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CLAT 2026 NLU Allotment: How Cut-Offs Drop from Round 1 to Final Round
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) |
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 |
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 |
BSc LLB (Hons.) [Criminology] | 305 | 550 | 299 | 711 | 161 | |
NLIU Bhopal | BSc LLB (Hons.) [Cyber Security] | 586 | 666 | 486 | 915 | 249 |
BA LLB | 434 | 736 | 480 | 807 | 71 | |
RMLNLU Lucknow | BA LLB | 411 | 747 | 461 | 780 | 33 |
NLUO | BA LLB | 459 | 800 | 469 | 1013 | 213 |
BBA LLB | 701 | 828 | 552 | 1176 | 348 | |
RGNUL Patiala | BA LLB | 722 | 1059 | 565 | 1279 | 220 |
BA LLB | 439 | 1076 | 350 | 1346 | 270 | |
CNLU Patna | BA LLB (Hons.) | 367 | 1141 | 882 | 1398 | 257 |
BA LLB | 523 | 1210 | 755 | 1461 | 251 | |
MNLU Nagpur | BA LLB (Hons.) | 564 | 1225 | 722 | 1529 | 304 |
BA LLB | 788 | 1281 | 957 | 1682 | 401 | |
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 |
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 |
BCom LLB (Hons.) | 1044 | 1517 | 1259 | 1947 | 430 | |
BA LLB | 1115 | 1665 | 626 | 1930 | 265 | |
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 |
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 |
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.
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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.
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