
Worked Example
Setup: A student earned a D in introductory chemistry as a freshman, retook the same course as a sophomore, and earned an A. Their college reports a 3.6 GPA across 120 credits because it only counts the higher grade. How might LSAC's CAS GPA differ?
Letters of recommendation are the part of CAS that most often surprises applicants — not because they are complicated, but because they are time-sensitive in a way that depends on someone else's calendar. CAS handles up to four letters per applicant. The processing math is simple once the letter actually arrives at LSAC; the hard part is getting it there in the first place.
Two letters is the most common requirement across ABA-approved law schools. A handful of schools accept up to four, and some welcome a third "personal" or "supplemental" letter. Match your number to the school requiring the most, but think quality over quantity: two strong academic letters tend to outperform two strong letters plus a weak third.
CAS can process paper or electronic letters. Paper letters take up to five business days to process once LSAC receives them; electronic letters are usually processed quickly upon receipt. The vast majority of recommenders today use the electronic system — when you list them in your CAS account, LSAC emails a secure upload link directly to them. Always confirm the email is correct, especially for academic recommenders who may have a department-wide alias instead of a personal address.
In your CAS account, letters can be designated as "general" (sent to every school) or "targeted" (sent only to a named school). Most applicants use one or two general letters and one targeted letter for a top-choice school. You cannot edit a letter once it's uploaded — only your recommender can — so confirm the assignment before applying.
A frequent misunderstanding: many applicants assume LSAC pushes their CAS Report out to every school the day they submit. That is not how the system works. The flow is pull, not push — schools request your report from LSAC after you submit your application, and LSAC only sends it once requested. Knowing the actual flow saves a lot of unnecessary calls to admissions offices in November.
When you submit an electronic application through your CAS account, LSAC marks the application as "Transmitted." The receiving law school then requests your CAS Report at its own pace — typically within a few business days. Once requested, LSAC delivers the report electronically. That is also when the $45 per-school fee is charged. Until a school requests the file, no money moves and no report is sent.
The practical implication: you can submit applications to every school on your list in a single sitting without driving up your LSAC bill all at once. Each $45 charge appears only when that specific school pulls the report, which is usually a few business days later. If a school is slow to pull, your file is still considered submitted — the school just hasn't requested the bundle yet. This is why many applicants see their CAS Report charges trickle in over a week or two rather than appearing in one large lump.
If you retake the LSAT, receive an updated transcript, or trigger another qualifying change within the same admission year, LSAC sends each previously-applied school an updated CAS Report automatically — at no additional charge. This is one of the most valuable hidden features of the service; you do not need to chase down every admissions office every time a new score releases.
The status indicators in your CAS account are the easiest way to verify what has actually moved. "Transmitted" means your electronic application has been sent to the school. After that, the school's own status indicator (varies by institution) will show when they've requested the report and when admissions review begins. Check both periodically during the first week after submission.
If a school's request never appears after a week, do not assume something is broken — many schools batch-pull reports on a weekly cadence, especially at the start of a cycle. The exceptions to watch for: a "Hold" notice on your CAS file (usually a missing transcript), an "Incomplete" marker on a specific application (often a missing form field), or an unfulfilled LOR slot. Each of those will block the school from successfully pulling your report. Resolve them inside your LSAC account first, then call LSAC if the indicator does not clear within a business day.
The same handful of mistakes pop up every cycle. None of them are dramatic individually — but each one can cost a week or two of processing time, which under rolling admissions translates directly to a worse seat in the queue. These are the issues most worth catching before any school requests your report.
LSAC's phone support is one of the most underused resources in the entire law school application process. If you are unsure whether a transcript was received, whether a recommender's letter was uploaded, or whether your fee waiver covers a specific service — call. Email replies can take days; phone calls typically resolve in one conversation, especially during the September-to-December peak.
The CAS subscription is $215 for the 2025-2026 cycle, plus $45 for each CAS Report sent to a law school. Your subscription remains active for five years, so the $215 covers your full application cycle and any reactivation within that window. Fee waivers can cover the subscription plus up to six reports.
Register four to six weeks before your first law school application deadline. Many advisors recommend signing up in July if you are applying in the fall cycle. Early registration gives LSAC time to process transcripts (about two weeks each) and letters of recommendation before you submit applications under rolling admissions.
No. Schools request your CAS report from LSAC after you submit an application through your CAS account. Once you apply, the school pulls your report — which combines your transcripts, LSAT score, writing sample, and assigned letters. You do not need to manually push reports to individual schools.
LSAC recalculates your undergraduate grades on a uniform 4.33 scale and includes both attempts of any repeated course, even if your college only kept the higher grade. LSAC also factors in coursework from study abroad and non-degree programs. This standardization helps law schools compare applicants from different undergraduate institutions fairly.