Ranked Low, Preferred High: The NLIU Bhopal Contradiction in NIRF 2025 Rankings
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Ranked Low, Preferred High: The NLIU Bhopal Contradiction in NIRF 2025 Rankings

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Shubham BhakuniUpdated on 17 Sep 2025, 12:18 PM IST

Among many anomalies in the NIRF Law rankings 2025, the one that stands out is the National Law Institute University’s overall rank and score. It dropped by six positions from last year, from 21st in 2024 to 27th in the latest ranking, despite retaining its reputation among students and employers.

Ranked Low, Preferred High: The NLIU Bhopal Contradiction in NIRF 2025 Rankings
Ranked Low, Preferred High: The NLIU Bhopal Contradiction in NIRF 2025 Rankings

NIRF vs Students

NIRF ranks several lesser-known law institutions, such as Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Central University of South Bihar, Babasheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, much higher than NLIU. Yet, the university is the sixth most preferred law university among students. NLIU Bhopal BA LLB admissions close below All India Rank (AIR) 500 in the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), one of the most widely accepted law entrance exams in the country.

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Placements: The Employers' Preference

The placements at NLIU tell the employers’ side of the story. The placement report of NLIU, an indicator of employers' preference, reveals that the university is certainly more preferred over several law schools ranked higher in NIRF.

The recruiters at NLIU include Tier 1 law firms such as Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, Trilegal, Khaitan & Co. and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. These firms have consistently recruited associates/junior associates from the university. The median salary over three years, which NIRF used for its ranking, remains between Rs. 18 LPA and Rs. 16 LPA, with a placement percentage ranging from 61% to 44%.

NLIU Placements in Three Years

Graduation Year

Students Graduating in Minimum Stipulated Time

Students Placed

Median Salary

2022-23

108

60

Rs.18 LPA

2023-24

120

45

Rs.16 LPA

2024-25

113

48

Rs.16 LPA

Placements at Higher-Ranked Law Schools

Below, we have listed six law schools ranked higher than NLIU. The median salary in these ranges from Rs. 5 LPA to Rs. 7 LPA, significantly lower than that of NLIU. Some of these institutions have achieved a higher placement percentage by showing non-placed students in the higher studies section.

Law School Placements: NLIU vs Other Law Schools

Law institute

Median salary in placement

Placement percentage

NIRF Rank

Shiksha ‘O’ Anusandhan

Rs. 5.4 LPA

90-95%

10

Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy

Rs. 4.5 LPA to Rs. 5.6 LPA

98-99%

11

Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences

Rs. 5,78 LPA - Rs. 6.15 LPA

33-44%

19

CUSB Bihar

Rs. 7.20 LPA to

Rs. 6.80 LPA

100-96%

23

Lovely Professional University

Rs. 8.2 LPA to Rs. 5 LPA

11-12%

26

What goes wrong with NLIU?

Take a look at NLIU’s NIRF score breakdown below.

TLR (100)

RPC (100)

GO (100)

OI (100)

PERCEPTION (100)

61.44

26.47

74.41

67.56

37.38

If we compare this data with other law schools ranked higher than NLIU, two issues are prominently noticeable:

  1. Low score in Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR)

  2. Very weak perception score, 37.38 out of 100.

UPES Integrated LLB Admissions 2026

Ranked #18 amongst Institutions in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in India for Academic Reputation by QS Rankings | 16 LPA Highest CTC

Jain University, Bangalore - Law Admissions 2026

NAAC A++ Approved | Curriculum Aligned with BCI & UGC

The Weak Link: Teaching, Learning and Resources

While the other peers of NLIU Bhopal take the first five positions in Teaching and Learning Resources (TLR), the university falls miserably with a score of 61.44/100. It is 35th in TLR among 40 law schools ranked by NIRF.

NLIU Bhopal’s comparison with other Tier 1 NLUs reveals that all have similar scores in student strength, ranging from 15 to 17.

A further breakdown of the NLIU’s TLR score and its comparison with the top five NLU shows the university's struggle with the Faculty-Student Ratio (FSR). NLIU scored just 17.02 out of 30 in FSR; the top 5 NLUs and several private law schools score 30 out of 30.

Increased intake, Faculty strength stagnant?

Over the past five years, the university has increased the intake in UG/PG programmes. It also came up with a new course — BSc LLB (Cyber Law) through CLAT. However, the faculty strength has largely remained stagnant, raising concerns over teaching quality.

NLIU Bhopal Faculty Strength vs Intake in 5 Years

Year

Faculty strength

Total students

2025

43

981

2024

44

846

2023

43

780

2022

34

758

2021

34

772

NLIU vs Other Top NLUs in FSR: NIRF 2025

NLUs

FSR score (out of 30)

Faculty

Students (UG & PG)

Overall TLR Score

NLSIU Bangalore

30

150

964

91.35

NLU Delhi

30

174

661

87.17

NALSAR Hyderabad

30

105

818

88.70

WBNUJS Kolkata

30

66

814

87.75

GNLU Gandhinagar

30

72

1073

86.99

NLIU Bhopal

17

43

981

61.44

NLIU’s Perception: A methodological flaw?

NLIU’s score of 37 out of 100 in perception is surprisingly lower than some lesser-known, costly private institutions with placements between Rs. 4 Lakh and Rs. 7 Lakh. NIRF does not explain why the university was given such a low perception score.

The ranking framework gives 10% weightage to a survey-based peer perception in the Law category. Professionals from reputed organisations and academics give their preferences to different institutes.

While the data is not disclosed, the scores have the potential to impact the rankings. And, when popular institutes like NLIU Bhopal and CNLU Patna are given low scores, it raises questions about the transparency in the framework.

NLIU vs Other Top NLUs in Perception

Name

Perception (100)

Overall NIRF Score

Rank

National Law School of India University

100

82.97

1

National Law University

92.05

80

2

NALSAR University of Law

77.54

79.5

3

The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences

67.5

79.39

4

National Law University Cuttack

59.91

63.66

15

Gujarat National Law University

52.47

76.23

5

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow

52.47

60.12

21

National Law Institute University, Bhopal

37.38

57.64

27

Non-NLUs Better in Perception Than NLIU Bhopal

Name

Perception (100)

Overall NIRF Score

Rank

UPES

68.74

61.45

18

Siksha `O` Anusandhan

60.66

65.36

10

Jamia Millia Islamia

49.67

66.39

8

Christ University

45.6

58.4

24

Aligarh Muslim University

45.6

65.82

9

S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology

44.52

58

25

Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy

41.1

65.29

11

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

41.1

60.05

22

NLIU’s Student Perception: The CLAT Metric

In the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), NLIU Bhopal can be put together with GNLU Gandhinagar in student preferences. The cut-offs indicate that both GNLU Gandhinagar and NLIU Bhopal close their BA LLB admissions between CLAT AIR 450 and 480. This trend has remained largely consistent over the past four to five years.

The universities preferred over NLIU or GNLU are NLSIU, NALSAR, NUJS and NLU Jodhpur. Together, these six NLUs are informally considered Tier 1 law schools. The success rate in CLAT for these NLUs remains less than 1% general category students.

NLU Preferences among students through CLAT

NLUs

Closing Rank in 2025

Closing rank in 2024

NIRF Ranking 2025

NLSIU Bengaluru

112

102

1

NALSAR Hyderabad

159

167

3

WBNUJS Kolkata( BA LLB)

327

279

4

NLU Jodhpur

367

379

No participation

GNLU Gandhinagar

444

464

5

NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB)

480

450

27

RMLNLU Lucknow

780

764

21

HNLU Raipur

807

791

No participation

RGNUL Patiala

1279

1250

Participated – Not ranked

NUALS Kochi

1346

1136

Participated – Not ranked

CNLU Patna (BA LLB)

1398

1358

17

While the university must address the concerns around the faculty-student ratio, the NIRF ranking falls short in recognising its strong placements and students’ preferences. The gap between student/recruiter preference and NIRF law rankings exposes the flaws in the ranking system.

Students over-relying on NIRF might end up missing out on quality law schools in favour of lesser-known but higher-ranked institutions. Therefore, the NIRF rankings should be read with caution. It is recommended to consider reading the actual placement reports, faculty-student ratio, CLAT cut-offs and other such factors before making any assessment.

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Hello,

Yes, you can prepare for CLAT through self-study. Many students do it and score well. But self-study works only if you are disciplined and follow a proper plan.

Here are a few points to keep in mind:

1. Know the syllabus and pattern.
Understand each section: English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quant.

2. Make a fixed timetable.
Study a little every day. Consistency matters more than long hours.

3. Use good books and online sources.
Choose reliable material so you don’t waste time.

4. Practice a lot.
Solve mock tests and previous papers regularly. This is the most important part of CLAT prep.

5. Analyse your mistakes.
Check where you go wrong and improve those areas.

6. Stay updated with current affairs.
Read daily news or monthly current affairs PDFs.

If you can follow these steps honestly, self-study is enough. If you feel stuck or need guidance with strategy, you can always use online classes or doubt-clearing support.

Hope it helps !

According to our prediction the date is tentatively on December 14, 2025 or CLAT 2026 admissions. You may read more about it here law.careers360.com/articles/clat-result

Choosing the right CLAT coaching is a personal decision that should align with your learning style, budget, and location. There isn't a single "best" one.

A humanistic approach suggests you consider these factors:

  1. Faculty & Focus: Look for institutions with experienced faculty who offer personalized doubt clearing, not just recorded lectures.

  2. Material Quality: The study material must be updated to the latest CLAT pattern, emphasizing Legal Reasoning and Current Affairs.

  3. Peer Environment: A strong peer group and competitive environment boost motivation.

The linked article from Careers360 provides context and lists major national players in the CLAT prep space, which you can use to start your comparison: https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-online-coaching . Choose the one that feels like the best investment in your future

Yes, there are several law colleges in India that offer admission without requiring CLAT or other national-level entrance exams — and one such option is MERI Institute, Delhi .

At MERI Institute , students can pursue law courses based on their 12th-grade merit , without the stress of competitive entrance tests. This makes it an excellent choice for those who want to build a career in law but prefer a more straightforward admission process.

The institute focuses on practical legal education , with experienced faculty members, regular court visits, moot court training, and interactive seminars that help students understand real-world legal practices. The campus environment is supportive and student-friendly, offering both academic guidance and personal growth opportunities.

So, if you’re looking for law colleges without CLAT , MERI Institute in Delhi can be a great fit—providing quality education, a balanced learning approach, and a pathway to a successful law career without the pressure of tough entrance exams.