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CLAT 2026 Counselling: Freeze vs Float – What Works Best?
The Consortium of National Law Universities closed the CLAT 2026 counselling registration window on December 27, 2025. Now, the first round of CLAT 2026 seat allotment will be published on January 7, 2026 on the official website. Candidates who are allotted seats will have three options, i.e., Float, Freeze, and Exit. Any candidate who does not wish to participate in the CLAT counselling can select the ‘Exit’ option and leave the admission process. There will be a total of five rounds of CLAT counselling 2026. On the other hand, any candidate who is satisfied with their seat allotment or has got the seat in their preferred NLU can select the ‘Freeze’ option to confirm their seat in the respective NLU. Any candidate who selects the freeze option in the first, or second, third, or fourth round will not be considered for further rounds of counselling.
Those unsatisfied with their allotted seat and want to be considered for CLAT 2026 NLU with better preference, can choose the ‘Float’ option. It is really important to note that the float option is available only till the fourth round of counselling. Candidates must pay the non-refundable CLAT 2026 confirmation fee regardless of whether they choose Freeze or Float. The confirmation fee of Rs. 20,000 has to be paid only once, even if you float and freeze later.
CLAT 2026 Counselling Schedule
Event | Date |
Counselling registration window | December 16, 2025 - December 27, 2025 |
January 07, 2026 | |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 1) | January 07, 2026 – January 15, 2026 |
January 22, 2026 | |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 2) | January 22, 2026 – January 29, 2026 |
CLAT 2026 third merit list | February 05, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 3) | February 05, 2026 – February 12, 2026 |
Last date to pay university fee (Rounds 1–3 freeze candidates) | April 24, 2026 |
May 02, 2026 | |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 4) | May 02, 2026 – May 08, 2026 |
May 15, 2026 | |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Final round) | May 15, 2026 – May 20, 2026 |
Last date to pay university fee (Rounds 4 & 5 freeze candidates) | May 30, 2026 |
CLAT 2026 Freeze vs FLoat: Which One To Choose
The Consortium of NLUs will publish the first CLAT 2026 seat allotment on January 7, 2026. Satisfied candidates can immediately apply for the Freeze option. On the other hand, any other candidate who has been allotted an NLU which they are not satisfied with can select the Float option. One selecting the Float option must remember that the seat allotment is based on their CLAT score and the NLU preference selected by them. If any candidate has been allotted an NLU which was in their top five preference during counselling registration, then it is highly recommended to freeze it later.
CLAT 2026 Refund Policy
Scenario | Refund Outcome |
Not allotted seat after all rounds | Full refund |
Exits before 1:00 PM on May 8, 2026 | Full refund |
Exits after 1:00 PM on May 8, 2026 | Rs. 5,000 deducted |
Found ineligible by NLU | Rs. 5,000 deducted |
Forfeiting the seat after accepting | Confirmation fee not refunded |
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Questions related to CLAT
On Question asked by student community
Have a question related to CLAT ?
Hello Dear Student,
Could you provide more information on which vacancies you would like more information on!
Hope it helps!
Hello Dear Student,
Yes, with a CLAT UG CRL of around 7,400 and Outside Delhi EWS category , you have a reasonable chance of getting admission to Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies (VIPS), Delhi for BA LLB or BBA LLB through GGSIPU counselling.
Recent GGSIPU law counselling data shows that
Hi,
If you're sure that you want to pursue law, then CLAT is generally the better option. It is the gateway to most National Law Universities (NLUs), which are among the top law colleges in India.
However, CUET is also worth considering as it can help you get admission to
Hello Komal,
Here are the links to the CLAT Exam previous year question papers.
- https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-previous-year-question-papers
- https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-last-10-years-question-paper
- https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-2026-last-3-years-question-papers-with-new-pattern
Hello Banju,
You can download the CLAT 2021 question paper with solutions from the link below:
https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-2021-question-paper-with-solution
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