List of Top 23 NLUs in India - Admission, Eligibility, NIRF Ranking, UG & PG Seats

National Law Universities or NLUs are the most popular law schools in the country. The NLSIU Bangalore was the first NLU in India established in 1986. Today, we have 23 national law universities (NLUs) spread across the country. These NLUs are considered the flag bearers of legal education in India as they offer integrated LLB, LLM and PhD programmes in various disciplines.

According to the Government of India’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking of top law universities, NLSIU Bangalore is the top law school in the country. It is followed by other NLUs such as NLU Delhi, NALSAR Hyderabad, NLU Jodhpur etc.

Interestingly, the ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) includes only 20 law schools in its list of top law schools out of which 11 law schools are NLUs.

In this article, law aspirants will find all the details regarding NLUs, their law courses, admission process, seats, entrance exam and some quick links for NLUs fee structure. Read the complete article.

List of NLUs in India - Top NIRF Ranking Institutes

Other law schools in the NIRF list are Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property of Law (Rank - 4), Symbiosis Law School Pune (Rank - 8), Jamia Millia Islamia (Rank - 9), Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (Rank - 12), Aligarh Muslim University (Rank - 13), Panjab University (Rank - 15) and Indian Law Institute (Rank - 18), Banaras Hindu University (Rank - 19) and Christ University (Rank - 20).

Law Courses offered by NLUs in India

The national law universities offer 5-year integrated LLB, LLM and PhD courses. Candidates may check the list of law programmes offered by NLUs below.

Law Programmes offered by NLUs

Some NLUs such as NLSIU Bangalore also offer Master of Public Policy, Certificate courses in various disciplines of law, and MBA courses.

Entrance Exams for NLUs

There are two law entrance exams for admission to national law universities (NLUs). The first one is the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) organised by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs). It is a common entrance exam for admission to 22 national law universities (NLUs). Second, the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) of National Law University Delhi. It is pertinent to note here that NLU Delhi is not a member NLU of the CLAT Consortium, so the CLAT scores are not accepted by it.

CNLU Patna also conducts a separate admission test for the LLM programme. The university’s UG programme is offered through CLAT.

Admission to NLUs through CLAT

The Common Law Admission Test or CLAT is one of the most popular law entrance tests. It is conducted in offline, pen and paper format, across the country. The application form for CLAT is typically released in the first week of January and the entrance exam is conducted in the first or second week of May. The consortium tries to complete its admission process before August. The first week of August is the time when most of the NLUs commence their classes.

Admission to NLU Delhi through AILET

The NLU Delhi’s entrance examination, AILET, is also an offline based examination conducted across the country. The application form of AILET is released for BA LLB, LLM and PhD programmes, around the second-third week of January. The exam is conducted in May-June and the classes start in the first week of August.

NLUs Admission - Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for admission to law programmes are the same across all 22 national law universities under CLAT Consortium. NLU Delhi specified its eligibility criteria separately in its admission notification. Even though the basic eligibility criteria remain the same for admission across NLUs. Here are the details of NLUs eligibility criteria.

NLUs admission eligibility criteria

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AILET Vs CLAT - A comparison

AILET and CLAT have many similarities and differences. CLAT is essentially a comprehension based test designed to examine the reading and critical thinking skills of the aspirant. AILET on the other hand is a mix of both comprehension and non-comprehension based questions. Here is a brief analysis of these two NLU entrance exams.

CLAT and AILET - An overview of pattern

Also Read -

• Detailed CLAT exam pattern

• Detailed AILET exam pattern

CLAT vs AILET - Comparison of syllabus and test structure

The syllabus of the AILET and CLAT exams are more or less the same. Both entrance tests are known for testing the necessary skills required for pursuing law. However, there are some differences between CLAT and AILET as well. For example, AILET has a test structure based on both comprehension based questions as well as simple objective questions. In CLAT, however, almost the entire test paper will be based on comprehension based passages of 300-450 words, making it a lengthy paper. Candidates may check the details of the CLAT and AILET test structure below.

AILET syllabus and test structure

CLAT Test Structure and Syllabus

Also Read -

• Detailed CLAT syllabus

• Detailed AILET syllabus

NLUs Fee Structure

For undergraduate law programmes, the annual fees of NLUs ranges from 1.5 lakh per annum to 2.62 lakh per annum. While, in the case of LLM programmes, the annual fees range from 1.13 lakh to 1.89 lakh. In top-ranked NLUs, the annual fees tend to be higher due to various facilities offered by them in addition to regular classes. Candidates may check the details of NLUs fee structure from the quick links given below.

Fees in NLUs

Top Universities in India

• LPU

• Chandigarh University

• KL University

• UPES

• BML