The CLAT 2026 counselling process is currently underway. The Consortium of NLUs opened the CLAT 2026 counselling window on December 16, 2025, and candidates invited for counselling can complete their counselling registration online till December 27, 2025. The CLAT 2026 counselling is a very critical part of candidates’ way to any NLU. Candidates will be allotted seats to different NLUs through the CLAT 2026 counselling. Given the importance of the counselling process, candidates must make sure they avoid any unwanted mistakes that can cost them an NLU seat. In this article, we will discuss the common mistakes in CLAT 2026 counselling and how to avoid them.
Event | Date |
Counselling registration begins | December 16, 2025 |
December 27, 2025 | |
First allotment list released | January 07, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 1) | January 07, 2026 – January 15, 2026 |
Second allotment list released | January 22, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 2) | January 22, 2026 – January 29, 2026 |
Third allotment list released | 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 |
Fourth allotment list released | May 02, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 4) | May 02, 2026 – May 08, 2026 |
Fifth and final allotment list released | 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 |
Here are some basic tips to avoid common mistakes in the CLAT 2026 counselling:
Do not miss the CLAT 2026 counselling registration deadline
The very first step to participate in the CLAT 2026 admission process is registering for the counselling process. The CLAT 2026 counselling registration opened on December 16, and candidates can register for the same until December 27. 2026. Candidates will not be allowed to register for the CLAT 2026 counselling after 6 pm on December 27, 2026.
Pay the CLAT 2026 counselling fee on time
The CLAT counselling registration 2026 will only be completed after the payment of the counselling fee. Candidates are required to pay a fee of Rs 30,000 as a counselling fee at the time of counselling registration. The CLAT 2026 counselling fee can only be paid through online mode of payment.
Entering the Wrong Preference of NLUs
While completing the counselling registration process, candidates will also be required to add their NLU choices in order of preference. Candidates must make sure that they enter their NLU preferences in the correct order. A rank-wise NLU preference order for CLAT 2026 has been given below:
CLAT 2026 NLU Preference List
NLSIU Bengaluru
NALSAR Hyderabad
WBNUJS Kolkata( BA LLB)
NLU Jodhpur
GNLU Gandhinagar
NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)
MNLU Mumbai
WBNUJS Kolkata (BSc.LLB Hons)
RMLNLU Lucknow
HNLU Raipur
NLIU Bhopal (BSc LLB)
NLU Odisha BA LLB
NLU Odisha BBA LLB
RGNUL Patiala
NUALS Kochi
CNLU Patna (BA LLB)
GNLU Silvassa Campus
MNLU Nagpur - BA LLB
CNLU Patna (BBA LLB)
MNLU Nagpur - BBA LLB
NUSRL Ranchi BA LLB
DSNLU Visakhapatnam
NUSRL Ranchi BBA LLB
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli BA LLB
DBRANLU Sonepat
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli BCom LLB
MNLU Aurangabad- BA LLB
NLUJA Assam
MPDNLU Jabalpur
MNLU Aurangabad - BBA LLB
RPNLU Prayagraj
HPNLU Shimla - BA LLB
HPNLU Shimla - BBA LLB
IIULER Goa BA LLB
IIULER Goa BBA LLB
NLUT Agartala
Misunderstanding Freeze, Float and Exit Options
During the CLAT 2026 seat allotment rounds, candidates will be given three options to choose from - Freeze, Float and Exit. Before the seat allotment rounds, candidates must get a good knowledge of these three options and their uses. To make things clear for candidates, the Freeze option will be used in case candidates are satisfied with the seat allotted and do not wish to participate in further counselling rounds. In case candidates want to accept the seat allotted to them, but want better seats, they can choose the Float option. If candidates are not satisfied with the seat and wish not to participate in the further admission process, they can choose the Exit option.
Failing to Upload Correct Documents for Verification
Candidates allotted seats in the CLAT 2026 seat allotment rounds are required to upload some documents for verification and seat confirmation. Candidates must make sure that they upload these documents in the specified format. No document copy should be blurred or incorrect.
On Question asked by student community
You can download the CLAT previous years' question papers from here:
https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-previous-year-question-papers
https://law.careers360.com/download/clat-sample-papers-previous-years
Here's the link to download the CLAT mock test:
Hello Student,
To access the CLAT Exam Preparation Guide, please refer to the article link provided below. It covers important preparation tips, study strategies and section-wise guidance to help you prepare effectively for CLAT.
https://law.careers360.com/articles/how-prepare-for-clat
Hope this Helps!
For CLAT, candidates should not prepare only a fixed list of questions because the examination tests conceptual understanding, reading ability and application skills.
Important areas include:
English Language
Reading comprehension
Vocabulary in context
Inference
Main idea
Tone and author's viewpoint
Current Affairs & General Knowledge
National and international events
Government
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