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    CLAT 2026 Top 8 NLUs Cut-Offs - Closing Rank, Previous Trends

    CLAT 2026 Top 8 NLUs Cut-Offs - Closing Rank, Previous Trends

    Isha GargUpdated on 07 Dec 2025, 05:21 PM IST

    The top 8 National Law Universities (NLUs) form the cornerstone of legal education in India and are the most popular choices for students with high CLAT ranks. These premier institutions are NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLU Jodhpur, GNLU Gandhinagar, NLIU Bhopal, RMLNLU Lucknow, and HNLU Raipur. These NLUs are recognised for their excellent academics and have a decade-plus record of producing high-profile legal professionals.

    Admissions to these NLUs are highly competitive, and each year thousands of students compete for limited CLAT seats, making admission tough. Understanding the trends in these CLAT cut-offs is essential for aspirants to know competition levels and to set realistic goals. These NLUs not only shape legal professionals but also influence the overall standards of law education nationally, making them the most desired destinations in the CLAT admission landscape.

    Detailed CLAT UG 2025 category-wise closing ranks

    NLU

    General (closing rank)

    EWS (closing rank)

    OBC (closing rank)

    SC (closing rank)

    ST (closing rank)

    NLSIU Bengaluru

    112

    703

    1541

    3133

    3396

    NALSAR Hyderabad

    159

    546

    1219

    3273

    3621

    WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB)

    327

    -

    4168*

    4753

    6343

    WBNUJS Kolkata (BSc LLB)

    711

    -

    4596*

    6987

    9739

    NLU Jodhpur

    367

    986

    1776

    5445

    5955

    GNLU Gandhinagar

    444

    1118

    2303

    5934

    8568

    NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)

    480

    1377

    1757

    5763

    8243

    NLIU Bhopal (BSc LLB)

    915

    1997

    2464

    8625

    11901

    RMLNLU Lucknow (BA LLB)

    780

    2088*

    3769*

    11228*

    -

    HNLU Raipur

    807

    -

    2408

    7660

    10507

    *state category reservation

    General Category Closing Rank Trends (2021-2025)

    Year

    NLSIU Bengaluru

    NALSAR Hyderabad

    WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB)

    NLU Jodhpur

    GNLU Gandhinagar

    NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)

    RMLNLU Lucknow

    HNLU Raipur

    2021

    83

    172

    241

    356

    366

    378

    676

    765

    2022

    85

    162

    257

    378

    430

    451

    756

    756

    2023

    114

    177

    260

    383

    462

    463

    749

    805

    2024

    102

    167

    279

    379

    464

    450

    764

    791

    2025

    112

    159

    327

    367

    444

    480

    780

    807

    Analysis of General Category Closing Rank Trends

    Over the five years from 2021 to 2025, general category closing ranks show clear trends among the top 8 NLUs. NLSIU Bengaluru remains the most competitive, with closing ranks between 83 in 2021 and 112 in 2025. This means only students with ranks below 115 got selected here. NALSAR Hyderabad is the second most preferred, with closing ranks ranging from 160 to 170. WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB) closed admissions at around 327 in 2025. NLU Jodhpur’s closing rank stayed steady between 356 and 367.

    NLUs like GNLU Gandhinagar and NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB) have also seen gradual rises, from 366 to 444 and 378 to 480, respectively. RMLNLU Lucknow and HNLU Raipur also showed rises, from 676 to 780 and 765 to 807, respectively. Overall, the top two NLUs maintain stable and very low closing ranks due to high demand and limited seat expansion.

    EWS Category Closing Rank Trends (2023-2025)

    Year

    NLSIU Bengaluru

    NALSAR Hyderabad

    WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB)

    NLU Jodhpur

    GNLU Gandhinagar

    NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)

    RMLNLU Lucknow

    HNLU Raipur

    2023

    510

    680

    -

    -

    1210

    1290

    1845*

    -

    2024

    523

    564

    -

    -

    1248

    1376

    2326*

    -

    2025

    703

    546

    -

    986

    1118

    1377

    2088*

    -

    *state category reservation

    Analysis of EWS Category Closing Rank Trends

    The EWS category closing ranks from 2023 to 2025 show mixed trends among top NLUs. At NLSIU Bengaluru, the closing rank rose from 510 to 703, a 38% increase, indicating more competition. NALSAR Hyderabad’s closing rank fell from 680 to 546, a 20% decrease, showing less competition or better seat availability. GNLU Gandhinagar’s rank decreased by 10%, while NLIU Bhopal’s rank increased slightly by 7%. RMLNLU Lucknow saw a fluctuating trend, rising sharply in 2024 and then falling in 2025, with an overall 13% increase across three years.

    OBC Category Closing Rank Trends (2021-2025)

    Year

    NLSIU Bengaluru

    NALSAR Hyderabad

    WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB)

    NLU Jodhpur

    GNLU Gandhinagar

    NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)

    RMLNLU Lucknow

    HNLU Raipur

    2021

    -

    2703

    1378

    -

    379

    417

    944

    7238

    2022

    638

    7849

    11472*

    -

    1747

    1510

    3568

    1980

    2023

    923

    1116

    7119*

    -

    1878

    1268

    3088*

    2061

    2024

    971

    1116

    23192*

    1424

    1858

    1315

    3613*

    2069

    2025

    1541

    1219

    4168*

    1776

    2303

    1757

    3769*

    2408

    *state category reservation

    Analysis of OBC Category Closing Rank Trends

    OBC closing ranks across NLUs show mixed trends from 2021 to 2025. At NLSIU Bengaluru, ranks rose sharply from 638 in 2022 to 1541 in 2025, an increase of 142%. NALSAR Hyderabad improved from 7849 in 2022 to 1219 in 2025, a drop of 84%, showing stronger competition. WBNUJS Kolkata fluctuated heavily due to state quotas. Ranks moved from 1378 (2021) to 23192 (2024) and then improved to 4168 (2025). NLU Jodhpur appeared in 2024 at 1424 and rose to 1776 in 2025, showing a mild increase.

    GNLU Gandhinagar and NLIU Bhopal stayed stable, ranging between 1300 and 2300. RMLNLU Lucknow increased from 944 in 2021 to 3769 in 2025. HNLU Raipur moved slightly from 1980 to 2022 to 2408 in 2025. Overall, top NLUs like NLSIU and NALSAR remain highly competitive, while mid-tier NLUs show small year-to-year shifts. The rise in closing ranks at some institutions signals growing participation under the OBC category.

    SC Category Closing Rank Trends (2021-2025)

    Year

    NLSIU Bengaluru

    NALSAR Hyderabad

    WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB)

    NLU Jodhpur

    GNLU Gandhinagar

    NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)

    RMLNLU Lucknow

    HNLU Raipur

    2021

    3042

    2884

    3644

    5983

    7277

    4086

    10062

    9735

    2022

    2224

    2761

    4933

    7620

    6527

    4793

    10476

    8797

    2023

    2674

    3388

    4217

    4457

    5683

    5311

    9582*

    7137

    2024

    3007

    3574

    4503

    8960

    6175

    5178

    10340*

    6765

    2025

    3133

    3273

    4753

    5445

    5934

    5763

    11228*

    7660

    *state category reservation

    Analysis of SC Category Closing Rank Trends

    SC category closing ranks from 2021 to 2025 do not show a predictable trend and vary year to year across NLUs. In the past 5 years, NLSIU Bengaluru’s closing rank generally stayed near 3000. NALSAR Hyderabad’s SC closing ranks mostly ranged between 2700 and 3500. WBNUJS Kolkata recorded ranks between 3500 and 5000, while NLU Jodhpur showed more variation, shifting between 5500 and 7000, with a significant peak at 8960 in 2024.

    GNLU Gandhinagar’s ranks ranged between about 5700 and 7300, and NLIU Bhopal’s ranks mostly ranged from 4000 to 5800. RMLNLU Lucknow and HNLU Raipur showed higher ranks due to state quotas, with closing ranks often exceeding 9000 and going as high as around 11,000 at Lucknow.

    ST Category Closing Rank Trends (2021-2025)

    Year

    NLSIU Bengaluru

    NALSAR Hyderabad

    WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB)

    NLU Jodhpur

    GNLU Gandhinagar

    NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)

    RMLNLU Lucknow

    HNLU Raipur

    2021

    3042

    6854

    8125

    15063

    14753

    14684

    26103

    14684

    2022

    3428

    5158

    7238

    -

    12014

    10189

    19504

    12027

    2023

    2835

    6174

    7792

    8076

    10837

    10960

    27764*

    11277

    2024

    7487

    6083

    8860

    8960

    11580

    11527

    34174*

    12035

    2025

    3396

    3621

    6343

    5955

    8568

    8243

    -

    10507

    *state category reservation

    ST category closing ranks from 2021 to 2025 vary widely across NLUs. In the past 5 years, NLSIU Bengaluru’s closing ranks have mostly ranged between 2800 and 7500. NALSAR Hyderabad’s ST closing ranks were between about 3600 and 6850. WBNUJS Kolkata mostly ranged between 6300 and 8900. NLU Jodhpur showed broad variation, from closing ranks at 15063 in 2021 to closing ranks at 5955 in 2025.

    GNLU Gandhinagar’s ranks mostly ranged between 8500 and 15000. NLIU Bhopal showed ST closing ranks typically between 8200 and 14600. RMLNLU Lucknow showed much higher closing ranks, reaching as high as over 34000 in the year 2024. HNLU Raipur’s closing ranks varied between roughly 10500 and 14700. Overall, 2025 data shows stronger competition for ST candidates across top NLUs, especially NLSIU and NALSAR, as closing ranks fell considerably compared to 2024.

    Factors driving year-to-year cut-off changes

    1. Number of applicants: When more students apply, competition rises. This causes higher cut-offs, as many candidates compete for a fixed number of seats.

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    1. Exam difficulty: he difficulty level of the exam directly affects NLU cut-offs. If the exam is hard, fewer students score high marks, dropping cut-offs. Conversely, an easier exam results in higher cut-offs as more students score well.

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    1. Seat availability: The total number of seats in each NLU impacts cut-offs. Limited seats increase cut-offs, since candidates compete for fewer spots.

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    1. Candidate performance: If many candidates perform well, the cut-offs rise because competition becomes tougher. On the other hand, if overall scores drop, cut-offs decrease accordingly.

    5. NLU popularity: Popular and top-ranked NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru and NALSAR Hyderabad attract more applicants. This popularity raises their cut-offs. Conversely, lesser-known or lower-ranked NLUs have lower cut-offs.

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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.

    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.

    Most law colleges require entrance exams like CLAT or state-level law entrance tests. Some private universities may offer direct admission. Visit the official website of the college, fill out the application form, upload required documents, pay the fee, and complete counselling if required.

    With a CLAT score of 71.35, you can apply for admission to NLU for mid-to-lower-tier NLU courses, with a state rank of 69.

    # NLU Admissions 2026