NLU Ranking 2024: 10 NLUs you must include in your CLAT 2025 preference list

Mirza Farhan BaigUpdated on 11 Sep 2024, 12:47 PM IST

Candidates applying for CLAT 2024 are required to give admission preference to national law universities (NLUs) while filling out the application form. Making a CLAT NLU preference list is one of the most important, yet less discussed. Under the old NLU admission system, an option to give admission preferences to NLUs was available only after the declaration of CLAT results allowing the students to select NLUs based on their rank/marks. This would have helped the students make more informed decisions regarding their higher education.

This Story also Contains

Top 10 NLUs Rank Wise - NIRF Law Ranking 2024
Top 10 NLUs with the highest placements
What are the top 5 NLUs most preferred by students?

10 NLUs you must include in your CLAT 2025 preference list

However, the new CLAT 2025 admission process requires the candidates to provide NLU preferences even before the exam is conducted, with no option for modification during the counselling. As the scores of Common Law Admission Test scores are not available at the time of the application process, students are required to give admission preferences randomly. This puts the students in a fix and often results in them getting lower ranked NLU despite having a higher rank in CLAT.

Regarding the NLU preferences, the students have their priorities. Some may have the clarity to go after top-ranked NLUs, while some may look at the other aspects such as fees, placements, proximity to hometown/home state etc. The CLAT rank, which is not available at the time of the application process, remains constant in all cases and is the biggest determinant of seat allocation in NLUs.

Amity University-Noida Law Admissions 2026

Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026

Apply

Jindal Global Law School Admissions 2026

Ranked #1 Law School in India & South Asia by QS- World University Rankings | Merit cum means scholarships | Applications Closing Soon

Apply

To simplify this, we have 10 NLUs arranged in the order of preference and can be referred to by the candidates while filling out the application form.

The term “preference” can be subjective, so, we have two popular parameters — first, ranking in the NIRF 2024 law school, and second, the placement records of the NLUs which is one of the most important factors largely overlooked in NIRF.

Top 10 NLUs Rank Wise - NIRF Law Ranking 2024

Order of Preference	Name	City	NIRF Rank
1	National Law School of India University	Bengaluru	1
2	Nalsar University of Law	Hyderabad	3
3	The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences	Kolkata	4
4	Gujarat National Law University	Gandhinagar	8
5	Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University	Lucknow	20
6	National Law Institute University, Bhopal	Bhopal	21
7	National University of Study and Research in Law	Ranchi	22
8	The Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law	Patiala	24
9	National Law University, Cuttack	Cuttack	26
10	National Law University and Judicial Academy	Kamrup	27

A cursory look at the top 10 NLUs listed in NIRF given above shows that many of the prominent NLUs with better placements are either ranked lower or missing from the list. For example, NLU Bhopal which has a median placement package of Rs. 16 LPA is ranked below RMNLU Lucknow. NLU Cuttack ranked 26th in NIRF has a median salary package of Rs. 14.5 LPA much higher than many other law schools ranked above in the list. NLU Jodhpur, a tier 1 NLU and one of India's most popular law schools doesn’t even participate in NIRF Law school ranking. So, a more refined list of top NLUs should consider the placement aspect too. Here we have rearranged the top 10 NLUs in the order of placements.

Top 10 NLUs with the highest placements

Preference order	Name	City	NIRF Rank	Placements (LPA)
1	The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences	Kolkata	4	20 LPA
2	National Law School of India University	Bengaluru	1	16 LPA
3	Nalsar University of Law	Hyderabad	3	16 LPA
4	Gujarat National Law University	Gandhinagar	8	16 LPA
5	National Law Institute University, Bhopal	Bhopal	21	16 LPA
6	National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS)	Kochi	38	15 LPA
7	National Law University, Cuttack	Cuttack	26	14.5 LPA
8	Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai	Mumbai	31	14 LPA
9	Chanakya National Law University	Patna	31	10.4 LPA
10	National University of Study and Research in Law	Ranchi	22	10 LPA

What are the top 5 NLUs most preferred by students?

Over the years, there has been a remarkable consistency when it comes to preferences given to NLUs by the students. NLSIU Bangalore which is considered very good in all parameters remains the most preferred NLU. Over 90% of the top 100 candidates in the CLAT exam prefer to go to NLSIU Bangalore every year. The candidates who fail to secure admission to NLSIU prefer NALSAR Hyderabad followed by WBNIJS Kolkata, NLU Jodhpur and GNLU Gandhinagr. Here is the preference order for the top 5 NLUs as per the preference given by students.