CLAT 2026 eligibility you must know before filling application

CLAT 2026 eligibility you must know before filling application

Mirza Farhan BaigUpdated on 04 Aug 2025, 09:05 AM IST

With the CLAT 2026 registrations underway, candidates planning to appear for the Common Law Admission Test must make sure they meet the eligibility criteria before beginning their registration. Understanding the CLAT eligibility criteria 2026 will ensure a smooth admission process to the CLAT-participating NLUs. Failing to meet the eligibility requirements for CLAT 2026 can lead to rejection of the application, disqualification from the exam, or cancellation of the admission process during document verification or counselling - wasting time and money eventually. The last date to register for CLAT 2026 is October 31, 2025.

CLAT 2026 eligibility you must know before filling application
CLAT 2026 eligibility

The eligibility criteria of CLAT 2026 include requirements regarding the educational qualification, minimum passing marks and age limit. As per the CLAT 2026 admission eligibility, candidates who have completed class 12th or are appearing for the class 12 exams in March/April 2026 are also eligible to apply. Read the complete article to get a comprehensive understanding of the detailed eligibility requirements for CLAT 2026.

CLAT 2026 Detailed Eligibility Requirements for 5-year LLB and LLM

As per the CLAT exam eligibility, candidates must have completed class 12 from any recognised board with a minimum of 45% marks and for the SC/ST category, candidates must have 40% marks. The details are given in the table below.

CLAT UG 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Eligibility

Educational Qualifications

  • Candidates must have completed their class 12 from a recognised board.

  • Candidates currently in their class 12 and are due to pass out in 2026 are also eligible to apply.

Minimum marks required in qualifying exam

  • General/OBC/PWD/NRI/PIO/OCI candidates need to score a minimum of 45%.

  • SC/ST category candidates need to score a minimum of 40% aggregate marks in their class 12

CLAT exam Age Limit

  • There is no age limit for appearing in the CLAT 2026 exam.

CLAT Exam Eligibility Criteria for LLM 2026

The CLAT LLM eligibility criteria require students to have a minimum of 50% marks in Class 12 exams from a recognised board. Candidates who belong to the SC/ST category should have 45% marks to be eligible to appear in the exam.

CLAT PG 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Eligibility

Educational Qualifications

  • Candidates must have completed their 5-year LLB or 3-year LLB graduation from any law school recognised by the Bar Council of India.

  • Candidates who are appearing for their final year LLB exams are also eligible to apply.


Minimum marks in the qualifying exam

  • General/OBC/PWD/NRI/PIO/OCI candidates need to score a minimum of 50% in their LLB undergraduate degree.

  • SC/SC category candidates need to score a minimum of 45% aggregate marks in their LLB

Age Limit

  • There is no age limit for appearing in the CLAT PG 2026 exam

CLAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 for NRI Students

The CLAT 2026 eligibility criteria for NRI students require aspiring NRI/NRI-sponsored candidates to appear for the CLAT exam and obtain a valid score. Such candidates must then apply separately to the NLU where they wish to seek admission.

Documents Required for CLAT NRI 2026 Admission

NRI candidates must submit the following documents when applying to the desired NLU.

  • Certificate showing the NRI status of the candidate (Annexure-I) or the NRI status of the person sponsoring the study, in case of NRI Sponsored category (Annexure-II)

  • Class 10/Secondary school mark sheet and certificate

  • Class 12/Intermediate marksheet and certificate

  • Mark Sheet of final year 5-year LLB/3-year LLB from a recognised University (for LLM candidates)

  • Character Certificate from the Institution/University last attended

  • Transfer certificate/Migration Certificate from the Institution/University last attended

  • Recent colour photograph of the candidate

  • CLAT2026 Admit Card

  • CLAT 2026 scorecard

  • Affidavit for the year gap, if any

  • Application fee as prescribed by the university, which will be adjusted against the balance university fee.

Amity University-Noida Law Admissions 2026

Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026

UPES Integrated LLB Admissions 2026

Ranked #18 amongst Institutions in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in India for Academic Reputation by QS Rankings | 16 LPA Highest CTC

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

With an AIR of 34724 and OBC category rank of 7153, chances of getting a seat in DSNLU Visakhapatnam are low in early rounds. However, since you are already invited for counselling, there may be some chance in later rounds depending on seat vacancy and cut-off movement. You should participate

With a CLAT LLM rank of 13656, getting a top NLU is difficult. You may have chances in lower-ranked NLUs or private law universities, depending on seat availability and category.


You can check CLAT LLM counselling details here:

https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-llm-cut-off


Hello there,

Having a 15000 general rank and 1740 as your SC category rank, your chances of securing a seat are very low. As per the previous trends, it is a direct no for you to get into the top-tier NLUs since the closing general rank is around 1500-3000. If

With a CLAT PG rank of 1257 in the SC category and being a woman candidate with Rajasthan domicile, you do have a realistic chance of securing admission to several National Law Universities, though the top NLUs may be difficult at this rank. Admission chances depend heavily on category-wise cut-offs,

With a CLAT PG rank of around 11,000, getting admission into the top National Law Universities (NLUs) is not likely, as their general category cut-offs usually close much earlier. However, you still have realistic chances in lower-ranked and newer NLUs, especially in the later rounds of CLAT counselling or through