ICFAI-LAW School BA-LLB / BBA-LLB Admissions 2025
Ranked 1 st among Top Law Schools of super Excellence in India - GHRDC | NAAC A+ Accredited | #36 by NIRF
CLAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 31 Oct' 25
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.
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.
NLU name | Closing Rank Last Year (General) | Approximate Marks |
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.
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 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.
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.
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 |
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.
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.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
While NLUs are costly, you can still pursue government-funded law education through state-funded universities and their affiliated colleges that accept CLAT scores, such as institutes like Banaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University.
I hope it will clear your query!!
It is always better to take the CLAT exam right after Class 12 if your goal is to build a career in law, because CLAT UG is specifically designed for admission into integrated five-year law programs like BA LLB, BCom LLB, or BBA LLB. Appearing after Class 12 saves you time, as you complete both graduation and law together in a single course. On the other hand, if you first complete graduation and then plan for law, you will not be eligible for CLAT UG but instead for CLAT PG, which is meant for admission into LLM programs. This path takes longer, because you first spend three or four years on graduation and then add another three years in an LLB program if you choose not to go for an integrated course. So, if you are already sure about pursuing law as your career, writing CLAT right after Class 12 is the smarter and time-saving option, while writing it after graduation makes sense only if you are considering higher studies in law or a shift in career later.
For CLAT, the most important topics are from Legal Reasoning, Current Affairs & GK, the Indian Constitution, English Language, Quantitative Techniques and Logical Reasoning. For a brief detail you can go through the following link: https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-important-topics
Thank You.
Hi dear candidate,
Both the colleges Maharaja Agrasen (MAIMS) or Gitarattan (GIBS) are affiliated to IP University and allows admission either by CLAT or IPU CET Law. Without either of these exams, your admission is NOT accepted there. You can try looking for management quota seats in these colleges if you have got good marks in 12th class.
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Hi dear candidate,
You can easily register yourself for CLAT exam by visiting the Consortium of NLUs official website and follow these steps:
Know the complete process at:
CLAT Registration 2026 (Started): Documents Required, Application Fee, Link, Steps to Apply
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