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    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

    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 ?


    With a rank of 3917 in CLAT PG, your best options for an LLM include top private universities that accept CLAT scores, along with CUETPG opportunities. Some of the best non-NLU options are BHU, LPU Jalandhar, UPES Dehradun, etc.

    Hello Santosh,

    Domicile cut-offs are unpredictable. You can apply and get a seat only if the domicile category is selected. You can apply, but the chances of getting either of them are rare.

    CLAT is an entrance examination conducted for admissions into law colleges. The qualifying marks vary with the colleges. You should check the details on the website to get a clear idea regarding cut offs for the colleges. You will also get the exam pattern through the article shared.

    The exact number for students appeared for CLAT has not been revealed yet. About 88,657 students appeared Nationwide for CLAT examination.

    Hello, it is highly unlikely to get admission to the GGSIPU Main Campus or VIPS. However, you can target other colleges affiliated with GGSIPU through the counselling process.