5-Year LLB Course - Types, Eligibility, Colleges, Salary

Popularly known as a 5-year LLB, the integrated law course is pursued by law aspirants at the undergraduate level. Doing a 5-year LLB course is beneficial in many ways. It is a dual degree programme available with different combinations. So students who complete 5-year LLB will get two degrees at the end of the course.

As a result, this course has gained a lot of popularity in recent years which is evident from the fact that all the prestigious national law schools have traditionally offered only 5-year LLB courses. Two NLUs, NLSIU Bengaluru and NLU Odisha have recently started a 3-year LLB.

Why choose a 5-year LLB?

There are multiple benefits of choosing a 5-year LLB after class 12th. These include short duration, outcome, placement records, cost-effectiveness etc. The analysis given below is not to denigrate the 3-year LLB over the 5-year LLB, but only to provide students with relevant insight into the integrated LLB course.

Let's dive deeper into the plus points of pursuing a 5-year LLB course.

1. Shorter duration

Generally, students looking to pursue LLB courses must have a graduation degree. Under the Indian education system, a bachelor's degree happens to be at least three years for humanities and science students and four years for engineering students. Doing an LLB after graduation means students will be spending at least six years in college (3 years for a UG degree and 3 years for an LLB). However, with a 5-year integrated LLB, students can complete law within 5 years.

2. Dual degree program

The 5-year LLB is a dual degree program and it benefits students by making them skilled and knowledgeable in two disciplines while also saving them one year. Having two degrees at the end of the LLB program means students will have more options and opportunities in hand as they step out of their colleges.

3. Placements

Students pursuing 5-year LLB courses from national law universities (NLUs) or top law schools get organized campus placement support. Most of the legal firms and private companies also visit such campuses and offer handsome packages.

For example, the median salary in campus placement of top-ranked NLUs has been in the range of 16 to 19 LPA in recent years. Tier two NLUs also have a record of securing 10-12 LPA median salaries for their students during campus placements. In top private colleges too, the students are offered a median salary of 10-16 LPA.

4. Cost

Since 5-year LLB saves one year, it can save the additional money spent on taking the longer route. The 5-year LLB course fee ranges from 5,000 per semester in government colleges to 3-4 lakh per semester in private colleges. The 3-year LLB fee will be less but if we add the cost of doing another undergraduate course, then it can become slightly costly.

Also, check - Difference between 3 & 5-year LLB courses

Types of 5-year LLB Courses

5-year LLB is offered with different combinations. Candidates interested in humanities can study BA LLB, similarly, science students have the option to take BSc LLB. The curriculum of 5-year integrated LLB will be a mix of both courses (BA and LLB in case of BA LLB, BSc and LLB in case of BSc LLB). Similarly, some other combinations are available in integrated courses. Below, we have mentioned the six types of 5-year LLB courses offered in India.

BA LLB

BA LLB is easily among the most popular integrated LLB courses. The course is offered by most of the universities in India. While it focuses on arts subjects and students have the opportunity to study history, political science, and economics subjects in initial semesters, the LLB subjects are taken up side by side. Towards the end of semesters, law subjects become the main focus.

BA LLB is a good choice for students who are looking to go into litigation, or civil law, or those who are preparing for judiciary exams and UPSC Civil Services.

Also, check - LLB After B.tech

5 Year LLB Best Colleges

The list of universities offering BA LLB is quite long. n fact, all national law universities offer BA LLB. The popular ones include NLSIU Bengaluru, JGLS Sonipat, NLU Delhi, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLU Jodhpur and SLS Pune.

BBA LLB

As the name suggests, the course is a combination of BBA and LLB. It is a great choice for students aspiring to become corporate lawyers. BBA helps them create the necessary foundation for stepping into the corporate world. As part of BBA, students learn business management, accounting, mathematical economics, business communication and marketing skills.

LLB part of the course specializes in law. While fundamentals of law are taught in initial semesters, toward the end semesters, students have the option to choose some elective courses which eventually pave the way for specialization in those subjects.

Popular Colleges

Many government and private colleges run BBA LLB courses. GNLU Gandhinagar and NLU Shimla are popular NLUs that offer BBA LLB. Other than NLUs, government universities such as Delhi University, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) and IIM Rohtak also offer BBA LLB. Among private colleges, SLS Pune, UPES Dehradun, Nirma University, and LPU Jalandhar are popular for BBA LLB.

BSc LLB

Students who are from the science stream and still looking to study law while keeping up with science subjects have BSc LLB as one of the best options.

The course extends to 5 years but covers both science and law subjects. The subject options in science may include maths, physics, chemistry, botany, zoology etc. The initial four to five semesters will focus on both BSc and law subjects and eventually shift the focus to law.

BTech LLB

Btech LLB is offered by only a few law schools like UPES Dehradun. The course is of six-year duration and less popular compared to other integrated LLBs.

However, engineering aspirants looking to excel in law can take up Btech LLB. Intellectual Property Law (IPR) and Cyber Law are particularly important for engineering students. While awareness of the former is required to protect the intellectual property of engineers, cyber and data law is crucial in domains like computer science and information technology. Btech LLB therefore tries to blend engineering and law.

BSW LLB

The BSW LLB is a combination of a Bachelor of Social Work and a Bachelor of Law. The course is suitable for students who want to align their law careers with social work. The curriculum of BSW is split into two major categories. BSW focuses on the study of social work, family and community education, health, nutrition and human rights. Whereas, LLB focuses on different types of laws. At present, GNLU Gandhinagar and Saurashtra University are popular for the study of BSW LLB.

Also, check - LLB VS MBA

5-year LLB Salary

The 5-year LLB course holds a strong career prospectus. The campus placement records of national law universities and some private law schools are worth mentioning in this regard. For example, in the academic year 2022-23, NLSIU Bengaluru graduates got a median package of 16 LPA, and NLU Delhi managed a median package of Rs. 19 LPA. Students from all of the tier 1 NLUs managed to secure a median package of 10+ LPA. Private colleges like SLS Pune, Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat, UPES Dehradun and LPU Jalandhar are also well known for their placement records, Students from these colleges get an average of 6 to 12 LPA during campus placements.

5-year LLB placements in other government and state universities may not be as organised as seen in national law universities. However, the career and growth opportunities the course offers to the students make it an attractive option among students.