LSAC Should Correct Discriminatory Sanctions Overcompliance

(Washington, DC, September 10, 2026) — The Sanctions Law Center has called on the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) to immediately revise its sanctions compliance policy after affected users received notice that access to their LSAC accounts—and services central to the law-school application process—was being restricted based on Iranian nationality.

LSAC sits at the center of the law-school admissions process, handling core application functions including credential assembly, transmission of transcripts and recommendations, LSAT records, and electronic applications.

SLC’s demand letter explains that OFAC’s suspension of General License G does not create a new prohibition based on Iranian nationality. The relevant sanctions analysis turns on a person’s location or ordinary residence and the transaction at issue—not a mere nationality nexus.

The overreach is especially troubling coming from a transnational gatekeeper to legal education whose work is built around diligence and meticulous scrutiny. Institutions occupying that position should bring the same precision to their own legal analysis.

The issue also falls squarely within SLC’s work on the design, implementation, and reform of economic sanctions. Sound economic statecraft depends on drawing legal boundaries precisely: restricting what the law prohibits while preserving lawful activity up to that line. Overcompliance distorts sanctions beyond those boundaries, harms ordinary people, and can undermine the legitimacy and effectiveness of sanctions themselves.

SLC has called on LSAC to revise its policy, restore access to those improperly excluded, and issue a public correction acknowledging the discriminatory effect of its current approach.

Here’s @LSAC_Official denying service to every Iranian dual national and passport holder anywhere in the world.

Remarkably lazy legal read from the gatekeeper to law school admissions—an org built around exhaustive disclosure and meticulous scrutiny. pic.twitter.com/MonTXiJKQV

— Mohsen, Esq. (@mFarshneshani) September 10, 2026

The demand letter can be found here: Demand to Correct LSAC’s Iran Sanctions Compliance Policy (PDF).

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About Sanctions Law Center

If a school, bank, platform, or service provider has cut off your access based on nationality alone, that decision may go beyond what U.S. sanctions require. The OFAC Lawyers at Sanctions Law Center advise individuals and institutions on what the regulations actually prohibit and on how to challenge restrictions that exceed them. Contact us today or call (202) 888-9011 to schedule a consultation.