CLAT Scope in Future - Placements, Salary, Career Opportunities

CLAT Scope in Future - Placements, Salary, Career Opportunities

Ongoing Event

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

Sumeet SudarshanUpdated on 01 Dec 2024, 12:59 PM IST

Rising interest in law as a career among students directly translates to immense CLAT scope in future. This is because the Common Law Admission Test is one of the top law entrance exams in India and the gateway to elite law schools such as NLSIU Bengaluru and NALSAR Hyderabad, among others. CLAT scope in India can be gauged by the number of candidates appearing for the exam, and also the placement figures of top NLUs. While a graduation in law in itself opens many career opportunities, obtaining a law degree from one of the top NLUs makes CLAT a good career option that provides the initial thrust for a great future ahead. With the rise of legal fields such as technology and environmental law, the scope of CLAT in future is expanding.

This Story also Contains

  1. CLAT Exam Scope: Exam Statistics
  2. CLAT NLUs Rankings in India
  3. CLAT Scope in Future: NLUs Placements
  4. CLAT Scope and Career Opportunities
CLAT Scope in Future - Placements, Salary, Career Opportunities
CLAT Scope in Future (Image by KamranAydinov on Freepik)

At present 24 NLUs are participating in CLAT with over 3200+ and 1350+ CLAT seats on offer in 5-year LLB and LLM programmes respectively. Read on to gain insights on CLAT scope in the future, and whether CLAT is a good career option to go for.

CLAT Exam Scope: Exam Statistics

Given below are some figures on the CLAT seats on offer and the number of candidates appearing for CLAT over the last few years. The statistics show, an increasing number of students appearing for the exam, and also an increase in the number of seats. The rising numbers point to a good scope for CLAT in India. Last year close to 60000 candidates appeared for CLAT UG and over 10000 appeared for CLAT PG. The analysis of success rate in CLAT shows the success rate is around 5% in UG and 13% in CLAT PG when we compare the candidates with the available seats. This makes CLAT one of the most difficult and sought-after law entrance exams in India.

CLAT Exam Statistics

Particulars

2024

2023

20222021

Candidates appeared

58504 (UG)

10282 (PG)

42,766 (UG)

8,703 (PG)


56,472

53,532 (UG)


8,574 (PG)

Seats

3,200+ (UG)

1,300+ (PG)

2860+ (UG)

1160+ (PG)

2801 (UG)

1072 (PG)

2622 (UG)

808 (PG)


CLAT NLUs Rankings in India

As per the data from the HRD ministry, 10 NLUs that accept CLAT find a place in the NIRF law rankings 2023 among the top 30 law schools in the country. The high rankings of NLUs again reflect the importance of CLAT in the legal education landscape in India. The rankings are given in the table below.

CLAT NLUs NIRF Rankings 2023

CLAT Scope in Future: NLUs Placements

The scope of CLAT in future includes careers in various legal fields. Top NLUs regularly see visits by top companies and legal firms during their placement season. The after CLAT salary per month can vary widely based on the job and location. Given below are median salary figures for the top-ranked NLUs for UG and PG law programmes.

CLAT NLUs Placement Salary Data

NLU Name

Median Salary (UG) (in Rs.)Median Salary (PG) (in Rs.)

NLSIU Bengaluru

16 lakhs p.a.

8.25 lakhs p.a

NALSAR Hyderabad

16 lakhs p.a.

7 lakhs p.a.

WBNUJS Kolkata

16 lakhs p.a.

10 lakhs p.a.

GNLU Gandhinagar

15.40 lakhs p.a.

4.20 lakhs p.a.

NLIU Bhopal

18 lakhs p.a.

6 lakhs p.a

RGNUL Patiala

8.40 lakhs p.a.

6 lakhs p.a.

RMLNLU Lucknow

6.50 lakhs p.a.

5.50 lakhs p.a.

NUSRL Ranchi

10.07 lakhs p.a.

6 lakhs p.a.

NLUJA Assam

-

-

NLUO Cuttack

9 lakhs p.a.

6 lakhs p.a.

Note: An internship can help boost the after CLAT salary per month by providing valuable experience.

CLAT Scope and Career Opportunities

A law degree from a top law school can open up many career opportunities which makes CLAT a good career option. Some students aim for higher salary after CLAT by pursuing additional qualifications. Let’s understand the CLAT exam scope by looking at the job profiles available to students.

  • Legal Associate: Many top law firms recruit students from NLUs to be part of their legal team on attractive salaries. The average after CLAT salary per month increases with experience and specialization in law. These law firms have some top names as their clients and students get the opportunity to work on their cases.

  • PSU Recruitments through CLAT: Many Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) also hire employees through the CLAT exam. The PSU recruitments through CLAT often see companies such as Power Grid Corporation, and National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) among others recruit law officers through scores obtained in CLAT.

  • Corporate Lawyer: Other than law firms, top corporations and banks also have a legal team that supervises the company’s activities and regulatory compliance. Such lawyers working with companies are often referred to as corporate lawyers. They can work either as in-house corporate lawyers or as consultants.

  • Independent Practice: Many lawyers also choose to do independent practice. They fight cases on behalf of their clients in court. Such lawyers who represent clients in courts are known as advocates. To become an advocate in India, a law graduate has to clear the All India Bar Examination and obtain a Certificate of Practice (CoP)

  • Academics: Law students can also choose to pursue higher education such as PhD and enter the exciting field of academics where they teach budding lawyers and advocates at law school. Often this requires the students to have completed an LLM and possess other relevant qualifications.

  • Social Activism: Lawyers can also take up social activism or become part of an NGO to be associated with a social cause. Lawyers can fight for social rights by filing PIL or RTI queries to maintain accountability among public authorities.

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Ranked #28 amongst Institutions in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in India for Academic Reputation by QS Rankings | 16.6 LPA Highest CTC | Last Date to Apply: 31st August | Admissions Closing Soon

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Ranked 1 st among Top Law Schools of super Excellence in India - GHRDC | NAAC A+ Accredited | #36 by NIRF

Note: Networking during law school can help secure a higher salary after CLAT.

You may also check:

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.
Download EBook

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Can I get a job after CLAT?
A:

Yes, you can get a job after CLAT as there are PSU recruitments conducted through the CLAT exam for the post of law officers.

Q: What is the salary at top NLUs?
A:

The median salary offered at top NLUs is often in the range of Rs 8-16 lakhs p.a.

Q: What is the scope of CLAT career?
A:

CLAT offers scope for a good career as students can gain admission into top law schools and later get placed in top law firms.

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

Hello Ayush

The CLAT 2025 results were announced on May 17, 2025 after a revision as per Supreme Court's directions. The initial results were declared in December 2024 but due to court directions and result revisions, the final results were declared in the month of May 2025.

To know more about CLAT: CLAT by CAREERS360

Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!

If you want to prepare CLAT exam you lot to spend you need to daily focus on English logical reasoning quantitative legal you need to focus on English vocabulary comprehension you need to regularly practice previous year questions based on the time base it will improve your knowledge

Hello,

Here is the link where you can access free CLAT mock tests for practice : CLAT 2026 Mock Tests

Hope it helps !

Hello Mujahideen

Around 75,000 - 80,000 students have registered for CLAT examination this year. There are approximately 3,700 seat available in all NLUs through CLAT 2025.

In NLSIU Bengaluru, total 300 UG seats are available while in TNNLU Trichy, 180 are available.

Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!

Hello,

If you want to prepare for the CLAT 2026 LLM exam. You should first understand the CLAT PG exam's syllabus, exam pattern, and weightage of sections like constitutional law and jurisprudence. Also, after that, create a structured study plan with good time management, and focus on your weak areas to improve yourself for the exam. You can also prepare with PYQ and mock tests.

I hope it will clear your query!!