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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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Have a question related to CLAT ?
Hello Dear Student,
You can get CLAT PG Previous Year Question Papers (last 10 years) including answers from the Careers360 page below:
https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-pg-previous-year-question-paper
Best wishes for your CLAT PG preparation!
Hello Abhijit,
Check the link below to download the CLAT LLM 2022 exam question paper with solutions in PDF format.
https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-2022-question-paper-with-solution
Hi there,
The CLAT 2026 cut-off is not a single score because it varies for every National Law University (NLU), category, domicile quota, and counselling round. For top NLUs such as NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, and WBNUJS Kolkata, the General category closing ranks were among the most competitive, typically closing
Hello Dear Student,
With a CLAT AIR of 19,688 , getting admission through the regular counselling rounds at most NLUs is difficult. However, as a Tamil Nadu domicile candidate under the BCO category , your best opportunity is usually Tamil Nadu National Law University , which has seats reserved for
Hello Dear Student,
Several coaching institutes and online learning platforms offer preparation programs for CLAT PG and CLAT UG aspirants. The type of course you choose should depend on your preparation level, available time, and budget.
Test Series and Mock Test Programs
For students who have already covered most of
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