Gustavus Adolphus College

The Law School Date Assembly Service (LSDAS) puts together the data derived from a candidate’s transcripts and LSAT(s). By setting up an LSAC Online Account, you can

*receive your LSAT score early by mail

*Register for the LSAT

*Register for the LSDAS

*Purchase test preparation and law school information

*Purchase the LSACD electronic law school applications and apply online to law schools

*Have 24-hour access

Transcripts

You do not send transcripts directly to law schools. LSDAS takes care of transcripts and the LSAT scores (and, if you choose, your letters of recommendation---see below under "Letters of Recommendation").

You can register for LSDAS online at www.lsac.org

The LSDAS places grades from institutions with varying grade point systems on the same scale to allow the law schools to evaluate all students on a more or less equivalent basis. The Service combines information from all transcripts you send, so credits that may not be computed in your current undergraduate GPA will be calculated in the LSDAS report of your GPA.

You must submit official transcripts from every place where you received college credit. These include:

• undergraduate and graduate schools
  
• law/medical/professional schools
  
• schools attended for summer or evening courses
  
• schools attended even though a degree was never received
  
• schools from which you took college-level courses while in high school even though they were for high school credit
  
• schools that sponsored your exchange or cooperative program abroad
  

LSDAS states that transcripts must be sent even if:

• credit was transferred from a school and it appears on another school's transcript
  
• the school is closed (These transcripts are usually maintained by the Department of Higher Education or by another school in the state in which the school was located, so you will need to contact them.)
  
• "withdraw," "incomplete," etc. are the only grades listed
  
• you have just enrolled (Request that the registrar's office send a transcript of courses "in progress" or a statement of current enrollment. The document must bear the official registrar's seal.)

LSAT scores earned in the last five years will be reported as well as the average of those reported. At the request of a law school, the LSDAS analysis may include an index score derived from the GPA, the LSAT score(s), and the undergraduate school(s) attended.

LSDAS Reports
LSDAS sends a report to each law school to which you apply. This report includes:

1. an undergraduate academic summary
2. copies of all undergraduate, graduate, and law school/professional school transcripts
3. LSAT scores and writing sample copies
4. copies of letters of recommendation processed by LSAC

Almost all ABA-accredited schools require you to register with LSDAS. You can do so online at www.LSAC.org or using the application forms in the Information Book. You must send in official transcripts from any colleges or universities you have attended, including graduate schools (except graduates of foreign post-secondary schools). You are responsible for sending transcripts to LSDAS using the Transcript Request Forms in the back of the Registration and Information Book.

Registering with LSDAS:

One LSDAS subscription with a report to one law school: $103

(as of 2/1/05)

Reports to additional law schools: $12/each

You might be eligible for a fee waiver: check the LSAC website or contact Professor Morrow for more details.

You get one (1) law school report with your LSDAS subscription. If you plan to apply to more than one law school (and almost everyone does), you need to estimate the number and pay for that number of reports when you register with LSDAS. You do not need to tell LSDAS where you expect to apply.

When you apply to a law school, you will include with your application a "Law School Application Matching Form" found in the back of the Registration and Information Book. This enables the law school to obtain a copy of your report directly form the LSDAS. This process eliminates the problem of law schools receiving your report and establishing a file even if you decide later not to apply there. To apply to more schools than you originally estimated, you must submit an "Additional LSDAS Law School Report Order Form" from the Book. Fee waivers do not apply to the additional reports.

An LSDAS subscription lasts for one year (this is going to change---please check with LSDAS as they may keep files open for 5 years now). Therefore, you should subscribe only within the year you plan to apply to law school. Allow LSDAS enough time to process your transcripts before your applications arrive at the law schools. For most, this means subscribing and sending in your transcripts approximately one year prior to the time you hope to start law school. If you are a senior and are counting on your senior year grades to improve your GPA and increase our competitiveness, you may choose to send a transcript to LSDAS after your fall grades are recorded. You should also send an official transcript with those grades directly to the law schools so that they are made aware of your progress without waiting for an update to be processed by LSDAS. A few schools will not accept LSDAS updates. With these schools, you must weigh the advantages of applying early against your potentially improved GPA.