CLAT Scope in Future - Placements, Salary, Career Opportunities

CLAT Scope in Future - Placements, Salary, Career Opportunities

Sukriti SahooUpdated on 30 Oct 2025, 04:02 PM IST

Rising interest in law as a career among students directly translates to immense CLAT future scope. 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. The 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.

LiveCLAT 2026 Result (OUT) LIVE: Law admission counselling until December 27; NLU admission process, top collegesDec 19, 2025 | 9:38 AM IST

CLAT 2026 cut-offs for the top NLU’s, as per previous year’s trends, are as follows.

Top NLUs

Expected cut-off marks

UG seats offered, excluding supernumerary NRI seats

NLSIU Bengaluru

100+

300

NALSAR Hyderabad

100+

132

WBNUJS Kolkata

98+

108

NLU Jodhpur

95+

164

GNLU Gandhinagar

95+

172

Read More

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, CLAT opportunities 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 14000 appeared for CLAT PG. The analysis of success rate in CLAT shows the success rate is around 5% in UG and 9% 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

2025

2024

2023

20222021

Candidates appeared

60544 (UG)

14817 (PG)

58504 (UG)

10282 (PG)

42766 (UG)

8703 (PG)


56,472

53,532 (UG)


8,574 (PG)

Seats

3200+ (UG)

1350+ (PG)

3200+ (UG)

1300+ (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, 12 NLUs that accept CLAT find a place in the NIRF law rankings 2025 among the top 40 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 2025

Amity University-Noida Law Admissions 2026

Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026

UPES Integrated LLB Admissions 2026

Ranked #18 amongst Institutions in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in India for Academic Reputation by QS Rankings | 16 LPA Highest CTC

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

Rs. 16 lakhs p.a.

Rs. 7 lakhs p.a

NALSAR Hyderabad

Rs. 17.50 lakh p.a.
Rs. 7.80 lakh p.a.

WBNUJS Kolkata

Rs. 20 lakh p.a.
Rs. 10 lakh p.a.

GNLU Gandhinagar

Rs. 18.00 lakh p.a.
Rs. 6.20 lakh p.a.

RMLNLU Lucknow

Rs. 7.00 lakh p.a.
0
NLIU Bhopal
Rs. 16 lakh p.a.
Rs. 7 lakh p.a.
NUSRL Ranchi
Rs. 9.30 lakh p.a.
Rs. 6.50 lakh p.a.
NLUO Cuttack
Rs. 14 lakh p.a.
Rs. 6 lakh p.a.
NLUJA Assam
Rs. 8.90 lakh p.a.
Rs. 1.8 lakh p.a.
CNLU Patna
Rs. 10.80 lakh p.a.
Rs. 7.20 lakh p.a.
MNLU Nagpur
Rs. 7.64 lakh p.a.
Rs. 6 lakh 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 after CLAT, 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 specialisation 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.

CLAT 2026 College Predictor
Know your admission chances in National Law Universities based on your home state & exam result for All India Category & State Category seats.
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Note: Networking during law school can help secure a higher salary after CLAT.

You may also check:

Lovely Professional University | Law Admissions 2026

India's Largest University | BCI approved | Meritorious Scholarships up to 5 lacs |

Jain University, Bangalore - Law Admissions 2026

NAAC A++ Approved | Curriculum Aligned with BCI & UGC

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. 6-20 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 ?

Good afternoon,

With 86.7 marks and 1906 rank in CLAT 2026, you have a chance to get admission in mid-tier and the newest NLUs. The list of probable NLUs where you can get admission is mentioned below.

1. RMLNLU Lucknow

2. MNLU Mumbai

3. DSNLU Visakhapatnam

4. NLU Odisha

5. CNLU Patna

Thank you.

Hello,

A CLAT score of 81.25 places you in the moderate range, where admission to top NLUs becomes difficult, but opportunities may still remain in newer and mid-tier NLUs, depending on your category, seat movement, and round wise cutoffs.

https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-2026-college-predictor

Hope you understand.

Hello there first of all congratulations on scoreing so well in your CLAT examination

With general AIR 33490 and clat score nearby 96 or 95 , getting admission in RGNUL Patiala under punjab domicile is POSSIBLE but NOT GUARANTEED

Hello,

With 40 marks in CLAT 2026 as an OBC female with UP domicile, getting into top NLUs is tough, but you might secure your seat in the lower-ranked NLUs, especially with a state/category quota, so focus on improving your score and secure a spot in the lower-tier NLUs.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,

Even with a low CLAT score, you might still get admission in Delhi but not in the NLUs. You should look for the newer NLUs and private colleges (like Lloyd, Galgotias, and VIPs) or DU's own entrance to DU LLB or other state/private law schools for better chances in Delhi.

I hope it will clear your query!!