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Lowest CLAT 2026 Rank That Still Got an NLU Seat
Many CLAT 2026 exam aspirants assume that admissions to National Law Universities (NLUs) are limited to only top-ranked candidates. Each year, a number of NLUs welcome candidates with lower CLAT ranks. Various factors like category-wise reservations, domicile quotas, available seats, and multiple rounds of the CLAT 2026 counselling process affect the rank. Particularly in the newer or less prestigious NLUs, the closing ranks can be significantly higher than those of the top-tier institutions. This article details the closing ranks from previous years to help calculate the lowest CLAT 2026 rank that could still get a candidate a seat at an NLU.
What is Lowest CLAT 2026 Rank for NLUs?
The lowest CLAT 2026 rank is the rank that allows a candidate to gain admission to an NLU during the CLAT counselling process. This rank changes every year due to a variety of factors. Generally, it is the last rank that gets admitted in the final counselling round. It is important to note that candidates from reserved categories or those with domicile status in certain states might get an NLU seat at much higher ranks than those in the general category.
Lowest CLAT Rank That Got an NLU Seat (Previous Year Analysis)
As per the CLAT rank of the previous year, the admission for the top NLU of India, NLSIU Bengaluru, closed at 3396 rank for ST category students, whereas it ended at 112 rank for general students. Similarly, the details of other NLUs are detailed in the table mentioned below.
Lowest CLAT 2026 Rank of NLUs
NLUs | General Closing Rank | EWS Closing Rank | OBC Closing Rank | SC Closing Rank | ST Closing Rank |
NLSIU Bengaluru | 112 | 703 | 1541 | 3133 | 3396 |
159 | 546 | 1219 | 3273 | 3621 | |
WBNUJS Kolkata( BA LLB) | 327 | - | 4168* | 4753 | 6343 |
WBNUJS Kolkata (BSc.LLB Hons) | 711 | - | 4596* | 6987 | 9739 |
367 | 986 | 1776 | 5445 | 5955 | |
444 | 1118 | 2303 | 5934 | 8568 | |
NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB) | 480 | 1377 | 1757 | 5763 | 8243 |
NLIU Bhopal (BSc LLB) | 915 | 1997 | 2464 | 8625 | 11901 |
558 | 7523* | 8067 | 15622 | 13124* | |
780 | 2088* | 3769* | 11228* | - | |
807 | - | 2408 | 7660 | 10507 | |
NLU Odisha BA LLB | 1013 | - | - | 7247 | 12967 |
NLU Odisha BBA LLB | 1176 | - | - | 7891 | 15161 |
1279 | - | - | 8625 | 12742 | |
1346 | 22632* | - | 15029* | - | |
CNLU Patna (BA LLB) | 1398 | 1950* | 7359* | 12662* | 16829* |
CNLU Patna (BBA LLB) | 1555 | 2316* | 8364* | 15833* | 27043* |
1461 | 2620 | 2620 | 8826 | 15112 | |
MNLU Nagpur - BA LLB | 1529 | 16868 | 15059* | 27496* | 57657* |
MNLU Nagpur - BBA LLB | 1623 | 19846 | 16794* | 26619* | 19846* |
NUSRL Ranchi BA LLB | 1667 | 2551 | 3597 | 9902 | 15023 |
NUSRL Ranchi BBA LLB | 1760 | 2714 | 4096 | 38622* | 13619 |
1682 | 2571 | 3813 | 9330 | 15632 | |
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli BA LLB | 1763 | - | 4082 | 10327 | 15384 |
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli BCom LLB | 1947 | - | 4987 | 12470 | - |
DBRANLU Sonepat | 1930 | 2727 | 4210 | 12802 | 19973 |
MNLU Aurangabad - BA LLB | 1949 | 23203 | 19813* | 30029* | 23203* |
MNLU Aurangabad - BBA LLB | 2393 | 19846 | 21108* | 31652* | 19846* |
NLUJA Assam | 2141 | 18701* | 40275* | 26413* | 39689* |
2243 | 2922 | 4228 | 11065 | 20674 | |
RPNLU Prayagraj | 2469 | 3726* | 5559* | 21354* | 25539* |
HPNLU Shimla - BA LLB | 2555 | - | - | 11597 | 18083 |
HPNLU Shimla - BBA LLB | 2634 | - | - | 13886 | 19910 |
IIULER Goa BA LLB | 2784 | 3623 | 5597 | 14412 | 21325 |
IIULER Goa BBA LLB | 2832 | 3751 | 5892 | 14867 | 22260 |
2855 | - | - | 49197* | - |
*state reservation
Factors Affecting the Lowest CLAT 2026 Rank for NLUs
Several key factors affect the CLAT 2026 cut-offs. Some of them are mentioned below:
1. Exam Difficulty: If the exam is challenging, fewer students will score high marks, which can lead to lower cut-offs.
2. Number of Applicants: A high number of candidates raises the level of competition, which in turn pushes the cut-offs higher.
3. NLU Preferences: The top NLUS, like NLSIU Bengaluru, generally have very low cut-offs, which means higher ranks for those who score well. In contrast, mid-tier or newer NLUs like Tier 2-3 often have much higher cutoff ranks, with scores between 60-65 landing around ranks 14,000 to 18,000.
4. Seat Availability: When there are limited seats, especially at the top NLUs, the rank needed for admission tends to increase.
5. Reservation Policies: Various quotas (like OBC, SC, ST, EWS, and PwD) can lower the rank required for candidates in those categories.
6. Domicile Quota: Some NLUs offer state-specific seats, which can lead to lower cutoff ranks for candidates from that state.
7. Candidate Preferences: The choices made during the counseling process can greatly influence the final allocation of seats, affecting the closing ranks.
Private Law Colleges with CLAT 2026 Marks
Private law colleges are a great option for candidates unable to get into NLUs with a CLAT score range of 60-65. These colleges might also allow direct admission based on the 12th-grade results. Here are some of the private law colleges that accept a CLAT score of around 60.
Private Law Colleges
Alliance School of Law, Alliance University, Bangalore | Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Rohtak |
Kalinga University, Chhattisgarh | |
Arka Jain University, Jharkhand | |
Aryans College of Law, Rajpura, Punjab | Maharshi Law School, Maharshi University of Information Technology |
Asian Law College, Noida | Manipal University, Jaipur |
GITAM School of Law, Visakhapatnam | National Forensic Sciences University, Gujarat |
SRM University Delhi-NCR, Sonepat | |
IMS Unison University, Dehradun |
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Several top law colleges are accepting the CLAT score, other than the NLUs. These include:
- Siksha ‘O’ Anusadhan University, Bhubaneswar
- Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science, Chennai
- Lovely Professional University
- Institute of Law, Nirma University
Candidates can check out the detailed list of non-NLUs accepting CLAT for admission in
Hi,
You can check NLU wise marks required in CLAT PG for admissions here .
Hi,
You can refer to books like AP Bhardwaj for legal aptitude, RS Aggarwal for reasoning, and dedicated guides like CULET Guide by Dipanjan Mitra for best preparation for CULET. Additionally, you can refer to the CULET previous year question papers .
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You can download the CLAT PG previous year question papers here .
SASTRA Deemed University accepts CLAT scores for admission. They admit students based on CLAT scores as well as class 12 marks, with an aggregate score of 50% in English. Based on these scores, a merit list is published by the university.
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