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    CLAT’s Rise: Catching Up With AISHE’s Law Boom, But Who Gets Access?
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    • CLAT’s Rise: Catching Up With AISHE’s Law Boom, But Who Gets Access?

    CLAT’s Rise: Catching Up With AISHE’s Law Boom, But Who Gets Access?

    #CLAT
    Shubham BhakuniUpdated on 24 Aug 2026, 11:33 AM IST

    The AISHE 2023 and CLAT data reveal a striking paradox in India’s legal education system. Between 2019 and 2023, when 5-year LLB enrollments increased by 90.48%, from 131,452 to 250,388, student participation in CLAT UG fell by 23.97%, from 56,247 to 42,766. The national-level law entrance exam was shrinking when the demand for legal education was growing across the country.

    CLAT’s Rise: Catching Up With AISHE’s Law Boom, But Who Gets Access?
    CLAT’s Rise: Catching Up With AISHE’s Law Boom, But Who Gets Access?

    Then, in 2024, the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) shifted the exam calendar from May to December of the preceding year while also reducing the total number of questions from 150 to 120. New NLUs such as NLU Meghalaya, GNLU Silvassa, NLU Tripura and IIULER Goa also became part of the CLAT consortium. Later, non-NLUs such as Delhi University and IIM Rohtak widened the exam’s reach.

    These changes reversed the declining trend in CLAT, with UG participation increasing every year, and reaching a record high of 72,631 in 2026. But this recovery itself raised a question – did the calendar shift fix the participation problem, or was CLAT simply trying to catch up with the same demand that AISHE has been recording?

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    CLAT vs. AISHE: Participation, and LLB Enrollment (2019–2026)

    Year

    CLAT Sample Paper 2027 with Answer Key
    Download CLAT 2027 sample paper PDF with the latest exam pattern. Practice descriptive questions, improve accuracy, and strengthen your preparation for the upcoming CLAT exam.
    Download Ebook

    Total CLAT Registration

    Total CLAT Appeared

    CLAT UG Appeared

    CLAT PG Appeared

    5-yr LLB Enrollment (AISHE)

    2019

    69,587

    62,834

    56,247

    6,587

    131,452

    2020 (COVID)

    75,183

    59,331

    53,226

    6,105

    164,918

    2021 (COVID)

    70,277

    62,106

    53,532

    8,574

    197,330

    2022*

    60,895

    56,472

    N/A

    N/A

    236,413

    2023

    54,163

    51,469

    42,766

    8,703

    250,388

    2024

    67,590

    65,185

    53,180

    12,005

    –**

    2025

    78,914

    75,361

    60,544

    14,817

    –**

    2026

    92,344

    88,657

    72,631

    16,026

    –**

    *Separate data not disclosed by the consortium for 2022
    **AISHE has not published enrollment data beyond 2023

    AISHE has not published its report beyond 2023. The available data shows LLB enrollments rose every year. It remains to be seen whether this growth in CLAT matches LLB enrollment trends from 2024 to 2026.

    Increased acceptance of CLAT and growth don’t necessarily mean equitable and fair participation. Even with record numbers and reforms, is CLAT actually an exam for all, or an elite exam for English medium and better-resourced students? The CLAT’s own reform committee calls it a ‘gameable’ exam.

    A major drawback in CLAT’s current framework is its limited accessibility. Language becomes a major barrier. A 2025 report by Careers360 shows that CBSE students who study in English are six to ten times more likely to clear CLAT than students from regional school boards.

    The CLAT 2026 reform committee’s own report provided a separate note on accessibility. It stated that barriers posed by reliance on dense English-language passages, expectations of high reading and response speed, and absence of vernacular options create ‘structural disadvantages’ for a large section of students.

    The committee recommended making information about legal education and admissions processes accessible to all, from first-generation, non-elite, and non-metropolitan backgrounds. It also recommended centrally produced online materials, informational videos with translations in regional languages, and school-level engagement to make CLAT more equitable and scalable.

    The role of private coaching institutes is another major barrier. The CLAT committee notes that coaching has made the examination highly “gameable”, and access becomes skewed in favour of privileged candidates who can afford coaching.

    Unlike CLAT, other major national-level examinations such as NEET and JEE are held in regional languages. The BCI’s advocate qualifying exam, All India Bar Examination (AIBE), is also held in regional languages. The question of conducting the CLAT in regional languages is currently sub judice and is being read with a broad context – the medium of imparting legal education in NLUs.

    CLAT may have solved one part of the problem by moving the exam to December, but the accessibility question remains unanswered.

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    Questions related to CLAT

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to CLAT ?
    what is the fullform of clat pg exam?

    Dear Student,

    CLAT PG stands for Common Law Admission Test Postgraduate. CLAT PG is a national-level entrance examination for admission to LLM programmes offered by participating National Law Universities (NLUs) and other institutions.

    Read more at : CLAT Full Form

    Read Complete Answer
    V
    Vivek Kumar
    20 Aug'26
    clat rank or score to eligible for admission

    Hey there,

    If you mean CLAT eligibility for admission to 5-year LLB courses, there is no fixed CLAT score/rank that guarantees eligibility. You must first meet the basic Class 12 eligibility criteria, and admission is based on your CLAT rank, category, preferences, and counselling cut-offs.

    For NLUs, a better rank

    Read Complete Answer
    N
    Nischal Kothapalli
    22 Aug'26
    Logical Reasoning for CLAT material

    HI VEERENDRAPRASAD ,

    Please refer to the following study resources for CLAT 2027 Logical Reasoning

    1. How To Score 25+ In CLAT 2026 Logical Reasoning Section https://law.careers360.com/download/ebooks/how-score-25-in-clat-logical-reasoning-section

    2. CLAT 2026 Logical Reasoning Question Paper with Solutions: https://law.careers360.com/download/ebooks/clat-2026-logical-reasoning-question-paper-solutions

    3. CLAT Logical Reasoning Questions: https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-logical-reasoning-questions

    4. How to prepare for CLAT logical

    Read Complete Answer
    R
    Ritika Jonwal
    18 Aug'26
    Meri college to pura ho gaya hai pr mujhe clat ka paper dena hai

    Hello Student,

    Yes, if you have already completed your graduation, you can still appear for CLAT. The important thing is whether you want CLAT UG or CLAT PG:

    • CLAT UG: For admission to 5-year integrated courses such as BA LL.B. It requires a Class 12 qualification; having already completed college
    Read Complete Answer
    K
    King Singh
    19 Aug'26
    careers360 clat previous year question paper

    Hi Keerthi,

    You can download the CLAT previous years' question papers.

    https://law.careers360.com/download/sample-papers/clat-last-five-year-question-papers-answer-key

    If you need any other resources, please let us know.

    Read Complete Answer
    S
    Shivani Poonia
    17 Aug'26
    View all

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    Natural justice is another name for common sense justice rules of natural justice are not in codified form these principles are embedded or ingrained or inbuilt in the conscience of human beings. It supplies the omission made in codified law and

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