State-Wise NLU Cut-Off Trends: Is 90 a Safe Score in CLAT 2026?

State-Wise NLU Cut-Off Trends: Is 90 a Safe Score in CLAT 2026?

Isha GargUpdated on 07 Dec 2025, 06:14 PM IST

Whether scoring 90 marks is a safe score or not depends on the difficulty level of the exam, specific NLU, CLAT seats matrix and CLAT reservation criteria. For top NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru and NALSAR Hyderabad, scoring 90 can be a borderline mark. These top universities typically close admissions near 94-95 marks with closing ranks around 110-160. However, scoring 90 marks or slightly above is generally safe for mid-tier NLUs such as NLIU Bhopal, GNLU Gandhinagar, and MNLU Mumbai, which have closing marks between 90 and 91 and closing ranks from 440 to 560.

State-Wise NLU Cut-Off Trends: Is 90 a Safe Score in CLAT 2026?
State-Wise NLU Cut-Off Trends: Is 90 a Safe Score in CLAT 2026?

Additionally, spot rounds also further increase the chances of getting into several reputed NLUs at 90. Reserved categories (SC, ST, OBC, EWS) have lower CLAT cut-offs, where 85-90 often secures seats easily. Aspirants targeting tier 1 NLUs should aim to exceed 92-93 marks for a safer admission route.

Top NLUs Closing Ranks and Closing Marks 2025 for General

NLU

Main counselling closing rank

Main closing marks

NLSIU Bengaluru

112

94.4

NALSAR Hyderabad

159

93.9

WBNUJS Kolkata

327

92.2

NLU Jodhpur

367

91.8

GNLU Gandhinagar

444

91

NLIU Bhopal

480

90.6

MNLU Mumbai

558

90.1

Spot Round Closing Ranks and Marks 2025

NLU

Spot round closing rank

Spot round closing marks

NLSIU Bengaluru

-

~99.5+ (AIR 1)

NALSAR Hyderabad

168

93.8

WBNUJS Kolkata

485

90.6

GNLU Gandhinagar

451

90.9

NLIU Bhopal

527

90.4

MNLU Mumbai

550

90.3

NLUs Accessible at 85-90 Marks Tier-Wise

Here are the tier-wise categories of NLUs accessible with a score of 85-90 marks in CLAT 2026:

  • Tier 1 NLUs: Top NLUs such as NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLIU Bhopal, GNLU Gandhinagar, and NLU Jodhpur face high competition. 90 marks are seen as borderline in these institutions and can not ensure admission for general candidates. However, reserved category students (SC, ST, OBC, EWS) can secure seats at these NLUs with this score due to lower cut-offs.

  • Tier 2 NLUs: A score of 90 marks is usually sufficient for admission here. These universities include NLIU Bhopal, WBNUJS Kolkata, HNLU Raipur, RMLNLU Lucknow, NLU Odisha, NUSRL Ranchi, DSNLU Visakhapatnam, MNLU Mumbai, MNLU Nagpur, CNLU Patna, and NUALS Kochi.

  • Tier 3 NLUs: A score of 90 marks comfortably ensures admission in these institutions. These NLUs are: GNLU Silvassa, RGNUL Patiala, NLUJA Assam, TNNLU Tiruchirappalli, MNLU Aurangabad, HPNLU Shimla, MPDNLU Jabalpur, DBRANLU Sonepat, NLUT Agartala, RPNLU Prayagraj, and IIULER Goa.
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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

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.

Since you scored 8000 AIR in CLAT, getting into top NLUs may not be possible, so it is a good idea to look for affordable and good law colleges.


State government law colleges are usually low in fees, and have decent reputation. Some options include Government Law College, Mumbai, Faculty