CLAT 2026: 4th Round Cutoffs vs 2025 Final Closing Ranks – What Changed?

CLAT 2026 Round 4 Cutoff Trends: Tier-1 NLUs

NLSIU Bengaluru’s general category cutoff remained unchanged at AIR 108 till round 4, close to its CLAT 2025 final closing rank of AIR 112. The university has not recorded a single new general category allotment since the second allotment list. NALSAR Hyderabad too dropped slightly from AIR 162 to AIR 164 in round 4.

A similar trend is visible at WBNUJS Kolkata and NLU Jodhpur. WBNUJS Kolkata’s BA LLB programme closed at AIR 343 compared to AIR 327 in CLAT 2025. Its BSc LLB programme closed at AIR 582 against AIR 711 last year, indicating stronger retention this year. NLU Jodhpur recorded four new allotments each in its BA LLB and BBA LLB programmes in round 4.

GNLU Gandhinagar and NLIU Bhopal also showed stronger early retention this year. In the fourth round, GNLU closed at AIR 397 against 444 last year, while NLIU Bhopal’s BSc LLB programme closed at AIR 695 compared to closing rank 915 in the CLAT 2025 final merit list. These trends indicate stable competition levels at the top NLUs.

CLAT 2026 Round 4 vs CLAT 2025 Final Cutoffs: Tier-1 NLUs

CLAT 2026 Round 4 Cutoff Trends: Tier-2 NLUs

Several tier-2 NLUs have also moved closer to their CLAT 2025 final closing ranks in round 4. This indicates relatively lower rank shifts this year. NLU Odisha’s BA LLB programme closed at AIR 835 till round 4 against its CLAT 2025 final closing rank of 1013. NLUO’s BBA LLB programme closed at AIR 875 compared to AIR 1176 last year. Similarly, RGNUL Patiala closed at AIR 1105 against 1279 in 2025, and NUALS Kochi at AIR 1156 compared to 1346 last year.

MNLU Mumbai continued to remain competitive among the tier-2 NLUs thanks to the university’s low all-India intake. The university closed at AIR 500 in round 4 against its CLAT 2025 final closing rank of 558. NUSRL Ranchi also moved significantly closer to its 2025 final closing ranks by the fourth round itself. However, some additional rank drop can still be expected in the final list and subsequent spot admission rounds as candidates continue to exercise exit and withdrawal options.

CLAT 2026 Round 4 vs CLAT 2025 Final Cutoffs: Tier-2 NLUs

CLAT 2026 Round 4 Cutoff Trends: Newer and Emerging NLUs

Emerging law universities have announced maximum allotments in the fourth round as several students apply for betterment or exit the process. The fourth round of cut-offs among these universities is still lower than last year’s final closing cutoffs, indicating that there may be more allotments in the fifth round.

Institutions such as IIULER Goa, HPNLU Shimla, RPNLU Prayagraj and NLUT Agartala continued to witness wider rank changes. IIULER Goa, a private law institute and the only non-NLU in CLAT counselling, remained among the least preferred institutions in counselling. It recorded 22 allotments in BA LLB and 26 allotments in BBA LLB. Its BA LLB programme closed at AIR 2519 till round 4 compared to the CLAT 2025 final closing rank of 2784.

HPNLU Shimla’s BA LLB programme closed at AIR 1999 against 2555 last year, while the BBA LLB programme closed at AIR 2127 in the fourth round, compared to AIR 2634 in CLAT 2025. RPNLU Prayagraj and NLUT Agartala too remain from their 2025 final closing levels.

At the same time, some emerging NLUs showed signs of improving stability. MNLU Aurangabad, MPDNLU Jabalpur and DBRANLU Sonepat all moved significantly closer to their CLAT 2025 closing ranks by round 4.

CLAT 2026 Round 4 vs CLAT 2025 Final Cutoffs: Emerging and Newer NLUs

CLAT 2026 Fifth Merit List: What to Expect?

The CLAT 2026 fifth and final merit list will be published on May 20, 2026. The final round is expected to witness fewer allotments, especially at tier-1 NLUs, where most seats have already frozen. However, some rank movement is expected at tier-3 and emerging NLUs as candidates exercise the exit option, opt for non-NLUs, including several private law schools.

The closure of CLAT counselling does not mark the end of admissions at several NLUs. Several NLUs independently conduct spot admission rounds after centralised counselling ends, to fill remaining vacant seats. Mid-tier and newer NLUs such as HPNLU Shimla, NLUJA Assam, MNLU Nagpur, MNLU Aurangabad, RPNLU Prayagraj, NLUT Agartala and IIULER Goa witness significant cutoff drops during spot admissions. Candidates interested in spot admissions should monitor individual NLU websites.