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

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

Ongoing Event

CLAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 31 Oct' 25

Sukriti SahooUpdated on 25 Aug 2025, 11:05 AM 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 will conduct 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

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

CLAT Sample Paper 2026 with Answer Key- Careers360
Download the CLAT Sample Paper 2026 PDF featuring the latest exam pattern with descriptive-type questions for effective preparation.
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CLAT NLU Preferences - List of Participating NLUs and Courses

24 NLUs 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. It must be noted that RPNLU Prayagraj and IIULER Goa now participate in CLAT. 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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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 2024 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, 16 are National Law Universities, of which 15 accept CLAT. 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 2024

NameCityStateScoreRank
National Law School of India UniversityBengaluruKarnataka83.831
National Law UniversityNew DelhiDelhi77.482
NALSAR University of LawHyderabadTelangana77.053
The West Bengal National University of Juridical SciencesKolkataWest Bengal76.394
Gujarat National Law UniversityGandhinagarGujarat69.568
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law UniversityLucknowUttar Pradesh55.9220
National Law Institute University, BhopalBhopalMadhya Pradesh55.6421
National University of Study and Research in LawRanchiJharkhand55.5222
The Rajiv Gandhi National University of LawPatialaPunjab54.724
National Law University, CuttackCuttackOdisha54.4926
National Law University and Judicial AcademyKamrupAssam53.3927
Maharashtra National Law University, MumbaiMumbaiMaharashtra51.731
Chanakya National Law UniversityPatnaBihar51.731
Maharashtra National Law University, NagpurNagpurMaharashtra51.4334
National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS)KochiKerala47.9638
Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law UniversityVisakhapatnamAndhra Pradesh47.9439

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

NameCityStateRankPlacements
National Law School of India UniversityBengaluruKarnataka1Rs. 16 LPA
NALSAR University of LawHyderabadTelangana3Rs. 16 LPA
The West Bengal National University of Juridical SciencesKolkataWest Bengal4Rs. 20 LPA
Gujarat National Law UniversityGandhinagarGujarat8Rs. 16 LPA
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law UniversityLucknowUttar Pradesh20Rs. 7 LPA
National Law Institute University, BhopalBhopalMadhya Pradesh21Rs. 16 LPA
National University of Study and Research in LawRanchiJharkhand22Rs. 10 LPA
The Rajiv Gandhi National University of LawPatialaPunjab24Rs. 9 LPA
National Law University, CuttackCuttackOdisha26Rs. 14.5 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 2025 counselling registration.

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

As per NIRF law rankings 2024, 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 ?

Hi dear candidate,

Both the colleges Maharaja Agrasen (MAIMS) or Gitarattan (GIBS) are affiliated to IP University and allows admission either by CLAT or IPU CET Law. Without either of these exams, your admission is NOT accepted there. You can try looking for management quota seats in these colleges if you have got good marks in 12th class.

BEST REGARDS

Hi dear candidate,

You can easily register yourself for CLAT exam by visiting the Consortium of NLUs official website and follow these steps:

  • Register yourself with your EMail ID, phone number and password.
  • Log in using OTP
  • Complete application form by entering details, selecting program (UG/PG) and uploading required documents mentioned there.
  • Then at last, review the application and pay the registration fees.
  • Download your confirmation slip.

Know the complete process at:

CLAT Registration 2026 (Started): Documents Required, Application Fee, Link, Steps to Apply

BEST REGARDS

Right now there is no official e-guide for CLAT 2026 released by the Consortium of NLUs. They usually provide sample questions and model papers closer to the exam, but not a complete guide at this stage.

You can still prepare using free study material available online. Many websites provide free downloadable PDFs, mock tests, and previous year papers that will help you understand the pattern and practice important topics.

If you want a structured book, there are two good options. The Oswaal CLAT & AILET guide has past year solved papers, topic-wise questions, and mock tests. The Arihant CLAT Conqueror book has more than 3000 practice questions with solutions. Both are helpful depending on whether you prefer solved papers or more practice questions.

Hello,

Here is the link where you will get CLAT Question Paper solution : CLAT 2024 Question Paper with solutions

Hope it helps !

Hello,

For your question, the answer is the examination date for the CLAT is likely Sunday, December 7, 2025. Also, for your info, the application period is began  on August 1, 2025, and continues till October 31, 2025.

I hope it will clear your query!!