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When do schools start accepting requests for merit based fee waivers? Does anyone know if LSDAS keeps track of requests or if schools can see who you have requested/received waivers from?

Bump. Really wondering about your first question as well. I saw somewhere else that we should wait until September or something, but I don't see a good reason why we couldn't send the emails now.

jcd178 wrote:Bump. Really wondering about your first question as well. I saw somewhere else that we should wait until September or something, but I don't see a good reason why we couldn't send the emails now.

Bump, I've also been wondering this

Another friendly bump. I saw on the old fee waivers thread that people started sending stuff out around 20 Aug. Anyone have first hand experience with this?

Bump. I would like to know the same.

sorry OP no help here but
bump!

I've already started requesting and received about 10. Some schools say no, some yes, and some say check back in September.

I've been wondering this too, but I also have another question. Should you include your numbers in the email or do they just look them up themselves?

I include my lsat but not my gpa because my lsat is good and my gpa sucks.

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Jumped the gun a bit. Here are some of the responses I have recieved:

Columbia: Only through CRS
Chicago: Only through CRS
Penn: Only through CRS
Michigan: Through CRS but accepting e-mail requests starting in mid-Sept.
Duke: Only through CRS - Received through CRS 8/12
Northwestern: Only through CRS
Cornell: Only through CRS

Georgetown: Not with your numbers

UVA: granted me a fee waiver - Received through CRS 8/18
WUSTL: granted me a fee waiver

NYU: Only with LSAC fee waiver (i.e. demonstrated financial need)
UC Berkeley: Only with demonstrated financial need (including public service programs Americorps, Peace Corps etc...)
UT Austin: Only with demonstrated financial need
GWU: Only with demonstrated financial need (including TFA, Americorps, and Peace Corps)

..

I sent out about 7 emails yesterday and got replies ranging from "check back in sept" to "we only grant need-based"

I received one waiver, got the email back within about 10 minutes after sending it.

But I am a splitter, and one school told me merit waivers are based on GPA and LSAT. Felt that one below the belt...

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How do you get merit based fee waivers? Email the schools? Because I was denied any fee waivers on LSAC.

No, I'm a splitter. Sorry, I reversed them in my last post.

My LSAT is way above their 75th, but my GPA is below their 25th.

Kurt Cobain wrote:How do you get merit based fee waivers? Email the schools?

I e-mailed the schools. Looks like almost everyone wants you to wait until September to do so though.

Kurt Cobain wrote: Because I was denied any fee waivers on LSAC.

The schools I listed as "Only with demonstrated financial need" will not give you a fee waiver unless you are currently in a public service program. FYI- This seems to be more common at public schools.

Not directly related but I just got a fee waiver from a T-14 and its also incidentally the first fee waiver I've gotten from a school I actually planned on applying to. Yay. Hopefully many more to come for us all