Amity University-Noida Law Admissions 2026
Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026
CLAT NLU Preference List 2026: The Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLU) will open the window to submit CLAT 2026 NLU preferences during the CLAT 2026 counselling registration. Candidates will be allowed to submit the NLU preference list 2026 through their login. The consortium has conducted CLAT 2026 on December 07, 2025. Eligible candidates are advised to submit CLAT 2026 NLU preferences before the deadline. Candidates who were shortlisted for the counselling process will have to fill in their NLU preference list at the time of counselling registration after publication of the result. At least 15 NLU preferences should be submitted in the NLU preference list. There is no limit on the maximum NLU preferences. Last year, two new universities were added to the list of CLAT 2026 colleges, namely RPNLU Prayagraj and IIULER Goa. The two universities are now part of the consortium and will conduct their admission through the CLAT 2026 admission process. Read the complete article to know about the CLAT NLU preference list 2026, top NLUs accepting CLAT and more.
In the table below are the counselling dates of CLAT 2026.
| Event | Date |
| Release of the first allotment list | January 7, 2026 (10:00 AM) |
| Payment of the seat confirmation fee | January 7 - January 15, 2026 |
| Deadline for document upload | January 15, 2026 (1:00 PM) |
| Release of the second allotment list | January 22, 2026 |
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The CLAT NLU preference 2026 will determine the allotment for the candidates during the counselling. Creating the right preference for NLUs is very crucial as candidates can obtain seat allotment in only those NLUs that are part of their preferences. Through the Common Law Admission Test, candidates will be admitted into 5-year LLB and LLM programmes of participating NLUs.
| Particulars | Dates |
|---|---|
CLAT 2026 exam | December 07, 2025 from 2 pm to 4 pm |
Declaration of CLAT 2026 result | One week after the exam |
CLAT counselling registration opens | Will be notified |
| CLAT counselling registration closes | Will be notified |
To provide their NLU preference list, candidates must log in to their account on the consortium's website. Given below are three simple steps to do give NLU preferences.
Log in to your CLAT 2026 account
Click on the counselling registration option.
Click on Update preferences
Select the NLUs in the order of preference
Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026
Ranked #18 amongst Institutions in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in India for Academic Reputation by QS Rankings | 16 LPA Highest CTC

Submit the list of preferences and save your counselling registration form.
25 NLUs, one off-campus of GNLU Gandhinagar in Silvassa and IIULER Goa are participating in CLAT 2026, but many of these offer more than one integrated LLB course. Candidates can check the complete NLU preference list as given by the Consortium of NLUs below in a table. However, candidates have to separately apply to the institute.
| NLU Name | Courses |
|---|---|
BA LLB Hons, LLM | |
BA LLB Hons, LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), B.Sc LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), BSc LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), BSc LLB (Hons), BSW LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons),LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons) | |
BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
BA LLB (Hons), LLM | |
| RPNLU Prayagraj | BA LLB (Hons.) |
| IIULER Goa | BA LLB (Hons.), BBA LLB (Hons.), LLM |
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While filling candidates have to select the NLUs in order of preference. That means, if they want to gain admission to NLSIU Bengaluru, they should come in first place in the NLU preference list. The second preference should be given to the second most preferred NLU. Candidates are advised to include all NLUs in their preference list to maximise their chances of securing admission.
Among all the NLUs, the top-ranked universities are easy to pick. But there are NLUs that do not show excellent placement records but are good in infrastructure, student-faculty ratio. Students can add such NLUs to their preference list after the top 10 NLUs. Some NLUs like NLU Tripura, NLU Aurangabad, and HNLU Shimla are newly established universities. These NLUs can be given lower down the preference list. Candidates can meanwhile check the complete list of NLU preferences below, which has been created after analysing various factors including placement, location, student preference etc.
Given below are the important factors to be considered while providing the NLU preference list:
Courses and seats offered by NLUs
Eligibility criteria for admission to the law programme
Ranking of national law universities (NLUs) in various ranking parameters
College and faculty reviews of NLUs
Previous year cut-offs of NLUs
Placement records
Alumni base and establishment year
Location
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) released by the Ministry of Education provides rankings of the top law schools in India. The NIRF Law Rankings 2025 provides a list of the top 40 law colleges in India. These include 25 government law colleges and 15 private law colleges. Among the government colleges that made the top 40 list, there are 13 National Law Universities (NLUs). While most NLUs accept the CLAT score for admission, it is important to note that all but NLU Delhi utilise the CLAT process. So, candidates appearing in the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) can refer to the rank-wise list of NLUs to prepare the NLU preference list.
| Name | City | State | Score | Rank (NIRF 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Law School of India University | Bengaluru | Karnataka | 82.97 | 1 |
| National Law University | New Delhi | Delhi | 80.00 | 2 |
| NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad | Telangana | 79.50 | 3 |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | Kolkata | West Bengal | 79.39 | 4 |
| Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar | Gujarat | 76.23 | 5 |
| National Law University, Cuttack | Cuttack | Odisha | 63.66 | 15 |
| Chanakya National Law University | Patna | Bihar | 62.40 | 17 |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University | Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 60.12 | 21 |
| National Law Institute University, Bhopal | Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | 57.64 | 27 |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur | Nagpur | Maharashtra | 56.54 | 28 |
| National University of Study and Research in Law | Ranchi | Jharkhand | 55.81 | 30 |
| Himachal Pradesh National Law University | Shimla | Himachal Pradesh | 53.49 | 34 |
| National Law University and Judicial Academy | Kamrup | Assam | 53.39 | 35 |
The table given below provides the list of top NLUs that can be submitted as part of their CLAT 2026 NLU preference list, depending on the scores and ranks obtained in the exam.
| CLAT Marks | Details |
|---|---|
| 90-100 | Top NLUs for CLAT Marks 90-100 |
| 75-80 | Top NLUs for CLAT Marks 75-80 |
| 70-75 | Top NLUs for CLAT Marks 70-75 |
| 65-70 | Top NLUs for CLAT Marks 65-70 |
| CLAT Rank | Details |
|---|---|
| 200-300 | Top NLUs for CLAT rank 200 to 300 |
| 300-400 | Top NLUs for CLAT rank 300 to 400 |
Candidates should look at all the factors mentioned above before giving admission preference to a national law university. The top-tier NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad and WBNUJS Kolkata are easy picks. However, candidates should look at ranking, placement records, alumni base, location and all other important factors for remaining NLUs. Below, we have given an NLUs list that students can refer to for creating their preference list.
| Name | City | State | Rank (NIRF 2025) | Median Placements (LPA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Law School of India University | Bengaluru | Karnataka | 1 | Rs 16 LPA |
| NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad | Telangana | 3 | Rs 17.5 LPA |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | Kolkata | West Bengal | 4 | Rs 20 LPA |
| Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar | Gujarat | 5 | Rs 14 LPA |
| National Law University, Cuttack | Cuttack | Odisha | 15 | Rs 8.4 LPA |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University | Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 21 | Rs 7 LPA |
| National Law Institute University, Bhopal | Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | 27 | Rs 16 LPA |
| National University of Study and Research in Law | Ranchi | Jharkhand | 30 | N/A (Data not available) |
| The Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law | Patiala | Punjab | - | Rs 7 LPA |
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Candidates can provide NLU preference list at the time of completing the CLAT 2026 counselling registration.
As per NIRF law rankings 2025, NLSIU Bengaluru is the number one ranked NLU in India.
Yes, it is mandatory to provide NLU preference list. Candidates will be considered for admission in only those NLUs which they mention in the NLU preference list
On Question asked by student community
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
Yes you can get addmission into UPES dehradun with the clat rank of 8037
Through the below college predictor you will get the list of best collges based on your rank:
CLAT College Predictor 2026 (Free) - https://law.careers360.com/clat-college-predictor
Hope it helps
With 67 marks in and SC rank 415 in CLAT, you have a very good chance of getting admission in CNLU Patna BA LLB. The SC category cut-off at Patna NLU are usually much lower than the general category, so your rank is well within the likely range. Final admission
HELLO,
For CLAT 2026 counselling , the only official registration window announced by the Consortium of NLUs was from 17 Dec 2025 to 27 Dec 2025 that was last date to register and pay the fee. There are no additional or alternate registration dates released for 2026 beyond this window.
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
Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026
Excellent curriculum; an impressive range of electives, besides core law courses. Up to 100% merit scholarship on a first-come, first-served basis
Ranked #18 amongst Institutions in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in India for Academic Reputation by QS Rankings | 16 LPA Highest CTC
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