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    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 ?

    Hello Santosh,

    Domicile cut-offs are unpredictable. You can apply and get a seat only if the domicile category is selected. You can apply, but the chances of getting either of them are rare.

    CLAT is an entrance examination conducted for admissions into law colleges. The qualifying marks vary with the colleges. You should check the details on the website to get a clear idea regarding cut offs for the colleges. You will also get the exam pattern through the article shared.

    The exact number for students appeared for CLAT has not been revealed yet. About 88,657 students appeared Nationwide for CLAT examination.

    Hello, it is highly unlikely to get admission to the GGSIPU Main Campus or VIPS. However, you can target other colleges affiliated with GGSIPU through the counselling process.

    Hi,

    You can get the CLAT section-wise mock test, previous year question papers and comprehensive study material here .