Top 5 NLUs in India: Get detailed insights by ranking, placements & cut-offs
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Top 5 NLUs in India: Get detailed insights by ranking, placements & cut-offs

Shubham BhakuniUpdated on 16 Sep 2025, 11:31 AM IST

Top 5 NLUs in India: The National Law Universities (NLUs) are considered the premier law schools in India. Candidates appearing in CLAT 2026, or aspiring to take admission to NLUs are required to give admission preferences at the time of CLAT counselling registration. However, choosing an NLU can be tricky, as students often wonder if all NLUs offer similar learning opportunities and placements. A closer look at the overall performance of NLUs, including their rankings, placements, achievements, and alumni records reveals some of them doing exceptionally well in all parameters, some are in the middle range, while many of them are in their initial years lacking legacy and recognition.

This Story also Contains

  1. National Law Universities in India
  2. Top 5 NLUs in India
  3. Top 5 NLUs in Placements
Top 5 NLUs in India: Get detailed insights by ranking, placements & cut-offs
Top 5 NLUs in India

While students appearing in the Common Law Admission Test should consider all factors before giving admission preferences to NLUs, their ranking and placement records hold the utmost importance. This article lists the top 5 NLUs in different parameters including overall ranking, placements and student preferences.

National Law Universities in India

Unlike many other central universities, which are national for having central government funding, NLUs are state universities despite their name giving an appearance of national character. NLUs, essentially educational institutions for the judiciary, have been created as part of the second generation of legal reforms. The Chief Justices of various states act as Vice Chancellor of the NLUs. The Chief Justice of India is the vice Chancellor of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, the oldest among all NLUs.

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As of 2025, there are 26 NLUs in India, spread across 22 states and union territories, New Delhi and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. These NLUs offer 5-year integrated LLB and LLM programmes. NLSIU Bangalore, NLU Odisha, and CNLU Patna are the only NLUs that offer 3-year LLB. Some NLUs have become multidisciplinary in recent years, and they offer various other programmes such as MBA, and Master in Public Policy in addition to law programmes.

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Top 5 NLUs in India

The Tier 1 NLUs are generally considered good in all aspects and have been ranked in top positions in various law school rankings. Considering there are many parameters in every ranking framework, we are taking a government-recognised ranking framework, NIRF law ranking 2025, and Careers360 ranking of law schools, along with other crucial data such as placements and cut-offs.

Top 5 NLUs in NIRF Ranking 2025

The NIRF top NLUs have consistently performed well in all of its parameters. Among the CLAT accepting NLUs, 16 private law colleges are ranked in NIRF law ranking 2025. Only NLU Delhi conducts a separate All India Law Entrance Test (AILET). The top five law colleges as per NIRF 2025 are given below.

Top 5 NLUs in NIRF 2025

Name of NLU

NIRF Ranking 2025

NIRF Score

NLSIU Bangalore

1

82.97

NLU Delhi

2

80.00

NALSAR Hyderabad

3

79.50

WBNUJS Kolkata

4

79.39

GNLU Gandhinagar

5

76.23

Top 5 NLUs in Careers360 Rankings 2025

Careers360 releases ranking for law schools in India annually. All the top five positions in the Careers360 law school ranking are secured by national law universities (NLUs). Here are the top 5 NLUs as per the Careers360 ranking of top law schools.

Top 5 NLUs as per Careers360 Law School Ranking

NLU

Careers360 rank

NLSIU Bangalore

1

NLU Delhi

2

NALSAR Hyderabad

3

WBNUJS Kolkata

4

GNLU Gandhinagar

5

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Top 5 NLUs in Placements

The placement data is one of the most important parameters to know if the course offered by the NLUs is relevant for the industry and whether law firms and corporations are participating in the campus placement drives. NLUs organise placements from the 5th semester onwards for 5-year integrated LLB programmes. The median package secured by students in the NLU placement ranges from Rs. 14 Lakh to Rs. 20 Lakh for the top 5 NLUs. The 2019-20 batch of WBNUJS Kolkata secured a median salary of Rs. 20 lakhs in the placement drive. This was the highest median salary offered in NLUs in the last three to four years. The top 5 NLUs based on placements are given below.

Top 5 NLUs Based on Placements


Placement year

Law College Name

2024

2023

2022

2021

NLSIU Bangalore

Rs. 16 Lakhs

Rs. 16 Lakhs

Rs. 16 Lakhs

Rs. 15 Lakhs

NLU Delhi

Rs. 18 Lakhs

Rs. 14 Lakhs

Rs. 19 Lakhs

Rs. 18 Lakhs

NALSAR Hyderabad

Rs. 17.50 Lakhs

Rs. 16 Lakhs

Rs. 16 Lakhs

Rs. 16 Lakhs

WBNUJS Kolkata

Rs. 20 Lakhs

Rs. 20 Lakhs

Rs. 16 Lakhs

Rs. 15 Lakhs

GNLU Gandhinagar

Rs. 18 Lakhs

Rs. 16 Lakhs

Rs. 15.40 Lakhs

Rs. 14 Lakhs

NLU Odisha

Rs. 14 Lakhs Rs. 14.50 Lakhs Rs. 9 Lakhs Rs. 6 Lakhs

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Top 5 NLUs by Admission Preferences

Where do the top-ranked students go in the CLAT exam? The CLAT cut-offs provide insights into the top NLUs in admission preferences given by top-performing students. The previous five to six years of CLAT cut-off data shows consistency in this respect. The previous year's cut-offs for NLUs given below will help the prospective students understand this.

Top 5 NLUs by Cut-Offs


NLU

Cut-off rank for General category
2025

2024

2023

NLSIU Bangalore

112

102

114

NALSAR Hyderabad

159

167

177

WBNUJS Kolkata

327

279

260

NLU Jodhpur

367

379

383

NLU Bhopal

480

450

463

GNLU Gandhinagar

444

464

462

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

With an AIR of 34724 and OBC category rank of 7153, chances of getting a seat in DSNLU Visakhapatnam are low in early rounds. However, since you are already invited for counselling, there may be some chance in later rounds depending on seat vacancy and cut-off movement. You should participate in all counselling rounds and keep other college options open.

You can check CLAT cutoffs and counselling details here:

https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-cutoff


With a CLAT LLM rank of 13656, getting a top NLU is difficult. You may have chances in lower-ranked NLUs or private law universities, depending on seat availability and category.


You can check CLAT LLM counselling details here:

https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-llm-cut-off


With a CLAT PG rank of 1257 in the SC category and being a woman candidate with Rajasthan domicile, you do have a realistic chance of securing admission to several National Law Universities, though the top NLUs may be difficult at this rank. Admission chances depend heavily on category-wise cut-offs, domicile reservations, and how many seats are available in a given year. For top-tier NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, or NLUD, the closing ranks for SC category usually fall much lower, so chances there are minimal. However, you should definitely consider mid- and lower-ranked NLUs where SC category cut-offs often extend beyond 1200–1500 ranks.

You should prioritise NLUs that offer domicile or state quota benefits, especially those closer to your home state or neighbouring regions. National Law University Jodhpur (if applicable under domicile or category movement), Hidayatullah National Law University Raipur, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University Lucknow, Gujarat National Law University Gandhinagar, Maharashtra National Law University (Nagpur or Aurangabad), National Law University Odisha, and Tamil Nadu National Law University are some options where candidates in the SC category with similar ranks have secured seats in previous counselling rounds. Lower-tier NLUs like Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Himachal Pradesh National Law University, and Dharmashastra National Law University can also be kept in your preference list as safer options.

Your strategy should be to keep a wide preference list during counselling, placing mid-ranked NLUs first and then moving to lower NLUs, rather than restricting yourself only to a few choices. Also, stay active during subsequent counselling rounds and vacancy rounds, as many seats in the SC category are filled later due to withdrawals. Overall, while top NLUs may be tough, you have a fair chance of getting into a decent NLU if you plan your preferences smartly and remain flexible.

With a CLAT PG rank of around 11,000, getting admission into the top National Law Universities (NLUs) is not likely, as their general category cut-offs usually close much earlier. However, you still have realistic chances in lower-ranked and newer NLUs, especially in the later rounds of CLAT counselling or through vacant seats.

At this rank, you may consider NLUs such as NLU Tripura, NLU Meghalaya, NLU Nagaland, NLU Sikkim, NLU Andhra Pradesh, NLU Odisha, NLU Jabalpur, and NLU Aurangabad, particularly if you belong to a reserved category like SC, ST, OBC, EWS, or have domicile or women reservation applicable. Cut-offs for these universities tend to go higher in rank compared to older NLUs, and seats often open up in subsequent counselling rounds due to withdrawals.

If you do not secure an NLU seat, you should also strongly consider reputed state and private law universities that accept CLAT PG scores or conduct their own entrance tests. Universities such as Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Delhi University (DU – through CUET PG), Jamia Millia Islamia, Symbiosis Law School, Christ University, Jindal Global Law School, and Nirma University are good alternatives for LLM aspirants. Many of these institutions offer strong academic exposure, experienced faculty, and good research opportunities, sometimes even better than newer NLUs.

Overall, while a rank of 11,000 limits options in top NLUs, admission is still possible in newer NLUs or good non-NLU law universities, provided you actively participate in counselling rounds and keep backup options ready.

With a CLAT 2026 All India Rank around 2070, Telangana domicile, and holding an OBC certificate (girl candidate), your chances of getting admission into a top-tier NLU like NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, NUJS Kolkata or NLU Jodhpur are quite low, as their closing ranks are usually much higher. However, you still have realistic chances in several mid-tier and newer NLUs, especially if OBC reservation and domicile or women reservation is applicable.

Based on previous years’ counselling trends, you can reasonably expect chances in NLUs such as NLU Odisha (Cuttack), NLIU Bhopal (borderline, depending on category movement), NLU Assam (Guwahati), DSNLU Visakhapatnam, TNNLU Tiruchirappalli, HPNLU Shimla, NLU Tripura, NLU Meghalaya, NLU Sikkim, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar NLU Sonipat. Some of these universities see rank movement in later rounds and vacancies, particularly for reserved categories and women candidates.

Since you are from Telangana, you should definitely keep NALSAR Hyderabad in your preference list, but only after all higher NLUs, as the domicile quota is limited and usually closes at a much better rank. Still, it is worth trying because domicile and category together can sometimes help in spot or vacancy rounds.

Your best strategy would be to prepare a balanced preference list: first include all top NLUs, then mid-tier NLUs like NLU Odisha and NLIU Bhopal, followed by newer and lower-ranked NLUs where your rank has a stronger chance. Make sure you actively participate in all counselling rounds, including vacancies, as many seats open up after withdrawals.

Cut-offs vary every year depending on seat intake, category distribution, and counselling dynamics, so even if you miss out in early rounds, you should not lose hope. Keep your documents ready, track counselling updates closely, and stay flexible with preferences to maximize your chances of securing an NLU seat.