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    Tier-wise list of NLUs for CLAT 2026 Counselling

    Tier-wise list of NLUs for CLAT 2026 Counselling

    Isha GargUpdated on 24 Dec 2025, 09:49 AM IST

    Choosing the right National Law University (NLU) is the most critical decision for law aspirants during CLAT 2026 counselling. With 26 NLUs and IIULER Goa participating, these institutions vary widely in placement records, faculty quality, infrastructure, and placements. NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, etc, are considered one of the premier NLUs and attract top law recruiters.

    Tier-wise list of NLUs for CLAT 2026 Counselling
    Tier-wise list of NLUs for CLAT 2026 Counselling

    Tier 2 NLUs are well-established universities, while Tier 3 consists mostly of newer NLUs still developing alumni networks and campus facilities. This tier system, based on NIRF rankings and historical cut-offs, guides students in preference filling. CLAT counselling 2026 has begun on December 17, 2025, 6:00 pm and will end on December 27, 2025, 10:00 pm, so choose the NLU preference list wisely.

    Tier 1 NLUs for CLAT 2026 Counselling

    NLU


    NIRF rankings 2025

    Opening rank

    Closing rank

    NLSIU Bengaluru

    1

    1

    112

    NALSAR Hyderabad


    3

    17

    159

    WBNUJS Kolkata

    4

    57

    327

    NLU Jodhpur

    6

    159

    367

    GNLU Gandhinagar

    5

    236

    444

    NLIU Bhopal

    27

    257

    480

    Tier 2 NLUs for CLAT 2026 Counselling

    NLU

    NIRF rankings 2025

    Opening rank

    Closing rank

    HNLU Raipur

    -

    480

    827

    RMLNLU Lucknow

    21

    461

    780

    RGNUL Punjab

    -

    565

    1279

    CNLU Patna (BA LLB)

    17

    882

    1398

    NUALS Kochi

    -

    350

    1346

    NLUO Odisha (BA LLB)

    15

    469

    1013

    NUSRL Ranchi

    30

    864

    1667

    MNLU Mumbai

    31

    443

    1473

    DSNLU Visakhapatnam

    -

    957

    1682

    TNNLU Tiruchirappalli

    -

    1231

    1763

    Tier 3 NLUs for CLAT 2026 Counselling

    NLU

    Opening rank

    Closing rank

    NLUJA Assam

    1163

    2141

    MNLU Nagpur

    722

    1529

    MNLU Aurangabad

    1023

    1949

    HPNLU Shimla

    949

    2555

    DNLU Jabalpur

    1371

    2243

    DBRANLU Haryana

    626

    1930

    NLUT Agartala

    1964

    2855

    RPNLU Prayagraj

    1446

    2469

    IIULER Goa (BA LLB)

    1314

    2784

    Steps to fill NLU Preferences for CLAT 2026 Counselling

    Filling NLU preferences correctly is important to secure a seat in the desired law program during CLAT 2026 counselling. Follow these clear steps to fill preferences effectively.

    • Check the registered email for the invitation to register for CLAT 2026 counselling. Log in at consortiumofnlus.ac.in using the credentials.

    • Click "Counselling Registration" after login. Pay the fee first of Rs 30,000 for General or Rs 20,000 for reserved categories via net banking or card.

    • Select "Update NLU Preferences." A list of all 26 NLUs and IIULER Goa appears with BA LLB, BBA LLB, or BSc LLB options.

    • Select NLUs in the order of preference

    • Review and double-check for errors, as this list applies to all five rounds.

    Amity University-Noida Law Admissions 2026

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    CLAT Counselling Date 2026

    Event

    Dates (UG)

    Dates (PG)

    CLAT 2026 Counselling Registration Opens

    December 17, 2025 (6:00 pm)

    December 17, 2025 (6:00 pm)

    Deadline for CLAT 2026 Counselling Registration

    December 27, 2025 (10:00 pm)

    December 27, 2025 (10:00 pm)

    Publication of CLAT 2026 First Allotment List

    January 07, 2026 (10:00 am)

    January 07, 2026 (10:00 am)

    Payment of Confirmation Fee for First Allotment List

    January 07, 2026 (10:00 am)- January 15, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    January 07, 2026 (10:00 am)- January 15, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    Publication of CLAT 2026 Second Allotment List

    January 22, 2026 (10:00 am)

    January 22, 2026 (10:00 am)

    Payment of Confirmation Fee for Second Allotment List

    January 22, 2026 (10:00 am) - January 29, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    January 22, 2026 (10:00 am) - January 29, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    Publication of CLAT 2026 Third Allotment List

    February 05, 2026 (10:00 am)

    February 05, 2026

    February 05, 2026 (10:00 am)

    Payment of Confirmation Fee for Third Allotment List


    February 05, 2026 (10:00 am) - February 12, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    February 05, 2026 (10:00 am) - February 12, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    Payment of University Fee (first, second & third rounds of counselling)

    April 24, 2026 (5:00 pm)

    April 24, 2026 (5:00 pm)

    Publication of CLAT 2026 Fourth Allotment List

    May 02, 2026 (10:00 am)

    May 02, 2026 (10:00 am)

    Payment of Confirmation Fee for Fourth Allotment List

    May 02, 2026 (10:00 am) - May 08, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    May 02, 2026 (10:00 am) - May 08, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    Publication of CLAT 2026 Fifth and Final Allotment List

    May 15, 2026 (10:00 am)

    May 15, 2026 (10:00 am)

    Payment of Confirmation Fee for the Fifth and final Allotment List

    May 15, 2026 (10:00 am) - May 20, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    May 15, 2026 (10:00 am) - May 20, 2026 (1:00 pm)

    Payment of University Fee (fourth & fifth rounds of counselling)

    May 30, 2026 (5:00 pm)

    May 30, 2026 (5:00 pm)

    CLAT Counselling Fees 2026

    Type of fee

    Amount

    Details

    CLAT 2026 counselling registration fee

    Rs. 30000 for general, Rs. 20000 for ST/ SC/ OBC/ BC/ EWS/ PWD

    Fees to be paid to register for the counselling process

    Confirmation fee

    Rs. 20000

    Fees to be paid to confirm the allotted seat

    Balance university fees

    Varies across NLUs

    Balance 1st-semester fees to be paid after adjusting the confirmation fee.

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    Questions related to CLAT

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to CLAT ?

    Hello Dear Student,


    With a CLAT PG rank of 4649 and CUET PG score of 106 , getting top NLUs or central universities may be difficult. However, you still have good options for pursuing an LLM in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) at private and state-affiliated universities.

    Some suitable options include:

    Hello Dear Student,

    You should prepare for CLAT if your goal is to get admission into a top National Law University (NLU) for a 5-year integrated law course like BA LLB or BBA LLB.

    You should choose CUET UG if you want admission into:

    • central universities,
    • state universities, or
    • some

    Hi,
    Yes, you should appear for the compartment/improvement exam in the subject where you got RT (Reappear in Theory).

    Even though your 72% overall marks are enough for Common Law Admission Test 2027 eligibility, clearing the RT is still very important because your Class 12 marksheet should officially show “PASS.”

    Yes, you can switch from one college to another to a CLAT college through the entrance test.  However, it is important to note that you will have to start from year 1 rather than transferring directly into the second or third year. Some of the top CLAT participating colleges here.

    Here you can check out the top NLUs offering admission into 3-year LLB with and without CLAT exam:

    1.  NLSIU Bengaluru for LLB programme through NLSAT.

    2. NLU Odisha and NLU Visakhapatnam offer admission into the 3-year LLB course through their own admission process.

    3. CNLU Patna