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

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.

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

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.

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

Start preparing for CLAT by first understanding the exam pattern and syllabus, which includes English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Make a simple daily routine and begin with basics read newspapers regularly for current affairs, practice comprehension passages for English and legal sections, and solve basic

Hello

With an AIR of 9076 and EWS rank of 846 in CLAT 2026, getting a top NLUs is unlikely, which is why you didn’t get a seat in the first round. However, you still have some chances in lower-tier NLUs like NLU Odisha, NLU Assam, NLU Tripura, NLU Meghalaya,

Hello

With a CLAT 2026 score of 60.75, AIR 17,715, and OBC-NCL rank 3,347 as an out-of-Delhi candidate, getting a seat in the Faculty of Law, Delhi University is very unlikely. DU’s cut-offs for OBC candidates are usually much higher, even in later rounds. You should keep backup options like

Hello,

With AIR 10542 and OBC rank 1843, getting top NLUs is unlikely. However, you still have chances in newer or lower ranked NLUs like NLU Assam, NUSRL Ranchi, MNLU Nagpur/Mumbai, especially in later or vacancy rounds. Also consider good private law colleges as backup options.

Since you scored 8000 AIR in CLAT, getting into top NLUs may not be possible, so it is a good idea to look for affordable and good law colleges.


State government law colleges are usually low in fees, and have decent reputation. Some options include Government Law College, Mumbai, Faculty