The National Law Universities are the most prestigious law schools in India. Every year CLAT exam is conducted for admission to 26 NLUs and IIULER Goa. Students are shortlisted based on their ranks and Common Law Admission Test scores. Usually, the top NLUs give admissions to students scoring ranks under 1000. However, as the counselling rounds move ahead, the cut-off relaxes a little based on many factors like upgradation, withdrawal of admissions, etc. While entering the NLU preferences, candidates must have a good idea of which colleges to target according to their ranks. In this article, we will discuss the NLU options available to students who score CLAT ranks between 1800 to 2000.
The CLAT 2026 has been conducted offline on December 7, 2025. The Consortium of NLUs will declare the CLAT 2026 result tentatively a week after the exam day. The CLAT counselling 2026 will commence shortly after the results are declared.
Here are the top NLUs offering admissions to candidates getting ranks between 1800-2000 for all rounds.
NLU Name | Course | Category | Closing Rank |
BBA LLB Hons | General | 1850 | |
BA LLB Hons | General | 1951 | |
BBA LLB Hons | General | 1994 | |
BA LLB Hons | General | 1987 | |
B.Sc LLB Hons | EWS | 1890 | |
BA LLB Hons | EWS | 1921 | |
BA LLB Hons | EWS | 1922 | |
National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi | BA LLB Hons | EWS | 1911 |
Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Visakhapatnam | BA LLB Hons | EWS | 1872 |
NLU Name | Course | Category | Closing Rank |
BCom LLB | General | 1838 | |
Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad | BA LLB Hons | General | 1831 |
BA LLB Hons | General | 1886 | |
National Law Institute University, Bhopal | B.Sc LLB Hons | EWS | 1997 |
Chanakya National Law University, Patna | BA LLB Hons | EWS | 1950 |
NLU Name | Course | Category | Closing Rank |
Tamil Nadu National Law University, Tiruchirappalli | BCom LLB | General | 1947 |
Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad | BA LLB Hons | General | 1949 |
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University, Sonepat | BA LLB Hons | General | 1930 |
88,657 students appeared for CLAT exam 2026 and around 4,000 seats are available for admissions in NLUs through CLAT exam. Candidates must aim at getting a rank of less than 5,000 to be able to get into any NLU. A rank less than 1000 is considered a very good rank in CLAT 2026. Coming to the score, the maximum marks in CLAT 2026 are 120. Given the difficulty level of the exam, a score above 100 can be termed as a really good score in the CLAT exam. If candidates are wondering what is a good score in CLAT is, the below given table below will give them some clarity.
NLU | General Rank | General Marks | EWS Rank | EWS Marks | OBC Rank | OBC Marks |
NLSIU Bengaluru | 112-115 | 98+ | 700 | 89 | 1540 | 85 |
NALSAR Hyderabad | 160-165 | 95+ | 550 | 90 | 1220 | 86 |
WBNUJS Kolkata | 300-350 | 93+ | - | - | 4200* | 78 |
NLU Jodhpur | 350-360 | 92+ | 980 | 88 | 1770 | 84 |
GNLU Gandhinagar | 430-450 | 91+ | 1120 | 87 | 2300 | 83 |
NLIU Bhopal | 480-500 | 91+ | 1370 | 86 | 1750 | 84 |
MNLU Mumbai | 550-600 | 90 | 7500* | 73 | 8000* | 72 |
HNLU Raipur | 800–830 | 89 | - | - | 2400 | 83 |
*state category reservation
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A score above 100 can be termed as a really good score in CLAT 2026.
The CLAT 2026 counselling after the results are declared in the third week of December 2025.
According to past year trends, only OBC category candidates can get admission in the BSc LLB Hons Cyber Security programme in a rank range of 1800-2000.
Candidates must have a rank less than 500 to get admission in NALSAR Hyderabad in General category. A rank of 1800 can also get candidates admission in NALSAR Hyderabad given that they belong to the Home State - OBC - BC-B category.
There are many good NLUs candidates can get in a rank between 1800-2000 like RMNLU Lucknow, GNLU Gandhinagar, CNLU Patna, DSNLU VIsakhapatnam etc.
On Question asked by student community
Start preparing for CLAT by first understanding the exam pattern and syllabus, which includes English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Make a simple daily routine and begin with basics read newspapers regularly for current affairs, practice comprehension passages for English and legal sections, and solve basic
Hello
With an AIR of 9076 and EWS rank of 846 in CLAT 2026, getting a top NLUs is unlikely, which is why you didn’t get a seat in the first round. However, you still have some chances in lower-tier NLUs like NLU Odisha, NLU Assam, NLU Tripura, NLU Meghalaya,
Hello
With a CLAT 2026 score of 60.75, AIR 17,715, and OBC-NCL rank 3,347 as an out-of-Delhi candidate, getting a seat in the Faculty of Law, Delhi University is very unlikely. DU’s cut-offs for OBC candidates are usually much higher, even in later rounds. You should keep backup options like
Hello,
With AIR 10542 and OBC rank 1843, getting top NLUs is unlikely. However, you still have chances in newer or lower ranked NLUs like NLU Assam, NUSRL Ranchi, MNLU Nagpur/Mumbai, especially in later or vacancy rounds. Also consider good private law colleges as backup options.
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
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
North India's Largest Educational Group | NIRF Ranked 87 | NAAC A+ Grade | Highest Package 1.6 Cr
NAAC A+ Accredited | Among top 2% Universities Globally (QS World University Rankings 2026)
Admissions open for B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) and LL.B Program (3 Years) | School of Law, MRU ranked No. 1 in Law Schools of Excellence in India by GHRDC (2023)