CLAT 2026 NLU Allotment: How Cut-Offs Drop from Round 1 to Final Round

Isha GargUpdated on 20 Jan 2026, 04:25 PM IST

After the first round of CLAT counselling, admissions to National Law Universities (NLUs) are determined by how closing ranks shift in subsequent rounds. In round 1 of CLAT 2026, closing ranks at top NLUs were very competitive. For example, NLSIU Bengaluru closed its CLAT 2026 first allotment list at All India Rank (AIR) 101. In comparison, the final round of CLAT 2025 saw the NLSIU closing rank reach AIR 112. This comparison between the CLAT 2026 round 1 cutoff and the CLAT 2025 final round cutoff shows a clear difference between university tiers. While top-tier universities see a minor fall, ranging from 11 to 49 ranks, lower-tier institutions like NLUT Agartala experienced a massive drop of 840 ranks.

The structure of the counselling plays a major role in these rank shifts. The CLAT 2025 counselling process was short, concluding in only three rounds. Typically, the Consortium of NLUs conducts five rounds. In the CLAT 2026 cycle, there are five counselling rounds, so the total drop in ranks can be much larger. After the CLAT 2026 counselling rounds are over, spot rounds further lower cutoffs as universities fill remaining vacancies. By comparing CLAT 2026 round 1 ranks against last year’s final closing ranks, students can better predict their chances of securing a seat or getting an upgrade.

CLAT 2026 Round 1 vs CLAT 2025 Final Cutoffs (General Category)

College name	Course name	CLAT 2026 R1 opening rank	CLAT 2026 R1 closing rank	CLAT 2025 final opening rank	CLAT 2025 final closing rank	Total fall (rankdrop)
NLSIU Bengaluru	BA LLB	2	101	1	112	11
NALSAR Hyderabad	BA LLB	17	148	17	159	11
WBNUJS Kolkata	BA LLB	102	284	57	327	43
NLU Jodhpur	BA LLB	118	310	159	367	57
GNLU Gandhinagar	BA LLB	163	372	236	444	72
NLIU Bhopal	BA LLB (Hons.)	192	431	257	480	49
MNLU Mumbai	BA LLB	383	481	443	558	77
WBNUJS Kolkata	BSc LLB (Hons.) [Criminology]	305	550	299	711	161
NLIU Bhopal	BSc LLB (Hons.) [Cyber Security]	586	666	486	915	249
HNLU Raipur	BA LLB	434	736	480	807	71
RMLNLU Lucknow	BA LLB	411	747	461	780	33
NLUO	BA LLB	459	800	469	1013	213
NLUO	BBA LLB	701	828	552	1176	348
RGNUL Patiala	BA LLB	722	1059	565	1279	220
NUALS Kochi	BA LLB	439	1076	350	1346	270
CNLU Patna	BA LLB (Hons.)	367	1141	882	1398	257
GNLU Silvassa	BA LLB	523	1210	755	1461	251
MNLU Nagpur	BA LLB (Hons.)	564	1225	722	1529	304
DSNLU Visakhapatnam	BA LLB	788	1281	957	1682	401
MNLU Nagpur	BBA LLB (Hons.)	1107	1284	1214	1623	339
CNLU Patna	BBA LLB (Hons.)	847	1287	1215	1555	268
NUSRL Ranchi	BA LLB (Hons.)	853	1297	864	1667	370
NUSRL Ranchi	BBA LLB (Hons.)	1295	1356	1164	1760	404
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli	BA LLB (Hons.)	989	1370	1231	1763	393
MNLU Aurangabad	BA LLB (Hons.)	1308	1424	1023	1949	525
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli	BCom LLB (Hons.)	1044	1517	1259	1947	430
DBRANLU Sonepat	BA LLB	1115	1665	626	1930	265
MNLU Aurangabad	BBA LLB (Hons.)	1322	1737	1361	2393	656
MPDNLU Jabalpur	BA LLB	1473	1740	1371	2243	503
NLUJA Assam	BA LLB	1162	1764	1163	2141	377
HPNLU Shimla	BA LLB (Hons.)	930	1824	949	2555	731
HPNLU Shimla	BBA LLB (Hons.)	603	1871	1298	2634	763
RPNLU Prayagraj	BA LLB	951	1930	1446	2469	539
NLUT Agartala	BA LLB	1540	2015	1964	2855	840
IIULER Goa	BA LLB (Hons.)	943	2124	1314	2784	660
IIULER Goa	BBA LLB (Hons.)	1910	2236	1198	2832	596

Trends in CLAT Cutoffs: How Ranks Shift Across NLUs

The shift in ranks between the CLAT 2026 round 1 cutoffs and the CLAT 2025 final ranks shows trends across different tiers of National Law Universities.

Rank Shifts in Top-Tier NLUs

Tier 1 includes the most established NLUs such as NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLU Jodhpur, GNLU Gandhinagar, and NLIU Bhopal. When comparing the CLAT 2026 round 1 closing rank with the CLAT 2025 final round, trends show that ranks in the top-tier NLUs fall the least. For example, NLSIU Bengaluru and NALSAR Hyderabad both saw a total fall of only 11 ranks. Even the lower end of Tier 1, such as NLIU Bhopal, saw a drop of only 49 ranks. Students who secure these seats rarely vacate them for other options. For CLAT 2026 aspirants, if their rank is more than 50 positions away from the round 1 closing rank of a tier 1 NLU, the chances of an upgrade are highly unlikely.

Rank Shifts in Mid-Tier NLUs

Tier 2 consists of mid-tier law institutions like HNLU Raipur, RMLNLU Lucknow, RGNUL Punjab, CNLU Patna, NLUO Odisha, NUALS Kochi, NUSRL Ranchi, MNLU Mumbai, DSNLU Visakhapatnam, and TNNLU Tiruchirappalli. The rank drop in this tier is more visible, ranging from 33 ranks (RMLNLU) to over 200 ranks (NLUO and RGNUL). Notably, MNLU Mumbai saw a fall of 77 ranks, showing it is becoming more competitive due to fewer all-India seats and moving closer to tier 1 closing rank trends. Many candidates in this tier move up to tier 1 as seats open up. If candidates are within 100-150 ranks of a tier 2 cutoff, they have a good chance of securing a seat in later rounds.

Rank Shifts in Lower-Tier NLUs

Tier 3 includes newer or emerging NLUs; these are NLUJA Assam, MNLU Nagpur, MNLU Aurangabad, HPNLU Shimla, DNLU Jabalpur, DBRANLU Haryana, NLUT Agartala, RPNLU Prayagraj, and IIULER Goa. Tier 3 NLUs experience the most rank drop. NLUT Agartala saw a massive drop of 840 ranks, while HPNLU Shimla dropped by 731 ranks for its BA LLB program. These colleges often serve as a safety net. Students initially allotted seats here often move to better NLUs or private institutions, leading to high vacancy rates. In this tier, a rank drop of 500 to 800 positions is common between round 1 and the final allotments.

The Impact of CLAT Spot Rounds and Vacant Seats

Even after the CLAT counselling rounds conclude, the CLAT admission process continues through spot rounds or vacant seat admission. Many universities will still have leftover seats due to last-minute withdrawals. These rounds are conducted independently by NLUs.

In CLAT spot rounds, the closing ranks can fall drastically, often by several hundred positions beyond the CLAT counselling final round cut-off. As these rounds happen quickly and require separate applications, many top-ranked students miss them. Therefore, it is important to monitor the websites of each NLU to grab the spot round admissions.