Getting Started: Law School Admissions Cheat Sheet
So, you decided to apply to law school — hooray! But now you’re seeing terms like CAS, LOR, ABA, soft factors, etc. and aren’t sure where to get started…
The law school application is known as one of the most rigorous professional school admissions processes. It is a system entirely its own, unlike the more uniform college admissions process that you have already been through. With that comes plenty of terms, phrases, and acronyms that you may be hearing for the first time.
This blog post can act as your cheat sheet as you enter the law school world! If there is anything you think we’re missing from this list, don’t hesitate to reach out and we’ll be more than happy to help you out.
0L - 3L
Law school classes are referred to as the year they’re in and the letter L following it. A 1L is a first year law school student, and so on through 3L. A 0L refers to an incoming law school applicant.
ABA
The ABA is the American Bar Association. In the admissions process, you will likely hear schools referred to as “ABA-accredited.” Schools go through a process to insure national uniformity and quality in the legal education that they are providing. Once a school meets that standard, they become ABA-accredited.
If you attend a school that is not ABA-accredited, it may impact your ability to sit for the bar exam in various states. Anyone who attended an ABA-accredited law school is eligible to sit for the bar exam in any state.
ABA 509 Report
The ABA 509 Report is information from law schools that is required by the ABA. The report contains information such as class sizes, bar passage rate, median LSAT score, and more. (This kind of information is essential when you’re deciding where you want to attend school!)
You can find the reports here and more on how to use them here.
Application Cycle
This refers to the year that you’re applying to law school, relative to your law school starting term. The cycle officially starts in September when applications open, although many applicants get started as early as January. The cycle ends around May when deposits are due. You can find our whole application timeline here.
If you are planning to start law school in Fall 2024, you will be a part of the 2023-2024 law school application cycle.
CAS
CAS stands for Credential Assembly Service. Run by LSAC, it helps simplify the application process by compiling your transcript, letters of recommendation, and other documents required and sending them to your schools. If you used Common App for college, this is similar.
Your CAS subscription costs $195 for 5 years, and for each report you send to a school there is an additional $45 fee per school. Applying for an LSAC fee-waiver can help offset this cost!
First-Generation
For law school students, first-generation students are defined as students whose parents did not complete a law degree. First-generation students are also sometimes referred to as “first in family.” You can find more on first-generation law school students here.
GRE
While most ABA-accredited law schools require the LSAT for admission, more schools are starting to allow the GRE as a substitute for the LSAT. The GRE, which stands for Graduate Record Examination, is a test that is required for many non-law graduate programs around the country.
How do I know if schools take the GRE? You can find a list of law schools that accept the GRE here.
What’s on the GRE? The GRE tests verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills.
How much does the exam cost? In most locations, the GRE costs $220 per exam. You can offset this cost by applying for the GRE Fee Reduction Program, if applicable.
Can I get accommodations? Yes! There are various accommodations available to students who apply and meet the requirements.
Hard Factors
Hard factors in the law school admissions process refer to quantitative data that you are giving the law schools. This includes your LSAT score and GPA.
Holistic Review
We often mention that the law school admissions process is holistic. This means that law schools are interested in your lived experiences and your story rather than just you as a number. Hard and soft factors are both heavily considered in the application process, and they can be weighed differently per applicant. For example, if you have a low LSAT score but stellar essays, your essays may outweigh the LSAT score.
LSAC
The Law School Admissions Council (also known as LSAC) is a non-profit organization that provides products and services for law school applicants. Aside from the LSAT and CAS, they also offer LSAT practice tests, law school forums, various diversity programs, and more.
LSAT
The LSAT is The Law School Admission Test, an exam that tests your skills to predict your success in your first year of law school. This exam is similar to entry exams like the ACT or SAT for college, although the criteria is different.
What’s on the exam? The LSAT includes a combination of multiple-choice and written questions. Multiple choice questions focus on four areas: logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, reading comprehension, and an unscored variable section.
How much does the exam cost? Exam registration is $215 per exam. You can offset this cost by applying for an LSAC fee-waiver, if applicable.
Can I get accommodations? Yes! There are various accommodations available to students who apply and meet the requirements.
Where can I find study tools? There are a variety of resources available, and we suggest you do some research on your own to find a class, tutor, group, or another resource that works best for your learning style. That said, you can find our list of recommended LSAT courses and tutors here.
LOR
LOR stands for “letter of recommendation.” You can read more about getting LORs here.
LOCI
LOCI stands for “letter of continued interest.” If you are waitlisted at a school, it is best practice to send them a letter letting them know that you are interested in remaining on their waitlist and potentially joining their incoming class. You can find our blog on how to write a LOCI here.
LRAPs
LRAP stands for Loan Repayment Assistance Program. These programs offer financial assistance for your loans based on different employment criteria set by each school. You can learn more about LRAPs here.
Merit-Based Aid
In terms of financial aid, most law schools provide merit-based aid. Merit-based means that the scholarships are awarded based on your “merit” or academic and extracurricular excellency. Some merit-based awards will be given based on your application and some may require additional applications.
Need-Based Aid
Need-based aid refers to financial awards based on your need, usually determined by income, debt, and/or expenses. Many law schools do not provide need-based aid and instead focus on merit-based aid. However, some of the top schools do provide mostly need-based aid in an attempt to make their schools more accessible. You can also get need-based aid through scholarships, both provided by schools themselves or externally.
OCI
OCI stands for On-Campus Interviewing. Once you are a student at a law school, you will have the opportunity to participate in OCI. Various law firms, government agencies, organizations, and corporations will visit law schools to perform interviews on campus for summer associate programs or regular hires.
During the admissions process, we suggest looking into career services to see what companies typically do OCI there and what other support they offer.
Rolling Admissions
Law schools operate through rolling admissions, which means that they review applications as they come in. Depending on the school, this could mean they start reading the day that applications open or after a specific date.
Most law schools also release admissions decisions on a rolling basis. Within 12 weeks of applying, most applicants will begin to receive decisions. If you applied in September, you may hear back by November. If you applied in November, you may hear back by January.
When it comes to application timing, it is particularly important to understand that the law school class is getting filled as time goes on. Applying later may mean that seats have been filled already.
Soft Factors
Soft factors in the law school admissions process include non-quantitative data (like GPA or LSAT score). This includes letters of recommendation, personal and diversity statements, addendas, and other supplemental essays or documents.
T14
T14 refers to the top 14 law schools according to the U.S. & World Report rankings. We always suggest taking the rankings with a grain of salt (more on that here!).
You may also hear various other T-terms, which all refer to “top.” So, if someone says T25, they mean the top 25 schools according to the rankings.
uGPA
uGPA stands for undergraduate (bachelor’s degree) grade point average. This should be listed on your college transcripts.
The team at S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting is here to support you through this law school application cycle! Whether it's through personalized one-on-one counseling, our Essay Editing Combo Plans, or just downloading our free Essential Guide to Applying to Law School, there is definitely something we can do for you to help make this process a little bit easier.
As always, feel free to reach out to us at hello@smontgomeryconsulting.com with any of your questions! You can also submit a question to be answered on our weekly Break Into Law School® Podcast, streaming wherever your favorite podcast service is.