FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: GENERAL INFORMATION

The Basics

What is the LLM Credential Assembly Service (LLM CAS)? (click to

expand/collapse)
LSAC's LLM CAS simplifies the application process for eligible graduates of universities or
law schools who wish to obtain an LLM degree from an LLM CAS-participating law school.
The admission documents that schools require may vary, but most US schools will ask for
transcripts, letters of recommendation, TOEFL or IELTS scores (where applicable), and
other relevant, official documents, all of which must be authenticated. The LLM CAS provides
an efficient and convenient way to apply to multiple programs. Applicants arrange for the
submission of only one set of official school documents to LSAC for authentication and
evaluation (if applicable). We will duplicate as needed. The authenticated documents are
forwarded to all participating law schools to which the applicant applies.
The LLM CAS creates your law school report by combining:
 copies of all undergraduate, graduate, and law/professional school transcripts, as
required by each school;
 an International Credential Evaluation report (for internationally-educated applicants
only);
 copies of letters of recommendation, as required by each school; and
 copies of English proficiency scores, if applicable.

What are the requirements for eligibility for the LLM Credential Assembly
Service?(click to expand/collapse)
To be eligible to apply to a participating LLM program, you must have completed, or be in the
process of completing, a degree that entitles you to practice law. If you are in the process of
completing your degree, you should arrange for a transcript of any and all available grades to
be sent to us. Later, when you have completed your degree, you should arrange for the final
transcript to be sent, at which time we will update your report free of charge.
LSAC maintains a Minimum Degree Requirements by Country  chart. We understand
that, in some countries, the names of these degrees are in the process of changing. What
most law schools require is a law degree that allows you to practice law in that country. If
either your degree or your country of study is not listed, please contact the law school(s) of
interest to you to confirm eligibility.
Note that we list only the minimum requirements. Candidates are expected to present all
postsecondary education, including work completed prior to and after the minimum degree
listed, according to the requirements of the law schools to which you apply. Any omission of
required education history could delay the review of your credentials and, thereby, delay our
report to the law schools.

What is LSAC?(click to expand/collapse)

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is a nonprofit corporation that provides unique,
state-of-the-art products and services to ease the admission process for law schools and their
applicants worldwide. Currently, 219 law schools in the United States, Canada, and Australia
are members of the Council and benefit from LSAC's services. All law schools approved by
the American Bar Association are LSAC members. Canadian law schools recognized by a
provincial or territorial law society or government agency are also members. Accredited law
schools outside of the United States and Canada are eligible for membership at the discretion
of the LSAC Board of Trustees; Melbourne Law School, the University of Melbourne is the
first LSAC-member law school outside of North America. Many nonmember law schools also
take advantage of LSAC's services. For all users, LSAC strives to provide the highest quality
of products, services, and customer service.
Founded in 1947, the Council is best known for administering the Law School Admission Test
(LSAT), with about 100,000 tests administered annually at testing centers worldwide. LSAC
also processes academic credentials for an average of 60,000 law school applicants annually,
provides essential software and information for admission offices and applicants, conducts
educational conferences for law school professionals and prelaw advisors, sponsors and
publishes research, funds diversity and other outreach grant programs, and publishes LSAT
preparation books and law school guides, among many other services. LSAC electronic
applications account for 98 percent of all applications to ABA-approved law schools.
At the core of LSAC's mission is an ongoing commitment to expanding educational
opportunities for underrepresented minorities, educationally disadvantaged persons, and
people with disabilities.

What is AACRAO?(click to expand/collapse)

LSAC has contracted with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions
Officers (AACRAO) to provide evaluations of education credentials from all countries of the
world. AACRAO's extensive expertise in the field of international education credential
evaluation assures consistent and accurate treatment of all international education credentials
used in the LLM Credential Assembly Service.

Do I need to sign up for the LLM Credential Assembly Service (LLM CAS)?
(click to expand/collapse)
Many ABA-approved law schools require or recommend use of the LLM CAS. If you earned
your JD from a US law school, and you are applying to a school that requires you to forward
your documents to LSAC, then you must register for the LLM CAS Document Assembly
Service. If you earned your first degree in law outside of the United States, and you are
applying to a school that requires you to forward your documents to LSAC, then you must
register for the International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service  in
addition to the Document Assembly Service. If you earned your first degree in law outside of
the United States and its territories, and you are not applying to any school that requires the
International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation feature of the LLM CAS, then you are
not required to register for it. However, you may choose to register for the LLM CAS
Document Assembly Service feature if you wish to use the electronic law school application(s)
or the Letter of Recommendation Service.

How do I make payment for service and/or report fees? (click to expand/collapse)

 Document Assembly Service – $75 fee

 International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service – $125 fee in addition

to Document Assembly Service (only for LLM applicants educated outside the United
States)

 Law School Report – $25 for the initial report generated for each school program for
each program year. If you apply to multiple programs at the same law school within
the same year, you will have to pay a fee for each program to which a report is sent.
A valid credit card is required for all payments.
In order to complete your purchase, you must first log in to your LLM.LSAC.org account.
Once logged in, at the top right of the browser window there is a link that says Cart. Click
on Cart and it will take you to a page that lists everything you are ordering and the total
purchase price. At the bottom of the screen, there is a button that says Checkout.
Click Checkout and it will take you to the next page, where you may enter your billing
information and complete your order.
Credit Card Denial/Stop Payments
If credit card authorization is denied, a hold will be placed on your file, and neither credential
assembly/evaluation nor law school reporting will be possible until the outstanding balance is
paid in full. Credit card denial will not cancel your registration for this credential service.

Are law school application fees included in the LLM Credential Assembly
Service fee or in the law school reports fee? (click to expand/collapse)
No, application fees are not included in these fees. Check each law school's application
instructions for information about their fees.
Do I still have to apply to each law school separately if I register for the LLM
Credential Assembly Service (LLM CAS)?(click to expand/collapse)
You remain responsible for the completion of each of your law school applications. However,
applicants applying to a participating LLM program can use the LLM CAS interactive website
to apply to LLM programs offered by participating schools. The applications are up-to-date as
of the time they were submitted to LSAC.
Important: You are responsible for the accuracy of your law school applications. It is a good
idea to check each law school's website or catalog to make sure your application materials
are complete and on time.
Carefully check your completed applications before electronically sending them to LSAC or
mailing them to the schools.
Your LLM CAS $75 Document Assembly fee covers electronic application processing for
participating LLM programs. To get started:
 search for law schools that interest you and add them to your school list;
 click on the name of each school in your list to access its application and other
information;
 go to the application for that school and enter all of the required data.
Make sure to follow all of the school's requirements, including fee payment.

How long will it take to process my credentials?(click to expand/collapse)

Allow two weeks from the time of receipt for us to process your transcripts. During peak
processing periods this could take one to two weeks longer. Transcripts from undergraduate
and graduate schools located outside of the US require additional processing time. You are
urged to make arrangements for transcripts to arrive at LSAC at least four weeks before your
first law school application deadline.

I received an email containing my password but never requested it. Why is

this? Is my account still secure?(click to expand/collapse)
If you forget your username or password, you can enter your information on our
username/password recovery form, and it will be sent to the email address we have on file for
you.
What probably happened is that someone else using the system thought they had the
username you are using and entered that into the recovery form. This happens every once in
a while, especially for users whose usernames are fairly common. There is no risk to your
account security, and it is safe to delete those emails.

I have already completed my registration but need to make changes. How can
I do this?(click to expand/collapse)
If you have registered for a service, any change to name or date of birth must be submitted to
LSAC in writing and requires a signature. Fax, mail, or scan and email your signed request
for correction to LSAC.
Fax: 215.504.1456
Email: LLMinfo@LSAC.org
LSAC LLM CAS
662 Penn Street
PO BOX 8511
Newtown PA 18940-8511
USA
All other biographical information may be changed online. Click the My Account tab and
select profile.
LSAC reserves the right to update your biographical data based on information you provide in
connection with the services you use. Information you provided to a law school on an
electronic law school application does not update your LSAC.org account.

How can I add an institution that I forgot to list on my LLM Credential

Assembly Service account?(click to expand/collapse)
Choose the Credentials/Transcripts link under the Apply tab on your LLM account. Then
click on the applicable Add Institution button to add the school. If the Add Institution button
is not visible please send your request toLLMinfo@LSAC.org. Include the name of the
school, country in which located, dates attended, degree expected or awarded if applicable,
and your name and LSAC account number.

How do I add schools to My School List? (click to expand/collapse)

Click the School Search tab. You have three search options:

1. Search Schools – Alphabetical, which provides a list of all schools that you may
apply to using LSAC online applications;

2. Search Schools – Areas of Interest, which provides a list of law schools by LLM
Program Name; and

3. Search Schools – Location, which provides a view of a United States map and
allows you to choose schools according to their geographical location.
You may add schools from all three places. Simply click on the Add box in front of the school
name to save a school to your school list. Click on My School List, after making your
choices, to view the list of schools you have saved. When you have made selections to your
school list, you may rank them in order of interest to you and add notes for yourself about
each school. This information is solely for your use; the law schools cannot view your notes or
the ranks you have assigned to your school choices.

When does my account expire?(click to expand/collapse)

Your account expiration date and the service(s) for which you registered are listed on the left
side of your online LLM account pages.

How do I request a refund?(click to expand/collapse)

LLM Credential Assembly Service (LLM CAS) fees are only partially refundable, due to the
fact that processing costs are incurred in the registration process, regardless of whether you
actually use the service.
Because of the large volume of registrations received, LSAC cannot prevent the processing of
a registration once it is submitted. Refund policies apply to all methods of registration and are
enforced without exception.
If we have not yet received your first degree in law transcript, no letters of recommendation
have been received, and no electronic applications have been sent to LSAC for processing,
LSAC will refund $38 of the Document Assembly Service fee, $63 of the International
Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service fee and the fees paid for the law school
reports. Your request must be in writing and received before your LLM CAS registration
expires. Your refund will take approximately six weeks to process, and your service will be
canceled.
For all refund requests, include your name, address, LSAC account number, signature, and
date. Mail to:
LSAC
LLM Credential Assembly Service
PO BOX 8511
Newtown PA 18940-8511
USA
Or fax to 215.504.1456.
Transcripts, Scores, and Other Academic Records

What is a transcript?(click to expand/collapse)

Transcript is the term most commonly used in the United States for the official school record,
listing one's coursework and grades earned.
For those educated outside of the United States, transcripts may be known to you as mark
sheets, grade sheets, course records, academic records, or examination results and include,
where applicable, diploma and diploma supplement, degree certificate and graduation
certificate, and first state exam certificate. The transcript is a complete list of courses taken
and grades earned at an institution, college, university, or school.
How will LSAC obtain my transcripts?(click to expand/collapse)
It is your responsibility to arrange for your institution(s) to send transcripts, academic records,
mark sheets, etc., to LSAC directly, by mail, in a sealed institution envelope. Neither
electronic copies nor student-issued copies are acceptable.
Send the Transcript Request Form to each of the post-secondary schools you have listed on
your account, regardless of whether or not a degree was completed, and ask each of them to
complete the form and return it to us by mail together with your official transcript. This
includes those schools you have visited for a semester or summer abroad. Student-issued
documents are not acceptable. When using an express mail service, the sealed institution
envelope should be contained inside of the express mailer. Documents will not be accepted
loose inside of the express mailer. For those educated outside of the US and its territories, we
require an official transcript in the NATIVE LANGUAGE to be sent to us directly from the
issuing institution. Only the English translation may come from the candidate.
Transcripts will not be returned to candidates under any circumstances. LSAC will not accept
WES or any other outside evaluations in place of transcripts.

What is the Transcript Request Form?(click to expand/collapse)

The Transcript Request Form may be printed out at the completion of your online registration
and must accompany each of your transcripts. You will always find a link to the corresponding
Transcript Request Form under each of the institutions you have listed on your Transcripts
page. Send the form to every postsecondary institution required by the law schools to which
you are applying and ask each institution to complete the form and to send an official
transcript to LSAC at the address noted on the form.

Where can I get my Transcript Request Forms?(click to expand/collapse)

Transcript Request Forms will be available in your LLM.LSAC.org account only after you
create an LLM account and enter your institution information. Once you are logged in to your
LLM account, click on the Apply tab and select Credentials/Transcripts to obtain a form for
each institution listed.

My Transcript Request Forms do not display some information. How do I

correct this?(click to expand/collapse)
Safari—The default application in OS X to view PDFs is Preview. Some LSAC PDF
documents do not display correctly in Preview and must be viewed using Adobe Reader.
Opening the PDF document in Preview will also place a copy of the file on your desktop as
Example.pdf. Open Adobe Reader, click File, then Open. Browse to your desktop and select
the downloaded copy of the PDF. This should open the PDF document properly and allow
you to view and print it.
Firefox—Version 15 and later display PDF documents using Firefox's own browser software,
and some LSAC documents will not display correctly. To change Firefox’s default PDF viewer
to Adobe Reader, select the Tools menu item, then Options. Click on the Applications tab
to display the default programs linked to each file extension. For each Adobe Forms
Document listed in the Content Type column, select the pull-down menu for the
associated Action and change it to Use Adobe Reader (default). Reopen your PDF
document; it should open in Adobe Reader with your personal information.

To what address do I have transcripts sent?(click to expand/collapse)

This address will be listed on your Transcript Request Form.
LSAC LLM Credential Assembly Service
662 Penn Street
PO BOX 8511
Newtown PA 18940-8511
USA
For express mail service, omit "PO BOX 8511."

Do you accept Class Rank Statements?(click to expand/collapse)

If you are applying to law schools that require your class rank and you would like it included in
your LLM Credential Assembly Service report, then you should ask your institution to include
a statement of rank with the transcript that they mail to us. Where applicable, this includes a
statement to the fact that your institution does not use a system of class rank. Such
statements must come from the institution in a sealed institution envelope. We will not accept
class rank statements written or sent by the candidate.

I am enrolled in a program of study for which no grades have been recorded

yet. How do I satisfy the transcript requirement? (click to expand/collapse)
When no grades are available yet, we ask that you arrange for the school to send us written
confirmation of your current enrollment, including your name, the program in which you are
enrolled, the anticipated date of completion, and the degree you are expected to earn (if
applicable). It should be mailed in a sealed institution envelope to the address provided on
your LSAC LLM Transcript Request Form.

Will my LLM Credential Assembly Service report be sent if all transcripts have
not been received?(click to expand/collapse)
While we require the academic records for each institution you have listed, some reports may
be sent with only partial documentation available. Each law school has designated its own
LSAC report preferences. Some require all documentation before a report is sent to them,
while others will accept the report with only your first degree in law transcript and await the
remaining documents. In any event, you are urged to make arrangements for the delivery of
your transcripts as early in the application process as possible.

Will I receive a copy of the Credential Evaluation report? (click to expand/collapse)

Once your report is complete it will be available for you to view via your online account. You
will have access to view the summary of the report, but copies of your transcripts will not be
available to view. We are authorized to make copies of your academic records available only
to the law schools that participate in the LSAC LLM Credential Assembly Service.

My grade average is different on my transcripts than on the Credential

Evaluation report. Why?(click to expand/collapse)
For candidates using the evaluation and authentication service, the grade average reported
will usually match the one on your official transcript. In some cases it may differ because,
unlike some schools, our evaluators do include failed and repeated courses in the calculation
of the grade average.

What if I disagree with the evaluation of my credentials? (click to expand/collapse)

If, after reviewing the completed evaluation of your credentials, you wish to challenge an
item(s) on the report, you may do so by requesting a reevaluation.
If you find an error, print the report, circle the error, and write the correct information on the
report. Mail the corrected report and accompanying explanation to:
Law School Admission Council
LLM Credential Assembly Service
662 Penn Street
PO BOX 8511
Newtown PA 18940-8511
USA
You will be notified of the outcome of LSAC's review of your corrections. Note: What may look
like an error to you could be the result of a policy or procedure the law schools have asked us
to implement.
Please note that the following instances do not require reevaluation:

 If we already have a transcript and your report is complete, but the same school
sends us a final/updated/corrected transcript after the fact.
In this case, we will update your report free of charge upon receipt of the official
updated transcript from the school.
  Adding a TOEFL/IELTS score, regardless of whether or not the report has been
completed. Scores may be added at any time free of charge.

Is the TOEFL or IELTS required and where should results be sent? (click to
expand/collapse)
Most schools will ask applicants for whom English is not their native language to take a
standardized test. Each school sets its own standard for required minimum scores on the
tests. While the LLM programs may accept scores from various testing agencies, LSAC will
only accept score reports for either TOEFL or IELTS exams. LSAC will include your
TOEFL/IELTS score(s) on your LLM International Credential Evaluation upon receipt of an
official score report from the testing service.
We have arranged with the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to receive your TOEFL
score(s) electronically. This is only possible if and when you supply ETS with our institution
code 8395 at the time that you place your order for a copy of the score report to be sent to
LSAC. Any department code will do, regardless of the corresponding department name.
LSAC has also arranged with IELTS to receive scores electronically. You MUST request that
your official score report be sent electronically to LSAC. We have been informed that ALL test
centers are able to do so.
We cannot accept paper copies of scores. Law schools participating in this credential service
will accept your results as part of your LSAC LLM law school report, so there is no need to
have additional copies sent to the participating law schools. It is your responsibility to learn
from the law school(s) how old of a score is acceptable.
Please note that once we receive a TOEFL or IELTS score, it cannot be deleted or replaced.
There are no exceptions to this rule. In the event that we already have a score on file for you,
and you decide to retest and have the new score sent to us, we will report both scores. The
new score will not replace the previous, regardless of how long ago the previous score was
reported. LSAC will report all English proficiency scores on your law school report.
If we receive your TOEFL or IELTS score(s) after your report has been completed and/or
released to a participating law school, we will update your report to reflect your test results
free of charge. The updated report will automatically be forwarded to the school(s) that
previously received your report.
Letters of Recommendation

Am I required to use the LLM Letter of Recommendation Service? (click to

expand/collapse)
Use of the service is optional unless a law school to which you are applying states that its use
is required. You should always check the specific letter of recommendation requirements of
each law school to which you are applying by consulting each law school's application
materials.

Will the LLM Letter of Recommendation Service accept letters from my

institution's credential service or career planning office? (click to expand/collapse)
Yes, LSAC will accept letters of recommendation from such a service. The LLM Letter of
Recommendation Form must accompany each letter. When the form is completed by the
institution's service, the lower portion may either be filled in with the recommender's name
and address, or—if the recommender's address is not available—with the recommender's
name and the address of the institution's service.

Do I need to request more than one letter from a recommender when I intend
to send the same letter to multiple law schools? (click to expand/collapse)
No. You need to request only one "general" letter when the content is the same. You then
designate the school(s) to which you want the letter sent. It is not necessary to address letters
to specific schools if the content of the letter is identical for each school. This creates
unnecessary effort for your recommenders and may delay processing of your letters by
LSAC. The recommender need not include school-specific information in a general letter.

How do I obtain LLM Letter of Recommendation forms? (click to expand/collapse)

You may print out pre-filled Letter of Recommendation forms from your LLM account once
you have entered your recommender information and assigned your letter(s) to each law
school. Each form contains a barcode and is pre-populated with your information and your
recommender's information for easy printing.

My LOR form does not display some information. How do I correct this? (click to
expand/collapse)
Safari—The default application in OS X to view PDFs is Preview. Some LSAC PDF
documents do not display correctly in Preview and must be viewed using Adobe Reader.
Opening the PDF document in Preview will also place a copy of the file on your desktop as
Example.pdf. Open Adobe Reader, click File, then Open. Browse to your desktop and select
the downloaded copy of the PDF. This should open the PDF document properly and allow
you to view and print it.
Firefox—Version 15 and later display PDF documents using Firefox's own browser software,
and some LSAC documents will not display correctly. To change Firefox’s default PDF viewer
to Adobe Reader, select the Tools menu item, then Options. Click on the Applications tab
to display the default programs linked to each file extension. For each Adobe Forms
Document listed in the Content Type column, select the pull-down menu for the
associated Action and change it to Use Adobe Reader (default). Reopen your PDF
document; it should open in Adobe Reader with your personal information.

When will law school(s) receive my letter(s) of recommendation? (click to

expand/collapse)
They may be sent upon receipt, when your file is complete, or at a later date, depending upon
the preferences of each law school. Letter(s) received by LSAC after law school(s) receive
your initial LLM Credential Assembly Service report will be sent to school(s) in accordance
with the preferences they have specified to LSAC.

Why can't I change which letters of recommendation will be sent to a school?

(click to expand/collapse)
You may make a change only if the letter has not been sent. You may not remove a letter
once a law school report has been printed or after the school's term has ended. If the school
will accept more letters than initially directed, you may direct additional letters to this school.
The additional letters will be sent to the school when the school receives the next law school
report.
Law School Reports

What is included in the LLM Credential Assembly Service (LLM CAS) report to
law schools?(click to expand/collapse)
The LLM CAS creates your law school report by combining
 copies of all undergraduate, graduate, and law/professional school transcripts, as
required by each school;
 an International Credential Evaluation report (for international applicants only);
 copies of letters of recommendation, as required by each school; and
 copies of English proficiency exam scores, if applicable.

How do I order law school reports?(click to expand/collapse)

When you submit your application to a specific LLM program online, you will be required to
pay for the report at that time. If you apply using a paper application, or if you are not
submitting a law school application through LSAC, then you may pay for the law school report
by adding a report to your Shopping Cart from the Apply/Applications page of
your LLM.LSAC.org account. The cost is $25 a report. Note: We are unable to send law
school reports at your request.

How will the law schools get my report?(click to expand/collapse)

You do not need to inform LSAC of the law schools to which you want reports sent. Once you
apply to the schools, they will request your report directly from LSAC. Just be sure to pay for
the report for the program to which you are applying. Note: We are unable to send law school
reports at your request.

How many law school reports do I need?

You need one report for each participating LLM program to which you are applying. When you
use the LLM Credential Assembly Service, you will be charged for a report to each LLM
program to which you are applying electronically. If you are applying on paper, you may order
a report for the school(s) via the Apply/Applications page of your online account.

Why was more than one report sent to a law school? (click to expand/collapse)
After the initial report is sent to the law school, an update is sent in the event that we then
receive additional or updated transcript data, TOEFL/IELTS score(s), or letter(s) of
recommendation. The status message on the report will list the reason for the update.