Applying, Selecting, and Financing a Law School
Applying to Law School
LSAC.org
First, create an account on LSAC.org. This website is a wealth of resources to introduce you to law schools, LSAT prep materials, choosing a law school, and the LLM Credential Assembly Service (LLM CAS).
LSAT
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a standardized test that is required for admission to all American Bar Association member law schools. Next to GPA, your score on the LSAT, is the most important factor in determining what law schools will accept you. Because of its importance in determining law school admissions, it is not an exam that one should take lightly or simply because you are interested in seeing how you do without extensive study. Once the test is taken, the score becomes permanent for the next five years. This is true even if you take the test a second time. The law school will receive both scores, and then it is up to the law school to decide whether they will take the higher score, the latter score, or average them.
Selecting a Law School
The two most basic criteria for admitting students to law school are your LSAT score and your GPA. Many students have found the NAPLA Law School Locator to be of assistance when identifying which schools you should consider including on your law school list. This matrix, developed by Boston College, will help you to identify which schools fall within your range.
Financing Law School
With an average debt is $80,000 nationally (for those who borrowed federal and private loans) financing law school is an important consideration. There are many loan programs available to assist you with financing your education. In addition, many law schools will offer institutional aid as well. For those interested in working in public service or in the public sector, there are loan forgiveness and repayment options.
The following websites will help you get the answers to your financial aid questions. However, your intended law school is the best source for financial aid information.