The Consortium of National Law Universities has started its CLAT 2026 counselling process. The CLAT 2026 first allotment list was released on January 7, 2026. Candidates who were not shortlisted in the first round must wait for the CLAT 2026 second merit list. It will be published on January 22, 2026, on the official website. If there are vacant seats, then the candidates can expect to get a seat in round 2. This article discusses the possible NLUs where candidates have a chance after the CLAT 2026 first merit list.
The CLAT 2026 first merit list has highly competitive cut-offs as compared to the previous year’s CLAT cut-offs. Candidates who scored a high rank secured seats in the first round. Top NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru closed at AIR 101 for the general category, NALSAR Hyderabad at 148 and WBNUJS Kolkata at 284. The table below details the CLAT 2026 cut-offs for round 1.
NLU / Program | General | OBC | EWS | SC | ST |
NLSIU Bengaluru | 101 | 1018 | 702 | 3072 | 5000 |
NALSAR Hyderabad | 148 | 915 | 630 | 3259 | 5200 |
NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB Hons) | 432 | 1714 | 1315 | 5407 | 9461 |
NLIU Bhopal (BSc LLB Hons Cyber Security) | 684 | 2326 | 2056 | 7996 | 10429 |
WBNUJS Kolkata (BA LLB Hons) | 284 | - | - | 3833 | 6010 |
WBNUJS Kolkata (BSc LLB Hons) | 550 | - | - | 6186 | 9615 |
NLU Jodhpur (BA LLB Hons) | 310 | 1273 | 868 | 4042 | 5907 |
NLU Jodhpur (BBA LLB Hons) | 386 | 1427 | 970 | 4985 | 8113 |
HNLU Raipur | 736 | 1994 | - | 6464 | 11239 |
GNLU Gandhinagar | 376 | 1834 | 1167 | 5340 | 7913 |
GNLU Silvassa | 1259 | 2541 | 1836 | 9215 | 14278 |
RMLNLU Lucknow | 747 | - | - | - | - |
RGNUL Punjab | 1059 | - | - | 9118 | 13152 |
CNLU Patna (BA LLB Hons) | 1141 | - | - | - | - |
CNLU Patna (BBA LLB Hons) | 1287 | - | - | - | - |
NUALS Kochi | 1076 | - | - | - | - |
NLUO Cuttack (BA LLB) | 800 | - | - | 7833 | 14196 |
NLUO Cuttack (BBA LLB) | 828 | - | - | 9202 | 17986 |
NUSRL Ranchi (BA LLB Hons) | 1297 | 2585 | 2000 | 9826 | 15765 |
NUSRL Ranchi (BBA LLB Hons) | 1356 | 2653 | 2189 | 10338 | 17445 |
NLUJA Assam | 1764 | 3527 | 2597 | 11539 | 17399 |
DSNLU Visakhapatnam | 1281 | 2508 | 2217 | 10433 | 15199 |
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli (BA LLB Hons) | 1370 | 2713 | - | 11222 | - |
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli (BCom LLB Hons) | 1517 | 3419 | - | 11652 | 19158 |
MNLU Mumbai | 481 | - | - | - | - |
MNLU Nagpur (BA LLB Hons) | 1225 | 12425 | 9418 | 18014 | 52882 |
MNLU Nagpur (BBA LLB Hons) | 1307 | 13711 | 10620 | 21508 | 66593 |
MNLU Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (BA LLB Hons) | 1518 | 14588 | 13387 | 20072 | 60165 |
MNLU Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (BBA LLB Hons) | 1770 | 17523 | 15627 | 23626 | 55620 |
HPNLU Shimla (BA LLB Hons) | 1824 | - | 2692 | 10935 | 19833 |
HPNLU Shimla (BBA LLB Hons) | 1871 | - | 2937 | 12188 | 21090 |
DNLU Jabalpur | 1740 | 3056 | 2575 | 11792 | 21749 |
NLU Sonepat (DBRANLU) | 1665 | 3409 | 2594 | 11562 | 20080 |
NLUT Agartala | 2015 | - | - | - | - |
RPNLUP Prayagraj | 1930 | - | - | - | - |
IIULER Goa (BA LLB Hons) | 2127 | 4093 | 3148 | 13475 | 22702 |
IIULER Goa (BBA LLB Hons) | 2236 | 4289 | 3236 | 13737 | 23793 |
Candidates can get a seat at their preferred NLUs in the second round of counselling based on the seat intake and reservation policies of the NLU. After the first round is over, the consortium re-evaluates the seats and creates the CLAT 2026 second merit list. They consider the candidate’s CLAT 2026 rank, NLU preferences and reservation categories. Candidates who have selected the Float option in the first round of counselling are also adjusted. Based on the previous year’s final CLAT cut-off, the possibility of getting a seat at one of the NLUs is discussed below.
Last year, the closing rank for NLSIU Bengaluru for the General category candidates was 112. The closing rank for CLAT 2026 first round was 101. This showcases that there are not many seats available for the second round. However, the chances can increase if any candidates opt out of the counselling process.
NLU | CLAT 2026 Closing Rank - First Round | CLAT 2025 Closing Rank - Final Round |
NLSIU Bengaluru | 101 | 112 |
Last year, the final closing rank for NLU Jodhpur for the General category was 367. In the CLAT 2026 first round, the closing rank is 310. This indicates that there is a good chance of candidates getting a seat in the upcoming counselling rounds.
NLU | CLAT 2026 Closing Rank - First Round | CLAT 2025 Closing Rank - Final Round |
NLU Jodhpur | 310 | 367 |
For RMLNLU Lucknow in the General category, last year's final closing CLAT rank was 780. This year, the first round of CLAT 2026 has closed at 747. There are still some chances of getting a seat in the upcoming CLAT 2026 counselling rounds. As some candidates might decide to withdraw or step back from the process, the cut-off could change even more, and improve the admission chances.
NLU | CLAT 2026 Closing Rank - First Round | CLAT 2025 Closing Rank - Final Round |
RMLNLU Lucknow | 747 | 780 |
Candidates have a higher chance at getting a seat in the upcoming rounds of CLAT counselling at RPNLU Prayagraj (General category. The final closing rank last year was 2469 and the rank in the CLAT 2026 first round is 1930. This indicates that candidates stand a good chance of getting admitted by the end of the counselling.
NLU | CLAT 2026 Closing Rank - First Round | CLAT 2025 Closing Rank - Final Round |
RPNLU Prayagraj | 1930 | 2469 |
Candidates can refer to the table below to understand the last year’s final round cut-off for all categories and NLUs to anticipate which NLUs might offer a seat in the upcoming counselling rounds.
NLUs | General Closing Rank | EWS Closing Rank | OBC Closing Rank | SC Closing Rank | ST Closing Rank |
NLSIU Bengaluru | 112 | 703 | 1541 | 3133 | 3396 |
NALSAR Hyderabad | 159 | 546 | 1219 | 3273 | 3621 |
WBNUJS Kolkata( BA LLB) | 327 | - | 4168* | 4753 | 6343 |
WBNUJS Kolkata (BSc.LLB Hons) | 711 | - | 4596* | 6987 | 9739 |
NLU Jodhpur | 367 | 986 | 1776 | 5445 | 5955 |
GNLU Gandhinagar | 444 | 1118 | 2303 | 5934 | 8568 |
NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB) | 480 | 1377 | 1757 | 5763 | 8243 |
NLIU Bhopal (BSc LLB) | 915 | 1997 | 2464 | 8625 | 11901 |
MNLU Mumbai | 558 | 7523* | 8067* | 15622 | 13124* |
RMLNLU Lucknow | 780 | 2088* | 3769* | 11228* | - |
HNLU Raipur | 807 | - | 2408 | 7660 | 10507 |
NLU Odisha BA LLB | 1013 | - | - | 7247 | 12967 |
NLU Odisha BBA LLB | 1176 | - | - | 7891 | 15161 |
RGNUL Patiala | 1279 | - | - | 8625 | 12742 |
NUALS Kochi | 1346 | 22632* | - | 15029* | - |
CNLU Patna (BA LLB) | 1398 | 1950* | 7359* | 12662* | 16829* |
CNLU Patna (BBA LLB) | 1555 | 2316* | 8364* | 15833* | 27043* |
GNLU Silvassa Campus | 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 |
DSNLU Visakhapatnam | 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* |
MPDNLU Jabalpur | 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 |
NLUT Agartala | 2855 | - | - | 49197* | - |
*state reservation
Candidates who have been shortlisted in the first round of CLAT 2026 counselling must exercise the freeze, float or exit option. Those who accept the NLU seat must pay the confirmation fees before the stipulated deadline.
On Question asked by student community
Hi, you can apply for admissions in Nirma University, NFSU Ahemdabad, Alliance, IPU University and affiliated instiutes (in case you are reserved category candidates), UPES Dehradun, BITS Law School etc.
Start preparing for CLAT by first understanding the exam pattern and syllabus, which includes English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Make a simple daily routine and begin with basics read newspapers regularly for current affairs, practice comprehension passages for English and legal sections, and solve basic
Hello
With an AIR of 9076 and EWS rank of 846 in CLAT 2026, getting a top NLUs is unlikely, which is why you didn’t get a seat in the first round. However, you still have some chances in lower-tier NLUs like NLU Odisha, NLU Assam, NLU Tripura, NLU Meghalaya,
Hello
With a CLAT 2026 score of 60.75, AIR 17,715, and OBC-NCL rank 3,347 as an out-of-Delhi candidate, getting a seat in the Faculty of Law, Delhi University is very unlikely. DU’s cut-offs for OBC candidates are usually much higher, even in later rounds. You should keep backup options like
Hello,
With AIR 10542 and OBC rank 1843, getting top NLUs is unlikely. However, you still have chances in newer or lower ranked NLUs like NLU Assam, NUSRL Ranchi, MNLU Nagpur/Mumbai, especially in later or vacancy rounds. Also consider good private law colleges as backup options.
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