The Supreme Court delivered its judgment for CLAT UG 2025 on May 7, 2025. Candidates can see a big drop of up to 4.25 marks in the CLAT 2025 revised result. The negative shift in ranks in the CLAT 2025 merit list can hamper a candidate’s chances of NLU admission as candidates can lose out on their most preferred NLU due to the sharp drop in rank. Candidates were allowed to fill their CLAT NLU preferences after declaration of the earlier result on December 7, 2024. In this article, let’s look at how ranks can shift downward in the revised result and what candidates can do if they don’t get the first preference NLU during the counselling process.
The Consortium of NLUs will publish the seat allotment for each CLAT 2025 counselling rounds. Candidates must clear the CLAT 2025 cut-off of an NLU for each round to obtain seat allotment.
There is a real possibility that candidates can miss their first choice in the NLU preference list in the revised result. The SC has revised the answers to four questions in the CLAT answer key. The Delhi HC earlier has revised the answer to one question which is also upheld by the SC. Together these five questions can lead to a negative marking of up to 4.25 marks.
A decrease of 4.25 marks in the worst case scenario can cause a significant decline in one’s rank and admission chances at a particular NLU.
The table given below shows how ranks between 1000 to 15000 can shift downward in the CLAT 2025 merit list, if a candidate loses 4.5 marks in the revised result. The data shows that a candidate’s rank can go down by as much as 3600 places in the revised merit list.
The scale of downward movement in ranks is comparatively higher at lower rank levels than higher ranks. This is due to the high level of competition in the lower ranks where even one mark can make a big difference of 1000 ranks.
Rank | Expected Score in Worst Case (-4.25 marks) | Expected Rank in Revised Result in the Worst Case | Shift in Rank |
1000 | 86.25 | 2100 | -1100 |
2000 | 82.5 | 3600 | -1600 |
3000 | 79.75 | 4900 | -1900 |
4000 | 77.25 | 6400 | -2400 |
5000 | 75.25 | 7700 | -2700 |
6000 | 73.5 | 8900 | -2900 |
7000 | 72 | 10000 | -3000 |
8000 | 70.5 | 11100 | -3100 |
9000 | 69 | 12200 | -3200 |
10000 | 67.75 | 13300 | -3300 |
11000 | 66.25 | 14500 | -3500 |
12000 | 65 | 15500 | -3500 |
13000 | 63.75 | 16600 | -3600 |
14000 | 62.5 | 17500 | -3500 |
15000 | 61.25 | 18500 | -3500 |
In case a candidate does not get the first preference NLU, then they can wait it out as there will be multiple rounds of CLAT counselling. Candidates should choose the “Float” option in the counselling process, if they are allotted an NLU that is not their first preference. Candidates who choose the float option have to pay the prescribed confirmation fee. Since, there are multiple rounds there is a possibility that a vacancy may arise at the most preferred NLU.
Additionally, candidates can also look at private law colleges that accept CLAT 2025 scores. In addition to the participating NLUs, the list of CLAT colleges also includes over 65+ participating law schools.
On Question asked by student community
Hi, you can apply for admissions in Nirma University, NFSU Ahemdabad, Alliance, IPU University and affiliated instiutes (in case you are reserved category candidates), UPES Dehradun, BITS Law School etc.
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.
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