CLAT Round 2 Cut-Offs: How Closing Rank Shifted in Top 7 NLUs

CLAT Round 2 Cut-Offs: How Closing Rank Shifted in Top 7 NLUs

Isha GargUpdated on 27 Jan 2026, 02:58 PM IST

The CLAT 2026 round 2 allotment shows how competitive it is to secure a seat at the top-tier National Law Universities (NLUs). In this round, the top-tier institutions show stability in ranks; for example, the all-India general category closing rank for NLSIU Bengaluru shifted by only 7 positions, while NALSAR Hyderabad moved by 13 ranks. On the other hand, rank movement is more noticeable in NLU with a specialised program - BSc LLB, offered by WBNUJS Kolkata.

CLAT Round 2 Cut-Offs: How Closing Rank Shifted in Top 7 NLUs
CLAT Round 2 Cut-Offs: How Closing Rank Shifted in Top 7 NLUs

By comparing these ranks with CLAT 2025 final cutoff data, students can decide if their current allotted NLU seat is likely to be their final destination or if an upgrade to a better NLU is possible. Understanding these shifts is essential to making an informed choice between the freeze and float options. The previous year’s CLAT cutoff data suggests that students within 50 to 80 ranks from the current closing ranks of top 6-7 NLUs can continue floating admission options.

CLAT 2026 Round 2 Cut-Offs vs CLAT 2025 Final Cutoffs (General Category)

College name

CLAT 2026 round 1 closing rank


CLAT 2026 round 2 closing rank


CLAT round 1 to round 2 drop

CLAT 2025 final closing rank

Estimated further drop (CLAT round 2 to final)

NLSIU Bengaluru

101

108

7

112

4

NALSAR Hyderabad

148

161

13

159

-2

WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB)

284

327

43

327

0

NLU Jodhpur (BA LLB)

310

340

30

367

27

NLU Jodhpur (BBA LLB)

386

405

19

-

-

GNLU Gandhinagar

372

392

20

444

51

NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)

431

451

20

480

29

HNLU Raipur

736

766

30

807

41

WBNUJS Kolkata (BSc LLB)

550

582


32

711

129

NLIU Bhopal (BSc LLB)

666

No new allotment

-

915

-

Evaluating Closing Rank Shifts in Top 7 NLUs

The CLAT 2026 closing rank data shows stability in rank shifts among the top 7 NLUs. NLSIU Bengaluru remains the most competitive institution, with its closing rank moving by only 7 positions in round 2. This shift indicates that nearly all top-ranked candidates allotted NLSIU in round 1 have opted to freeze their seats.

A similar pattern can be seen at NALSAR Hyderabad, which saw a shift of only 13 ranks. Notably, NALSAR’s current round 2 closing rank of 161 has already surpassed its 2025 final cutoff of 159. This indicates that the CLAT 2026 cutoff is already higher than that of the previous year.

This shift in cutoffs becomes more noticeable within the remaining tier 1 NLUs. WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB) experienced a drop of 43 ranks in the general category. Its CLAT 2026 round 2 closing rank (AIR 327) has already reached the CLAT final closing rank of 2025. This suggests that the chances of shifting in rank in CLAT rounds 3,4 or 5 for the BA LLB program are minimal.

GNLU Gandhinagar and HNLU Raipur, however, show potential for students choosing to float. GNLU Gandhinagar currently stands at a closing rank of 392. Comparing this to the 2025 final cutoff of 444, there is a potential window for further drops in their ranks. Similarly, HNLU Raipur moved by 30 positions in round 2 to reach AIR 766. Given that the 2025 final cutoff was 807, candidates within 40 ranks of the current cutoff can have a realistic chance to get into HNLU Raipur in the upcoming lists.

The most significant rank drop in further rounds is expected to occur in law-specialised programs, such as BSc LLB. WBNUJS Kolkata added 6 new students to its BSc LLB program in round 2. Its current closing rank is 582, but its final rank last year was 711. This gap shows that specialised courses are more flexible than traditional BA LLB seats. Because fewer students choose these programs, the ranks tend to move more freely. With five full rounds of counselling in CLAT 2026, there is a high chance this rank will drop significantly by the final list.

At NLIU Bhopal, the BSc LLB (Cyber Security) program reported no new general category allotments in round 2. Since NLIU Bhopal reintroduced the BSc LLB program in the 2025 cycle, its final closing rank for general category students reached AIR 915. However, this year, it is likely to close well below AIR 900.

It is important to note that these rank drops are not guaranteed. Further movement depends entirely on seat vacation. Ranks only drop when students leave their allotted seats to join other institutions, courses, move to private universities, or fail to complete the NLU admission formalities, such as the counselling fee and university fee.

What to Expect in CLAT 2026 Round 3?

As the CLAT admission cycle moves into round 3, the choice between freeze and float becomes critical. For candidates who have secured a seat in their first-choice NLU, locking the seat is the right option. Freezing indicates that the candidate is satisfied with the allotted college and has to pay the non-refundable confirmation fee and university fee. However, for those still aiming for a higher-ranked institution, the data indicates that securing an upgrade among the top-tier NLUs becomes more difficult from this round.

The float option is best suited for students who are within a realistic range of getting allotted a seat at a higher preferred NLU. The previous year CLAT cutoff trends show that general students whose current rank is within 50 to 80 positions from the closing ranks of top-tier NLUs should consider floating, as these institutions can experience minor rank shifts in further rounds.

Unlike the general category, reserved categories often experience more significant rankfall in later rounds. For instance, the OBC category at NLSIU Bengaluru closed at AIR 1071 in round 2, but the 2025 data shows a final closing rank of 1541. At NALSAR Hyderabad, the EWS closing rank of 713 and the ST rank of 5716 have already surpassed last year’s closing rank of 546 for EWS and 3621 for ST, respectively. This shows that the reserved category at NALSAR is currently less competitive than it was at the end of last year.

By round 3, the rank movement in the top 7 NLUs typically slows down. However, a significant rank shift continues in mid-tier and lower-tier NLUs. Data indicates that mid-tier institutions like NLU Odisha can see an estimated drop of up to 175 ranks by the final rounds. In the lower-tier or newer NLUs, such as HPNLU Shimla or NLUT Agartala, the cutoffs may drop by 300 positions or more.

Candidates must also understand that selecting the float option is not a passive choice. It requires the payment of a mandatory confirmation fee to hold the seat. If the deadline to pay the counselling fee is missed, the system automatically cancels the allotment. In such cases, the student loses their secured seat entirely.

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

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.