CLAT aspirants who do not secure admission in the top NLUs can still pursue legal education at mid-tier National Law Universities (NLUs). These universities include RGNUL Patiala, MNLU Mumbai, RMLNLU Lucknow, and others. For CLAT 2026, candidates in the rank range of 400-2000 generally have a good chance of getting into these universities. Admission depends on various factors, such as the category of the candidate and the specific program they choose (BA LLB, BBA LLB, etc.).
NLU | NIRF rankings 2025 | Law Courses offered | Total number of ug seats* | Closing rank |
RGNUL Patiala | - | BA LLB (Hons) | 214 | 1279 |
21 | BA LLB (Hons) | 191 | 780 | |
NUALS Kochi | - | BA LLB (Hons) | 60 | 1346 |
HNLU Raipur | - | BA LLB (Hons) | 187 | 827 |
MNLU Mumbai | 31 | BA LLB (Hons) | 122 | 558 |
CNLU Patna | 17 | 3-year LLB, BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) | 3-year LLB: 60 | 1398 |
NLU Odisha | 15 | BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) | BA LLB: 120 | 1013 |
NUSRL Ranchi | 30 | BA LLB (Hons) | 140 | 1667 |
MNLU Nagpur | 28 | BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) | BA LLB: 120 | 1529 |
DSNLU Visakhapatnam | - | BA LLB (Hons) | 132 | 1682 |
*including supernumerary seats
NLU | OBC Closing Rank | SC Closing Rank | ST Closing Rank |
RGNUL Patiala | - | 8625 | 12742 |
RMLNLU Lucknow | 3769* | 11228* | - |
- | 15029* | - | |
HNLU Raipur | 2408 | 7660 | 10507 |
MNLU Mumbai | 8067* | 15622* | 13124* |
CNLU Patna (BA LLB) | 7359* | 12662* | - |
NLU Odisha (BA LLB) | - | 7247 | 12967 |
NUSRL Ranchi (BA LLB) | 3597 | 9902 | 15023 |
MNLU Nagpur (BA LLB) | 15059* | 27496* | 16868* |
DSNLU Visakhapatnam | 3813 | 9330 | 15632 |
*state category reservation
Predictor | Tool Link |
CLAT UG 2026 College Predictor |
The CLAT 2026 cutoff is calculated by considering several key factors. It depends on:
The total number of students appearing for CLAT 2026.
The difficulty level of the CLAT 2026 exam.
The total number of seats available in each NLU.
Candidates' NLU preference order during counselling.
Each NLU’s reservation policy for General, EWS, OBC, SC, and ST categories.
Event | Date |
Counselling registration begins | December 17, 2025 |
Last date for counselling registration & fee payment | December 27, 2025 |
First allotment list released | January 07, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 1) | January 07, 2026 – January 15, 2026 |
Second allotment list released | January 22, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 2) | January 22, 2026 – January 29, 2026 |
Third allotment list released | February 05, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 3) | February 05, 2026 – February 12, 2026 |
Last date to pay university fee (Rounds 1–3 freeze candidates) | April 24, 2026 |
Fourth allotment list released | May 02, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 4) | May 02, 2026 – May 08, 2026 |
Fifth and final allotment list released | May 15, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Final round) | May 15, 2026 – May 20, 2026 |
Last date to pay university fee (Rounds 4 & 5 freeze candidates) | May 30, 2026 |
The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has declared that the deadline to fill and lock their NLU preferences via the CLAT 2026 admission counselling portal is December 27, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Failing to submit preferences by this date will make a candidate ineligible for the CLAT seat allocation process. Candidates must log in to their CLAT account and select their preferred National Law Universities in descending order of priority. It is highly recommended to select as many NLUs as possible to maximise chances of securing a seat.
On Question asked by student community
Hi, you can apply for admissions in Nirma University, NFSU Ahemdabad, Alliance, IPU University and affiliated instiutes (in case you are reserved category candidates), UPES Dehradun, BITS Law School etc.
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.
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