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 ?

With an AIR of 34724 and OBC category rank of 7153, chances of getting a seat in DSNLU Visakhapatnam are low in early rounds. However, since you are already invited for counselling, there may be some chance in later rounds depending on seat vacancy and cut-off movement. You should participate

With a CLAT LLM rank of 13656, getting a top NLU is difficult. You may have chances in lower-ranked NLUs or private law universities, depending on seat availability and category.


You can check CLAT LLM counselling details here:

https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-llm-cut-off


Hello there,

Having a 15000 general rank and 1740 as your SC category rank, your chances of securing a seat are very low. As per the previous trends, it is a direct no for you to get into the top-tier NLUs since the closing general rank is around 1500-3000. If

With a CLAT PG rank of 1257 in the SC category and being a woman candidate with Rajasthan domicile, you do have a realistic chance of securing admission to several National Law Universities, though the top NLUs may be difficult at this rank. Admission chances depend heavily on category-wise cut-offs,

With a CLAT PG rank of around 11,000, getting admission into the top National Law Universities (NLUs) is not likely, as their general category cut-offs usually close much earlier. However, you still have realistic chances in lower-ranked and newer NLUs, especially in the later rounds of CLAT counselling or through