The CBSE board students have six times better chances of qualifying the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) than non-CBSE students. A recent Right to Information (RTI) response from the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) revealed shocking data on the success rate of CBSE board students. While the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has just 18% of Higher Secondary schools in India, over 58% of students qualifying the CLAT examination come from these schools, the RTI data revealed.
The CLAT 2024 exam held on December 03, 2023, had 53,180 applicants. Of these, 22,217 students qualified for CLAT counselling. As per the RTI response, 12,827 who qualified in the CLAT counselling were from CBSE board schools. The remaining 9,390 students were from other school boards. This shows the huge advantage CBSE board students have over the students studying in the remaining 60+ school education boards in India. This data is an eye-opener for students aspiring to crack competitive national entrance exams.

According to the UDSIE report, India currently has 14.71 lakh schools. Of these, 12.22 lakh schools are government-aided and the remaining 3.31 lakh are private.

Of all these government and private schools, approximately 1.50 lakh schools offer senior secondary education. A further breakdown of this data and the 2023 CBSE annual report shows, that only 28,135, or 18% of these schools are affiliated to the CBSE. The remaining 81% of schools are affiliated to non-CBSE boards, which include state boards, Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), International Baccalaureate (IB) boards and others.

In 2018, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur conducted the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). The institute later released a detailed report on how students from different school boards performed in the examination. Of the 10.43 Lakh students who appeared in JEE, 1.14 Lakh or 11% were from CBSE board schools, while 9.28 Lakh constituting 89% of the total candidates appeared from other boards.

Of these 1.14 Lakh CBSE students, over 62.24% qualified in the JEE examination. Whereas, only 10% of the candidates from non-CBSE board schools could clear the exam.

This huge disparity in the success rate of CBSE and non-CBSE school students doesn’t stop here. The report further revealed that 6,600 seats in IITs were eventually acquired by students who studied in CBSE board schools. Whereas, 9.82 Lakh students from all other non-CBSE school boards could claim just 5,371 seats. This effectively meant the chances of a CBSE student succeeding in JEE stood at 10 times higher than any other student in India.

The CBSE is one of the national boards of school education in India and has a nationwide presence. Most of the schools approved by the central government in India are affiliated to CBSE. These include Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), government/aided schools, private schools, Jawahar Novodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) and Central Tibetan Schools. All schools affiliated to the CBSE follow the curriculum developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
Here are four major reasons why students studying in CBSE schools have a huge advantage over others in the competitive exams.
1. Curriculum Alignment with Entrance Exams
CBSE's curriculum is designed with a focus on conceptual clarity and, aligning closely with the syllabi of national-level entrance exams like JEE, CLAT and NEET.
2. Focus on NCERT Textbooks
CBSE extensively uses NCERT textbooks, which are also the primary source for questions in exams like JEE, NEET, and CUET.
3. Assessment Pattern
CBSE assessments emphasise multiple-choice questions, reasoning, and problem-solving skills, which mimic the pattern of competitive exams.
4. Access to Better Resources and Guidance
CBSE students typically have access to better study materials, coaching centres, and guidance specifically targeted at entrance exams. These resources are often tailored to CBSE's curriculum
The latest RTI responses on CLAT accessed by Careers360 along with the 2018 IIT Kanpur report on JEE establish that the CBSE offers a huge advantage to students wanting to crack the competitive exams. These exams are the gateways to top universities in India such as IITs, NITs, NLUs, NIDs and medical colleges.
But how accessible are the CBSE board schools? Of the 14.71 lakh schools in India, only 28,135 schools are CBSE schools. Among the schools offering Senior Secondary education, CBSE schools constitute just around 18%. Compare this with the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP) which alone has around 25 lakh students appearing in Class 12th in a year. This is much higher than the 16.21 lakh students who appeared in the Class 12the exam from all CBSE board schools in the country.
As per the CBSE annual report, of 28,135 affiliated schools, over 75% of schools are private owned. The cost of education in these private schools in India is much higher than in government schools, making many of them unaffordable for lower and middle-class families.
Education is listed as the concurrent subject in the seventh schedule of the Indian Constitution. All states have separate school education boards and they will continue to exist in the spirit of federalism. However, Unlike CBSE board schools, state board syllabi are less uniform and often lack the focus required for national-level competitive exams. The syllabi in many of these boards are designed around theory and rote learning rather than aptitude and problem-solving skills.
The students in the state board schools also face limited access to high-quality study materials and specialised coaching. This resource disparity eventually puts them at a relative disadvantage especially when they have to compete at national-level competitions and leave behind the schooling boards.
A major reform and curriculum overhaul is the need of the hour to keep state board schools relevant and prevent students from migrating to CBSE board schools. At least the subjects that lead students to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses should be kept uniform across the schools, while the assessment methods need to be changed for improved focus on reasoning, aptitude and problem-solving skills.
For students, if their objective is to crack any of the national-level entrance exams and if the state board schools are not offering the quality required to compete at the national level, it is time to move to the CBSE board schools. The success rate of students from these schools in entrance examinations is six to ten times higher than all other school boards in India.
On Question asked by student community
With a CLAT PG rank of 1257 in the SC category and being a woman candidate with Rajasthan domicile, you do have a realistic chance of securing admission to several National Law Universities, though the top NLUs may be difficult at this rank. Admission chances depend heavily on category-wise cut-offs, domicile reservations, and how many seats are available in a given year. For top-tier NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, or NLUD, the closing ranks for SC category usually fall much lower, so chances there are minimal. However, you should definitely consider mid- and lower-ranked NLUs where SC category cut-offs often extend beyond 1200–1500 ranks.
You should prioritise NLUs that offer domicile or state quota benefits, especially those closer to your home state or neighbouring regions. National Law University Jodhpur (if applicable under domicile or category movement), Hidayatullah National Law University Raipur, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University Lucknow, Gujarat National Law University Gandhinagar, Maharashtra National Law University (Nagpur or Aurangabad), National Law University Odisha, and Tamil Nadu National Law University are some options where candidates in the SC category with similar ranks have secured seats in previous counselling rounds. Lower-tier NLUs like Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Himachal Pradesh National Law University, and Dharmashastra National Law University can also be kept in your preference list as safer options.
Your strategy should be to keep a wide preference list during counselling, placing mid-ranked NLUs first and then moving to lower NLUs, rather than restricting yourself only to a few choices. Also, stay active during subsequent counselling rounds and vacancy rounds, as many seats in the SC category are filled later due to withdrawals. Overall, while top NLUs may be tough, you have a fair chance of getting into a decent NLU if you plan your preferences smartly and remain flexible.
With a CLAT PG rank of around 11,000, getting admission into the top National Law Universities (NLUs) is not likely, as their general category cut-offs usually close much earlier. However, you still have realistic chances in lower-ranked and newer NLUs, especially in the later rounds of CLAT counselling or through vacant seats.
At this rank, you may consider NLUs such as NLU Tripura, NLU Meghalaya, NLU Nagaland, NLU Sikkim, NLU Andhra Pradesh, NLU Odisha, NLU Jabalpur, and NLU Aurangabad, particularly if you belong to a reserved category like SC, ST, OBC, EWS, or have domicile or women reservation applicable. Cut-offs for these universities tend to go higher in rank compared to older NLUs, and seats often open up in subsequent counselling rounds due to withdrawals.
If you do not secure an NLU seat, you should also strongly consider reputed state and private law universities that accept CLAT PG scores or conduct their own entrance tests. Universities such as Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Delhi University (DU – through CUET PG), Jamia Millia Islamia, Symbiosis Law School, Christ University, Jindal Global Law School, and Nirma University are good alternatives for LLM aspirants. Many of these institutions offer strong academic exposure, experienced faculty, and good research opportunities, sometimes even better than newer NLUs.
Overall, while a rank of 11,000 limits options in top NLUs, admission is still possible in newer NLUs or good non-NLU law universities, provided you actively participate in counselling rounds and keep backup options ready.
With a CLAT 2026 All India Rank around 2070, Telangana domicile, and holding an OBC certificate (girl candidate), your chances of getting admission into a top-tier NLU like NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, NUJS Kolkata or NLU Jodhpur are quite low, as their closing ranks are usually much higher. However, you still have realistic chances in several mid-tier and newer NLUs, especially if OBC reservation and domicile or women reservation is applicable.
Based on previous years’ counselling trends, you can reasonably expect chances in NLUs such as NLU Odisha (Cuttack), NLIU Bhopal (borderline, depending on category movement), NLU Assam (Guwahati), DSNLU Visakhapatnam, TNNLU Tiruchirappalli, HPNLU Shimla, NLU Tripura, NLU Meghalaya, NLU Sikkim, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar NLU Sonipat. Some of these universities see rank movement in later rounds and vacancies, particularly for reserved categories and women candidates.
Since you are from Telangana, you should definitely keep NALSAR Hyderabad in your preference list, but only after all higher NLUs, as the domicile quota is limited and usually closes at a much better rank. Still, it is worth trying because domicile and category together can sometimes help in spot or vacancy rounds.
Your best strategy would be to prepare a balanced preference list: first include all top NLUs, then mid-tier NLUs like NLU Odisha and NLIU Bhopal, followed by newer and lower-ranked NLUs where your rank has a stronger chance. Make sure you actively participate in all counselling rounds, including vacancies, as many seats open up after withdrawals.
Cut-offs vary every year depending on seat intake, category distribution, and counselling dynamics, so even if you miss out in early rounds, you should not lose hope. Keep your documents ready, track counselling updates closely, and stay flexible with preferences to maximize your chances of securing an NLU seat.
Hello there,
Here is a list of government and semi-government colleges that accept CLAT score:
However, these universities also carry out separate registration to apply using your CLAT Scorecard.
I hope this helps you.
Thankyou.
Hello,
With EWS rank 2673 in CLAT 2026, you are unlikely to get the top NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, NLIU Bhopal, or RMLNLU Lucknow .
You have good chances for mid-tier NLUs such as:
DBRANLU Sonepat
MPDNLU Jabalpur
IIULER Goa
NUSRL Ranchi
DSNLU Visakhapatnam
CNLU Patna BBA LLB
RPNLU Prayagraj (in later rounds)
Most newer MNLUs like Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Silvassa
Final allotment can vary depending on counselling rounds and seat availability
You can also use our CLAT College Predictor Tool to predict which colleges you can get based on your score and rank.
Hope it helps !
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