Should You Accept Lower NLU in CLAT 2026 Second List or Wait?

Should You Accept Lower NLU in CLAT 2026 Second List or Wait?

Isha GargUpdated on 22 Jan 2026, 05:22 PM IST

Many students getting admission offers from lower-tier National Law Universities (NLUs) wonder whether they should accept the seats or float their option in the upcoming rounds. Lower-tier NLUs, such as MNLU Nagpur, HPNLU Shimla, etc., serve as a safety net. The float option allows them to explore admission chances in higher-ranked universities without losing the allotted seats. However, this also comes with the risk of losing the CLAT non-refundable confirmation fee.

Should You Accept Lower NLU in CLAT 2026 Second List or Wait?
Should You Accept Lower NLU in CLAT 2026 Second List or Wait?

Such students have three options: accept the allotted seat and get an NLU-tag, upgrade to better NLUs and switch to private colleges like Symbiosis Law School and OP Jindal Global University. This leads to high vacancy rates in further CLAT counselling rounds.

Previous trends indicate that the rank fall is highest in these tier 3 or emerging NLUs, which means the decision to float an admission option can be worth exploring, provided it is backed by data. In lower-tier NLUs, it is common to witness a rank drop of 500 to 800 positions between CLAT first round allotment and the final allotment lists.

While top-tier NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru see a minimal fall in ranks, lower-tier colleges such as NLUT Agartala or HPNLU Shimla experience major rank shifts. For instance, HPNLU Shimla saw a 731-rank fall under the general category in CLAT 2025, while NLUT Agartala dropped 840 ranks.

CLAT 2026 Round 1 vs CLAT 2025 Final Cutoffs (General Category)

College name

Course name

CLAT 2026 round 1 opening rank

CLAT 2026 round 1 closing rank

CLAT 2025 final closing rank

Total fall (rank drop)

MNLU Nagpur

BA LLB (Hons.)

564

1225

1529

304

DSNLU Visakhapatnam

BA LLB

788

1281

1682

401

MNLU Nagpur

BBA LLB (Hons.)

1107

1284

1623

339

NUSRL Ranchi

BA LLB (Hons.)

853

1297

1667

370

NUSRL Ranchi

BBA LLB (Hons.)

1295

1356

1760

404

TNNLU Tiruchirappalli

BA LLB (Hons.)

989

1370

1763

393

MNLU Aurangabad

BA LLB (Hons.)

1308

1424

1949

525

TNNLU Tiruchirappalli

BCom LLB (Hons.)

1044

1517

1947

430

DBRANLU Sonepat

BA LLB

1115

1665

1930

265

MNLU Aurangabad

BBA LLB (Hons.)

1322

1737

2393

656

MPDNLU Jabalpur

BA LLB

1473

1740

2243

503

NLUJA Assam

BA LLB

1162

1764

2141

377

HPNLU Shimla

BA LLB (Hons.)

930

1824

2555

731

HPNLU Shimla

BBA LLB (Hons.)

603

1871

2634

763

RPNLU Prayagraj

BA LLB

951

1930

2469

539

NLUT Agartala

BA LLB

1540

2015

2855

840

IIULER Goa

BA LLB (Hons.)

943

2124

2784

660

IIULER Goa

BBA LLB (Hons.)

1910

2236

2832

596

The Float vs Freeze Strategy for CLAT 2026

After the CLAT second allotment list 2026 is published, students must choose between freezing or floating their seat. Students should only choose the freeze option if they have secured the most preferred NLU or are satisfied with the current allotment and do not wish to risk moving to a different NLU. For all other candidates, especially those in lower-tier NLUs, the float option is highly recommended.

The 2026 admission cycle offers a higher probability of moving up the preference list due to the five-round CLAT counselling schedule. This is an increase from the shorter three-round counselling cycle seen in CLAT 2025. Last year’s CLAT cutoff data indicates that the float strategy is effective for students with CLAT ranks near their preferred NLU’s cutoff. If candidates' ranks fall within 100 to 150 positions of a higher-preferred NLU, data suggests a high probability of an upgrade by the final CLAT allotment rounds.

Why Lower-Tier NLUs Experience Massive Rank Drops

  • Counselling overlap of certain Universities: Many students appearing for CLAT also participate in AILET (NLU Delhi) counselling or MHCET Law counselling. Once they secure seats in NLU Delhi or top Mumbai colleges (GLC/ILS), they vacate their lower NLU seats.

  • Opting for a private university: Many students in the lower-tier NLUs also hold offers from top private law schools, such as Jindal Global Law School or SLS Pune. If they prefer a premier private college over a tier 3 NLU, they withdraw, causing the NLU cutoff to drop sharply.

  • Choosing upward NLUs: When a single seat opens up at a top-tier NLU, such as NLSIU Bengaluru or NALSAR Hyderabad, it creates a chain reaction. A student from a mid-tier NLU moves up to fill it. This, in turn, creates a vacancy in the mid-tier, which is filled by a student from a lower-tier.

Jindal Global Law School Admissions 2026

Ranked #1 Law School in India & South Asia by QS- World University Rankings | Merit cum means scholarships | Early Admissions (Pahse 2) Deadline: 28th Feb’26

Amity University-Noida Law Admissions 2026

Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026

Role of Spot Rounds in Finalising NLUs

Previous year analysis shows that the rank drops in spot rounds can be even more fluctuating than the CLAT main counselling rounds. In twelve NLUs, closing ranks dropped by over 1,000 positions during these rounds. The most extreme drop in rank occurs in newer NLUs. NLUT Agartala experienced a major drop in spot rounds from the CLAT 2025 final allotment list. The closing rank of NLUT Agartala fell from 2,855 in CLAT 2025 final counselling to 12,515 in the spot round, a drop of 9,660 ranks.

Such drops are also visible in mid-tier law institutions. NUSRL Ranchi saw its BBA LLB general cutoff expand by 6,022 ranks. Similarly, its BA LLB program dropped by 5,429 ranks. This trend can be seen across all other NLUs. GNLU Silvassa, HPNLU Shimla, and MPDNLU Jabalpur all saw a cutoff drop by over 3,000 positions. Even established law colleges like RMLNLU Lucknow saw a drop of 720 ranks. This data suggests that students with ranks in the 5,000 to 10,000 range, which seems out of reach in initial counselling rounds, can still secure an NLU seat through the spot round.

On the other hand, top-tier NLUs remain highly stable. NLSIU Bengaluru conducted no spot rounds last year. NALSAR Hyderabad and GNLU Gandhinagar saw marginal shifts of only 9 and 7 ranks, respectively. In contrast, lower-tier NLUs use multiple merit lists to ensure full enrollment. NUSRL Ranchi released 12 separate merit lists to fill its final vacancies. Each university releases its own notification on its official website, so students must apply to each university individually and be ready for immediate fee payment.

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