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Freeze, Float or Exit? A Rational Guide to CLAT 2026 Counselling Choices
The Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLU) is currently conducting the CLAT 2026 counselling process. The CLAT 2026 counselling registration is open from December 17 to December 27, 2025, until 10 pm. The CLAT 2026 first seat allotment will be published on January 7, 2026. Once the CLAT 2026 seat allotment is announced, candidates allotted seats will have three options to exercise: Freeze, Float, and Exit. Candidates who are satisfied with their seats can choose the Freeze option, those unsatisfied with their seat but want to be considered for better seats can choose Float and those candidates who do not want to be part of the further admission process can choose the Exit option. Read the complete article for more information on CLAT 2026 counselling, seat allotment, Freeze, Float, Exit and more.
CLAT 2026 Counselling Schedule
Event | Date |
Counselling registration begins | December 16, 2025 |
Last date for counselling registration & fee payment | December 27, 2025 |
First allotment list released | January 07, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 1) | January 07, 2026 – January 15, 2026 |
Second allotment list released | January 22, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 2) | January 22, 2026 – January 29, 2026 |
Third allotment list released | February 05, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 3) | February 05, 2026 – February 12, 2026 |
Last date to pay university fee (Rounds 1–3 freeze candidates) | April 24, 2026 |
Fourth allotment list released | May 02, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Round 4) | May 02, 2026 – May 08, 2026 |
Fifth and final allotment list released | May 15, 2026 |
Confirmation fee payment & admission (Final round) | May 15, 2026 – May 20, 2026 |
Last date to pay university fee (Rounds 4 & 5 freeze candidates) | May 30, 2026 |
CLAT 2026 Seat Allotment - Freeze, Flotat and Exit Options
Option | What It Means | When to Choose It | Impact on Seat Allotment |
Freeze | The candidate accepts the allotted NLU and course and does not wish to participate in further counselling rounds. | When you are fully satisfied with the allotted NLU and course. | Seat is confirmed and the candidate is not considered for further rounds. |
Float | The candidate accepts the current seat but wishes to be considered for a higher-preferred NLU or course in the next round. | When you are satisfied with the seat but want a possible upgrade. | Current seat is retained and the candidate is considered only for higher preferences. |
Exit | The candidate withdraws completely from the CLAT counselling process. | When you do not want to accept the allotted seat or continue counselling. | Seat is forfeited and the candidate is removed from all further rounds. |
CLAT 2026 Seat Allotment
The Consortium of NLUs will publish the first CLAT 2026 seat allotment on January 7, 2026. Candidates who have been allotted seats will be able to exercise the above given options through their candidate login once the seat allotment results are out. Apart from exercising these options, candidates willing to take admission will be required to complete admission formalities like document verification, fee payment etc.
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Questions related to CLAT
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Have a question related to CLAT ?
Hello Dear Student,
You should prepare for CLAT if your goal is to get admission into a top National Law University (NLU) for a 5-year integrated law course like BA LLB or BBA LLB.
You should choose CUET UG if you want admission into:
- central universities,
- state universities, or
- some
Hi,
Yes, you should appear for the compartment/improvement exam in the subject where you got RT (Reappear in Theory).
Even though your 72% overall marks are enough for Common Law Admission Test 2027 eligibility, clearing the RT is still very important because your Class 12 marksheet should officially show “PASS.”
Yes, you can switch from one college to another to a CLAT college through the entrance test. However, it is important to note that you will have to start from year 1 rather than transferring directly into the second or third year. Some of the top
CLAT participating colleges
here.
Here you can check out the top
NLUs offering admission into 3-year LLB
with and without CLAT exam:
1. NLSIU Bengaluru for LLB programme through NLSAT.
2. NLU Odisha and NLU Visakhapatnam offer admission into the 3-year LLB course through their own admission process.
3. CNLU Patna
Yes, for CLAT preparation, building a reading habit daily is a good approach. You can read the daily newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express. While going for Animal Farm by George Orwell, Word power Made Easy by Norma Lewis for novel comprehension.
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