CLAT 2026 Domicile Category Cut-Offs: How State Quota Boosts Admission Chances
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CLAT 2026 Domicile Category Cut-Offs: How State Quota Boosts Admission Chances

Ongoing Event

CLAT Admit Card Date:22 Nov' 25 - 07 Dec' 25

Shubham BhakuniUpdated on 05 Aug 2025, 09:05 AM IST

The domicile quota, regardless of its fairness, presents a strategic advantage for students seeking admission to prestigious National Law Universities (NLUs). All NLUs participating in CLAT 2026 offer domicile reservation, ranging from 25% to 70% of total intake — there is no uniformity in this reservation. But one trend is very clear — state quota significantly reduces the cutoff ranks in NLUs.

CLAT 2026 Domicile Category Cut-Offs: How State Quota Boosts Admission Chances
CLAT 2026: How Domicile Quotas Can Sharply Lower NLU Cut-Offs and Boost Admission Chances

For instance, NLSIU Bangalore, where competition is cut-throat and general category success rate is below 0.5%, the all India general category admission closed at AIR 112 in CLAT 2025, but reserved seats for general category - Karnataka were filled up to AIR 460, a drop of 4x. NALSAR Hyderabad, where three rounds of CLAT counselling ended general category admission at AIR 162, the domicile quota seats in the same category were offered till AIR 607, a drop of 3.7x.

Similarly, NLIU Bhopal BA LLB cutoffs were 480 for all India general category and 1085 for general-domicile category. The allotment list for GNLU Gandhinagar shows all India general category admission closing at 444 in third round of CLAT counselling, whereas, the domicile reserved seats in general category were closed at 2609 (vacant) and 2549, the last provisionally admitted candidate.

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All the data presented above, and in the table below, shows how state quota seats change the admission standards for certain candidates.

CLAT Cut-Offs 2025: General vs. Domestic Categories

NLU

Gen Male Cut-Off Rank- All India

Gen Male Cut-Off Rank- State Quota

Drop in AIR

NLSIU Bangalore

112

460

348

NALSAR Hyderabad

162

607

445

WBNUJS Kolkata

327

1119

792

NLU Jodhpur

367

581

214

GNLU Gandhinagar

444

2549

2105

GNLU Silvassa

1461

33059

31598

NLU Bhopal

480

1085

605

NLU Ranchi

1667

5514

3847

NLU Assam

2141

3128

987

NLU Trichy

1763

3912

2149

Source: CLAT 2025 counselling third round admission lists

Domicile Quota in NLUs:

The National Law Universities (NLUs), despite carrying the term "national" in their names, are, in fact, state universities. They are established through Acts passed by the respective state legislatures. Consequently, the domicile quota is also governed by the reservation policies of the individual states. As a result, there is no uniformity in domicile reservation offered across NLUs. In several cases, the reservation exceeds 50% of total intake, significantly reducing all-India intake and further diluting the national character implied by their names. For example, all three MNLUs — Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad keep around 72% seats reserved for Maharashtra candidates, leaving only 28% seats in the all-India category.

Takeaways: What’s Next for CLAT 2026 Aspirants?

It is clear — the domicile reservation can change the game and bypass the intense competition CLAT has. The CLAT 2026 applications are currently open. The registration window closes on October 31. Adding domicile reservation criteria is the last stage of the application process. Candidates should carefully review the eligibility, which in some NLUs extends beyond the criterion of having a formal residency certificate in the state. While students are not required to submit the domicile certificates at this stage, admission under the state quota will be offered only upon fulfilling the eligibility and submitting the relevant certificates. They need to submit the documentary proof at the time of admission.

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The best way to cover the important current affairs is to read the newspaper daily. Then try to analyse the newspaper and remember the trending topics. Practice the previous year's question paper and understand the pattern of the question. Summarise all current affairs topics and understand them in brief. If you want more information about current affairs, then you will read the article How to Prepare for CLAT Current Affairs 2026 .

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Hello,

Yes, you can prepare CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) in Hindi Medium and access syllabus in Hindi from mentioned link below:

https://law.careers360.com/hi/articles/clat-syllabus

Hope it helps.

Hello there!

Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) is a national level entrance exam for the programs related to engineering. It has two levels known as JEE mains (first level) and JEE advance (second level) . Many colleges from all over India in both government and private sector consider its scores. It is an online computer based test conducted by NTA ( National Testing Agency). Physics , Chemistry and mathematics are the major subjects to be focused in this exam.

Here is the link attached from the official website of Careers360 which will provide you with complete information about JEE.

https://engineering.careers360.com/exams/jee-main

NEET ( National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is a national level examination for admission in undergraduate medical courses. It is also conducted by NTA but in offline mode as in pen and paper test. It includes courses like MBBS, BDS BHMS , BAMS etc. The exam consists of 180 questions in total 45 from each physics , chemistry , zoology and Botany. The total marks for the exam are 720 marks.

Here is the link attached from the official website of Careers360 which will provide you with complete information about NEET examination:

https://medicine.careers360.com/articles/neet-full-form

CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is a national level entrance examination for the admission in national law colleges of India. The test is taken after 12th grade examination for the 5 years integrated programs in law. It tests students knowledge in legal aptitude. It also serves as a basis for public sector undertakings for legal positions.

Here is the link attached from the official website of Careers360 which will provide you with the complete information about the CLAT examination.

https://law.careers360.com/articles/what-is-clat-full-form-all-about-nlus-entrance-exam

thank you! Hope it helps!


Hello,

The CLAT PG exam pattern consists of 120 questions and 2-hour MCQ exam with negative marking.

Subjects Covered:

  1. Constitutional Law

  2. Jurisprudence

  3. Criminal Law

  4. Contract Law

  5. Other core law subjects

Here are some tricks which you must follow:

  1. Practice Previous Year Papers & Mock Tests
  2. Focus on Constitutional Law & Jurisprudence
  3. Time Management in Exam
  4. Revision Strategy

To know more access below mentioned link:

https://law.careers360.com/articles/how-to-prepare-for-clat-pg-exam

Hope it helps.

Hello,

In CLAT , the 9-digit admit card number is not the same as the roll number you have to write on the OMR sheet. The OMR sheet has only 7 blocks because the CLAT roll number is shorter.

You should check your admit card again and look for the roll number printed near your name and exam details. Fill only that roll number in the OMR sheet. Do not write the 9-digit admit card number.

If you still cannot find the roll number, you can ask the exam invigilator on the exam day.

Hope it helps !