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    CLAT NLU Preference List 2026 - NLUs Ranking, Placement, How to Select NLUs
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    CLAT NLU Preference List 2026 - NLUs Ranking, Placement, How to Select NLUs

    JasmineUpdated on 07 Dec 2025, 06:42 PM IST

    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.

    This Story also Contains

    1. CLAT NLU Preference 2026 - Important Dates
    2. CLAT NLU Preferences - List of Participating NLUs and Courses
    3. Selecting NLUs for admission preference - Important factors to consider
    4. Top Ranked NLUs in India 2026
    5. NLU Preferences as per CLAT 2026 Marks and Ranks
    6. CLAT 2026 NLU Preference List - Top 10 NLUs by Ranking & Placement
    CLAT NLU Preference List 2026 - NLUs Ranking, Placement, How to Select NLUs
    CLAT 2026 NLU Preference List (Image by diana.grytsku on freepik)

    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.

    CLAT NLU Preference 2026 - Important Dates

    ParticularsDates

    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 closesWill be notified

    How to give NLU preferences for CLAT 2026?

    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

    Jindal Global Law School Admissions 2026

    Ranked #1 Law School in India & South Asia by QS- World University Rankings | Merit cum means scholarships | Applications Closing Soon

    Amity University-Noida Law Admissions 2026

    Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026

    1690878964544

    • Submit the list of preferences and save your counselling registration form.

    CLAT 2026 College Predictor
    Know your admission chances in National Law Universities based on your home state & exam result for All India Category & State Category seats.
    Try Now

    CLAT NLU Preferences - List of Participating NLUs and Courses

    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.

    CLAT NLUs 2026

    NLU NameCourses

    NLSIU Bengaluru

    BA LLB Hons, LLM

    NALSAR Hyderabad

    BA LLB Hons, LLM

    NLIU Bhopal

    BA LLB (Hons), B.Sc LLB (Hons), LLM

    WBNUJS Kolkata

    BA LLB (Hons), BSc LLB (Hons), LLM

    NLU Jodhpur

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM

    HNLU Raipur

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    GNLU Gandhinagar

    BA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), BSc LLB (Hons), BSW LLB (Hons), LLM

    GNLU Silvassa Campus

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    RMLNLU Lucknow

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    RGNUL Patiala

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    CNLU Patna

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons)

    NUALS Kochi

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    NLUO, Odisha, Cuttack

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM

    NUSRL Ranchi

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    NLUJA Assam, Guwahati

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    DSNLU Visakhapatnam

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    TNNLU Tiruchirapalli

    BA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), LLM

    MNLU Mumbai

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    MNLU Aurangabad

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons),LLM

    HPNLU Shimla

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM

    DNLU Jabalpur

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    DBRANLU, Sonipat, Haryana

    BA LLB (Hons)

    MNLU Nagpur

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM

    NLUT Agartala

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    RPNLU PrayagrajBA LLB (Hons.)
    IIULER GoaBA LLB (Hons.), BBA LLB (Hons.), LLM

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    UPES Integrated LLB Admissions 2026

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    Lovely Professional University | Law Admissions 2026

    India's Largest University | BCI approved | Meritorious Scholarships up to 5 lacs |

    Selecting NLUs for admission preference - Important factors to consider

    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

    Top Ranked NLUs in India 2026

    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.

    NIRF Ranking for National Law Universities 2025

    NameCityStateScoreRank (NIRF 2025)
    National Law School of India UniversityBengaluruKarnataka82.971
    National Law UniversityNew DelhiDelhi80.002
    NALSAR University of LawHyderabadTelangana79.503
    The West Bengal National University of Juridical SciencesKolkataWest Bengal79.394
    Gujarat National Law UniversityGandhinagarGujarat76.235
    National Law University, CuttackCuttackOdisha63.6615
    Chanakya National Law UniversityPatnaBihar62.4017
    Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law UniversityLucknowUttar Pradesh60.1221
    National Law Institute University, BhopalBhopalMadhya Pradesh57.6427
    Maharashtra National Law University, NagpurNagpurMaharashtra56.5428
    National University of Study and Research in LawRanchiJharkhand55.8130
    Himachal Pradesh National Law UniversityShimlaHimachal Pradesh53.4934
    National Law University and Judicial AcademyKamrupAssam53.3935

    NLU Preferences as per CLAT 2026 Marks and Ranks

    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 Score and Top NLUs

    CLAT Ranks and Top NLUs

    CLAT 2026 NLU Preference List - Top 10 NLUs by Ranking & Placement

    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.

    NLU Preference List - Top 10 Recommended Colleges, Ranking & Placement

    NameCityStateRank (NIRF 2025)Median Placements (LPA)
    National Law School of India UniversityBengaluruKarnataka1Rs 16 LPA
    NALSAR University of LawHyderabadTelangana3Rs 17.5 LPA
    The West Bengal National University of Juridical SciencesKolkataWest Bengal4Rs 20 LPA
    Gujarat National Law UniversityGandhinagarGujarat5Rs 14 LPA
    National Law University, CuttackCuttackOdisha15Rs 8.4 LPA
    Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law UniversityLucknowUttar Pradesh21Rs 7 LPA
    National Law Institute University, BhopalBhopalMadhya Pradesh27Rs 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

    You may also check:

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: When should a candidate provide NLU preferences?
    A:

    Candidates can provide NLU preference list at the time of completing the CLAT 2026 counselling registration.

    Q: Which is the top ranked NLU in India?
    A:

    As per NIRF law rankings 2025, NLSIU Bengaluru is the number one ranked NLU in India.

    Q: Is it compulsory to provide NLU preference list?
    A:

    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

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    Questions related to CLAT

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to CLAT ?


    With a rank of 3917 in CLAT PG, your best options for an LLM include top private universities that accept CLAT scores, along with CUETPG opportunities. Some of the best non-NLU options are BHU, LPU Jalandhar, UPES Dehradun, etc.

    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.