CLAT Cutoff Trends: How Many Marks You Need for NLSIU, NALSAR, NUJS & Beyond
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CLAT Cutoff Trends: How Many Marks You Need for NLSIU, NALSAR, NUJS & Beyond

Shubham BhakuniUpdated on 09 Sep 2025, 01:00 PM IST

Over 60,000 candidates are expected to appear in CLAT 2026 for the 5-year LLB programmes. CLAT, being the only LLB entrance exam for 24 NLUs, requires students to stay well-informed about the admission parameters in NLUs, including competitiveness, cutoffs, and how marks are converted into ranks. While it is too early to predict the marks versus rank in CLAT 2026, examining previous trends may still help students clear the fog around it. The cutoff trends also provide insights into NLU admission trends, student preferences for NLUs, non-NLUs and courses.

CLAT Cutoff Trends: How Many Marks You Need for NLSIU, NALSAR, NUJS & Beyond
CLAT Cutoff Trends: How Many Marks You Need for NLSIU, NALSAR, NUJS & Beyond

The Top 3

The last three to four CLATs have shown that a score of 100 or more is difficult to achieve, but is crucial for general category students aiming for NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad and WBNUJS Kolkata. Anything less than 95 for the general category means NLSIU will be out of reach. In terms of rank, this score will be roughly translated into AIR 100-110 last year. The NLSIU general category admission closed at AIR 112.

CLAT Marks vs Rank in Top 3 NLUs

NLU name

Closing Rank Last Year (General)

Approximate Marks

NLSIU Bangalore

112

95+

NALSAR Hyderabad

165

94+

WBNUJS Kolkata

327

94+

It is also worth mentioning that last year’s CLAT was one of the most controversial law entrance exams in recent years and might not accurately reflect the trend in cutoff marks.

If we look at CLAT 2024, 2023, and 2022, the NLSIU BA LLB admissions have closed at around 98 to 100 marks. So, a score of 95 last year should be considered more as an exception than a general admission trend. It also applies to NALSAR and WBNUJS Kolkata, where a score of 95+ is required.

An overall assessment of CLAT marks vs rank data in the previous three years reveals that scoring 92 to 100 or above is very crucial for all India general category candidates aiming for tier 1 NLUs. The first 10-12 NLUs close general category admissions by All India Ranks between 1200-1300, and the score required for this rank will be around 85 to 87. At around CLAT AIR 1300, CNLU Patna will close the BA LLB admissions during the CLAT counselling. Any further drop from here is announced during the spot round admissions.

Closing Marks vs Rank in Top 13 NLUs

NLU

2025

2024

Closing Rank

Approx Marks

Closing Rank

Approx Marks

NLSIU Bengaluru

112

95

99

100

NALSAR Hyderabad

159

93.9

164

98-100

WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB)

327

92.2

275

96.5

NLU Jodhpur

367

91.8

365

92.5

GNLU Gandhinagar

444

91

434

92.5

NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)

480

90.6

450

92.5

MNLU Mumbai

558

90.1

562

91

WBNUJS Kolkata (BSc LLB Hons)

711

89.4

998

90

RMLNLU Lucknow

780

89.6

733

90

HNLU Raipur

807

88.9

765

90

NLIU Bhopal (BSc LLB)

915

88.9

878

90

NLU Odisha BA LLB

1013

88.5

1147

89.5

NLU Odisha BBA LLB

1176

88.1

-

-

RGNUL Patiala

1279

87.5

1190

89.5

NUALS Kochi

1346

87.1

1136

89.75

CNLU Patna (BA LLB)

1398

86.9

1285

89.25

MNLU case

MNLU Mumbai is a unique case — it reserves around 73% of total intake for Maharashtra-domiciled candidates. Remaining seats are available for the general category of Maharashtra and the all-India category.

So, despite being a tier 2 NLU, MNLU general category admissions are highly competitive and close at around CLAT AIR 500.

In contrast, the remaining two NLUs in Maharashtra- MNLU Nagpur and Aurangabad, with equally high reservation but low student preferences, accept admissions at AIR 3500 (~80 marks) during the spot rounds.

At Lower Tier

Some NLUs that are yet to establish themselves or have started recently see multiple spot round admissions. IIULER Goa, which is not an NLU, also falls in this category. While the three to five rounds of CLAT counselling might give an appearance of admission closure, the spot rounds drag the process in several tier 3 NLUs up to 10 to 12 rounds. NLU Tripura, for example, can accept the general category admission at CLAT AIR 12,000 despite closing CLAT counselling at AIR 2855.

The reason for such a long-drawn admission process is students’ pursuit of better universities. Several non-NLUs with better opportunities are worth exploring. As a result, the tier 3 NLUs became relatively less competitive and more accessible to general category students between 5,000 to 12,000 ranks, and this translates to CLAT marks between 75 to 65.

Let's now look at how tier 3 NLUs have accepted students in spot rounds — the closing ranks, when compared with corresponding marks, help students understand NLU admission trends.

Tier 3 NLUs in closing marks vs rank: Counselling vs Spot Round

NLU

Closing rank in counselling

Approx. marks

Closing rank in spot round

Approx. marks

DSNLU Visakhapatnam

1682

85.7

2566

82.7

NUSRL Ranchi (BBA LLB)

1760

85.5

7782

69

TNNLU Tiruchirappalli (BA LLB)

1763

85.5

2424

83.2

DBRANLU Sonepat

1930

84.8

2470

83

TNNLU Tiruchirappalli (BCom LLB)

1947

84.8

2961

81.3

MNLU Aurangabad (BA LLB)

1949

84.8

No data available

No data available

NLUJA Assam

2141

84.1

4004

78.5

MPDNLU Jabalpur

2243

83.8

5398

74.6

MNLU Aurangabad (BBA LLB)

2393

83

No data available

No data available

HPNLU Shimla (BA LLB)

2555

82.4

5856

73.3

HPNLU Shimla (BBA LLB)

2634

82.1

5881

73.2

NLUT Agartala

2855

81.3

12515

65.4

NLUT Agartala

2855

81.3

12515

65.4

Final Thoughts

The analysis given above brings us to the following conclusions:

  • Marks required for top three NLUs: 98-100, within CLAT rank 320

  • Marks Required for top 12 NLUs: 90+ or CLAT rank below 1300.

  • Tier 3 NLUs can accept up to 65 marks or a CLAT rank of 12,000

  • CLAT counselling is not the end; students should watch the spot round admissions carefully.

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Finally, if there is a question of whether a general category student can get an NLU tag at CLAT AIR 12,515, the answer is yes. But, is it worth accepting the offer? It is debatable, with some inclined to accept the NLU tag while others would argue for better non-NLUs.

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

Start preparing for CLAT by first understanding the exam pattern and syllabus, which includes English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Make a simple daily routine and begin with basics read newspapers regularly for current affairs, practice comprehension passages for English and legal sections, and solve basic

Hello

With an AIR of 9076 and EWS rank of 846 in CLAT 2026, getting a top NLUs is unlikely, which is why you didn’t get a seat in the first round. However, you still have some chances in lower-tier NLUs like NLU Odisha, NLU Assam, NLU Tripura, NLU Meghalaya,

Hello

With a CLAT 2026 score of 60.75, AIR 17,715, and OBC-NCL rank 3,347 as an out-of-Delhi candidate, getting a seat in the Faculty of Law, Delhi University is very unlikely. DU’s cut-offs for OBC candidates are usually much higher, even in later rounds. You should keep backup options like

Hello,

With AIR 10542 and OBC rank 1843, getting top NLUs is unlikely. However, you still have chances in newer or lower ranked NLUs like NLU Assam, NUSRL Ranchi, MNLU Nagpur/Mumbai, especially in later or vacancy rounds. Also consider good private law colleges as backup options.

Since you scored 8000 AIR in CLAT, getting into top NLUs may not be possible, so it is a good idea to look for affordable and good law colleges.


State government law colleges are usually low in fees, and have decent reputation. Some options include Government Law College, Mumbai, Faculty