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Inside the CLAT 2025 Counselling Fee Dispute: Why the Confirmation Fee Sparks Outrage
Ongoing Event
CLAT PG Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 31 Oct' 25
As the controversy over CLAT 2025 results settles, a new dispute has emerged, this time over the non-refundable counselling fee. Recently, advocate Siddharth Gupta filed a plea in the Delhi High Court, challenging the non-refundable confirmation fee as unreasonable, excessive, and violative of Articles 14, 19(1)(g), and 21 of the Constitution.
The Delhi High Court agreed to examine the matter; a bench of Justice Vikash Mahajan has listed the matter for hearing on July 17. It has sought responses from the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) and the University Grants Commission (UGC).
CLAT counselling is a centralised method of seat allotment in participating national law universities and IIULER, Goa. This multi-stage method starts with registration, followed by shortlisting NLUs in the order of preference. The CLAT counselling registration fee is Rs. 30,000 for general candidates and Rs. 20,000 for ST/SC/OBC/BC/EWS/PWD candidates. While the UG counselling is over, the CLAT PG counselling is currently ongoing.
Allotment of Seats
The allotments are announced in three rounds. After the allotments in the first two rounds, candidates are given three options: Freeze, Float, and Exit. While the Freeze and Exit options are simpler, providing the options to accept the offer or completely opt out of the process, exercising the Float option is complicated and requires careful consideration.
The Float option explores the candidate’s admission chances in law schools placed higher in the preference list than the current allotment. The allotment is revised only if there are seats in those NLUs. If not, the candidate has to accept the admission offer from the already allotted university.
Non-Refundable Confirmation Fees and Controversy
Exercising the Float option requires a payment of a confirmation fee indicating the candidate’s acceptance of the current allotted seat.
The problem arises when candidates have no intention of accepting the admission offer from the allotted university and find no allotments in higher-ranked NLUs after exercising this option. In this situation, the loss of the confirmation fee, Rs. 20,000, is inevitable.
The petition also highlights clause 1.5.1 of the counselling, which requires candidates to select a minimum of 15 NLUs out of 25 when creating their preference list. It calls the provision violative of Article 14 and, therefore, unconstitutional, requesting the court to strike it down.
Selecting 15 NLUs is mandatory for participating in the CLAT PG counselling, irrespective of the candidate’s preference for NLUs. While it might not be a serious issue in the first instance, it becomes one when seen in combination with the provisions of the float options and confirmation fee.
The petitioner has thus requested the court to issue any writ/order/direction holding the levy of ‘Non-Refundable Confirmation Fees’ as excessive, unreasonable, arbitrary and resultantly violative of Article 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India and strike down the same. It has sought to restrain the CLAT Consortium from collecting the same from any candidate in the ‘ongoing counselling process’ for admissions to CLAT PG Courses. Furthermore, the petitioner has also sought the refund of the non-refundable confirmation fee collected by the consortium from the candidates.
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Questions related to CLAT PG
On Question asked by student community
Have a question related to CLAT PG ?
Hello aspirant,
There are various online platforms, offering previous year's question papers of CLAT PG exam. One of which is careers360, the link of which I am attaching here,
https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-pg-previous-year-question-paper
By solving previous year's papers, you will have a better understanding of exam pattern and confidence to write paper.
Best of luck for your preparation.
Hello,
For CLAT PG 2026, if you aim for top NLUs like NALSAR, NLSIU and WBNUJS, a score of around 75+ marks (rank within 100 ) is generally good for the general category
Cut-offs change every year, so try to score as high as possible for a better chance.
Hope it helps !
Hi Akash,
It is good to see institutions like NMIMS have selected you for master of law based on your CLAT PG scores. If we compare the three then to be very clear:
- NMIMS Mumbai has strong reputation for it's Kirti Mehra School of Law and has got good academic value.
- Nirma University is also another good after NMIMS, and has strong reputation for law studies in Gujarat.
- The DNLU is comparatively newer than the other two and it will take some time to be equivalent to them.
For the best academic value and recognition choose NMIMS, or the Nirma University is also good. The DNLU is newer and can be considered as well but if we choose any one, then it is NMIMS.
ALL THE BEST !
Hello,
Yes, you can get a job in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) through CLAT PG. Here are the key details:
- Recruitment Basis – Many PSUs consider CLAT PG (LL.M.) scores for legal positions.
- Popular PSUs – ONGC, GAIL, BHEL, Power Grid, IOCL, and others recruit legal professionals via CLAT PG.
- Eligibility – Candidates must have an LL.B. degree and appear for CLAT PG.
- Selection Process – Shortlisting is based on CLAT PG scores, followed by interviews.
- Job Roles – Positions include Legal Advisor, Law Officer, and Assistant Legal Counsel.
- Salary & Benefits – Competitive pay, job security, and government perks.
Hope you find it useful !
Hello there,
With AIR 3210 and OBC rank 476 in CLAT PG 2024, here are your options:
Top NLUs:
- NLU Jodhpur : Great placements, strong Corporate/IP Law programs.
- HNLU Raipur : Regional advantage, good placement records.
- RGNUL Patiala : Decent placements in Constitutional/Corporate Law.
-
NLU Odisha (CNLU)
,
NUSRL Ranchi
,
DSNLU Visakhapatnam
: Growing opportunities and placements.
Private Universities:
-
Jindal Global Law School (JGLS)
: Excellent placements, scholarships available.
- Symbiosis Law School (SLS) : Top private law school with strong industry ties.
- NMIMS, Mumbai : Industry-focused programs.
- ICFAI Law School, Hyderabad : Good for corporate connections.
Focus on colleges with strong placements and specializations of your interest. Use your OBC rank and domicile advantage where applicable.
I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries then feel free to share your questions with us we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you and wishing you all the best for your bright future.
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