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
When it comes to ranking NLUs, the NIRF Law ranking is the most popular ranking framework. Every year, NIRF ranks law colleges based on four parameters - Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), and Perception (PR). However, students have observed many anomalies. For instance, the 6th most preferred law school, NLIU Bhopal, is ranked 27th in NIRF, below Central University of South Bihar, Jamia Millia Islamia, RMLNLU Lucknow, Saveetha Institute of Medical Sciences, etc.
On the contrary, when you look at the cutoffs of NLIU Bhopal over the years and placement statistics, it can be said that NLIU Bhopal is a tier 1 NLU. Furthermore, MNLU Mumbai, RGNUL Patiala, and NUALS Kochi were not even included in the NIRF Law rankings 2025. Instances like these make students not trust the NIRF rankings completely. One good way of judging colleges is how hard it is to get into them. For example, NLSIU Bengaluru has the highest cutoff over the years. The placement statistics, feedback from students, and the learning ecosystem totally justify the high cutoffs of the institute. In this article, we have dug back into the CLAT cutoffs of the last five years and ranked colleges based on the cutoffs.
After analysing the last five years' cutoffs of CLAT, it is very evident that NLSIU Bengaluru is the number one-ranked college among NLUs. NLSIU Bengaluru has had an average closing rank of 99 for general category students in the last five years. After NLSIU Bengaluru comes NALSAR Hyderabad, which has an average closing rank of 167 in the last five years. Similarly, WBNUJS Kolkata has an average closing rank of 273. Talking of NLIU Bhopal, it has an average closing rank of 444 and is ranked 6th in terms of cutoffs in the last five years. The table given below shows the list of NLUs ranked based on their cutoffs in the last five years.
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
Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026
Rank | Institute Name | Avg. Closing Rank |
1 | NLSIU Bengaluru | 99 |
2 | NALSAR Hyderabad | 167 |
3 | WBNUJS Kolkata | 273 |
4 | NLU Jodhpur | 373 |
5 | GNLU Gandhinagar | 433 |
6 | NLIU Bhopal | 444 |
7 | MNLU Mumbai | 731 |
8 | RMLNLU Lucknow | 745 |
9 | HNLU Raipur | 785 |
10 | NLU Odisha | 1138 |
11 | RGNUL Patiala | 1219 |
12 | NUALS Kochi | 1280 |
13 | CNLU Patna | 1421 |
14 | GNLU Silvassa Campus | 1447 |
15 | DSNLU Visakhapatnam | 1643 |
16 | NUSRL Ranchi | 1653 |
17 | MNLU Nagpur | 1665 |
18 | TNNLU Tiruchirappalli | 1817 |
19 | NLUJA Assam | 2010 |
20 | MNLU Aurangabad | 2156 |
21 | MPDNLU Jabalpur | 2195 |
22 | DBRANLU Sonepat | 2213 |
23 | HPNLU Shimla | 2357 |
24 | RPNLU Prayagraj | 2469 |
25 | NLUT Agartala | 2549 |
26 | IIULER Goa | 2784 |
*The data given above comprise only general category cutoffs for the last five years.
Apart from the last five years, candidates can also judge NLUs based on the last year’s cutoff. It might not be the case that things are necessarily the same as they were five years ago. To get an idea about the latest developments and emerging NLUs, candidates can also check the list of top NLUs based on CLAT 2025 cutoffs. Talking of top NLUs in 2025, the list of the top 5 is the same as the table given above. There are slight changes as we go lower in the list. Check out the list of top NLUs in 2025 based on CLAT cutoffs.
Ranking | College Name | Opening Rank | Closing Rank |
1 | NLSIU Bengaluru | 1 | 112 |
2 | NALSAR Hyderabad | 17 | 159 |
3 | WBNUJS Kolkata( BA LLB) | 57 | 327 |
4 | NLU Jodhpur | 159 | 367 |
5 | GNLU Gandhinagar | 236 | 444 |
6 | NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB) | 257 | 480 |
7 | RMLNLU Lucknow | 461 | 780 |
8 | HNLU Raipur | 480 | 807 |
9 | NLU Odisha BA LLB | 469 | 1013 |
10 | RGNUL Patiala | 565 | 1279 |
11 | NUALS Kochi | 350 | 1346 |
12 | CNLU Patna (BA LLB) | 882 | 1398 |
13 | GNLU Silvassa Campus | 755 | 1461 |
14 | MNLU Mumbai | 443 | 1473 |
15 | MNLU Nagpur - BA LLB | 722 | 1529 |
16 | NUSRL Ranchi BA LLB | 864 | 1667 |
17 | DSNLU Visakhapatnam | 957 | 1682 |
18 | TNNLU Tiruchirappalli BA LLB | 1231 | 1763 |
19 | DBRANLU Sonepat | 626 | 1930 |
20 | MNLU Aurangabad- BA LLB | 1023 | 1949 |
21 | NLUJA Assam | 1163 | 2141 |
22 | MPDNLU Jabalpur | 1371 | 2243 |
23 | RPNLU Prayagraj | 1446 | 2469 |
24 | HPNLU Shimla - BA LLB | 949 | 2555 |
25 | NLUT Agartala | 1964 | 2855 |
After studying the last five years' cutoffs of the CLAT exam, there are some predictions that can be made for the upcoming session. The CLAT 2026 cutoff for the top 5 NLUs is expected to show stability. Some changes in CLAT cutoffs 2026 can be expected in mid and low-tier NLUs. The following denotes the expected cutoffs for CLAT 2026 based on the previous year's cutoffs.
College | Avg Closing (2021-25) | Predicted 2026 Closing |
NLSIU Bengaluru | 99 | 122 |
NALSAR Hyderabad | 167 | 161 |
WBNUJS Kolkata | 273 | 331 |
NLU Jodhpur | 373 | 380 |
GNLU Gandhinagar | 433 | 490 |
NLIU Bhopal | 444 | 505 |
MNLU Mumbai | 731 | 1355 |
RMLNLU Lucknow | 745 | 810 |
HNLU Raipur | 785 | 820 |
NLU Odisha | 1138 | 1106 |
RGNUL Patiala | 1219 | 1361 |
NUALS Kochi | 1280 | 1348 |
CNLU Patna | 1421 | 1431 |
GNLU Silvassa Campus | 1447 | 1088 |
DSNLU Visakhapatnam | 1643 | 1708 |
NUSRL Ranchi | 1653 | 1746 |
MNLU Nagpur | 1665 | 1692 |
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli | 1817 | 1718 |
NLUJA Assam | 2010 | 2217 |
MNLU Aurangabad | 2156 | 1965 |
MPDNLU Jabalpur | 2195 | 2240 |
DBRANLU Sonepat | 2213 | 2062 |
HPNLU Shimla | 2357 | 2624 |
RPNLU Prayagraj | 2469 | N/A |
NLUT Agartala | 2549 | 3467 |
IIULER Goa | 2784 | N/A |
The CLAT cutoffs for top NLUs have mostly been stable over the past few years. NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, and WBNUJS Kolkata have been the definite top 3 in terms of cutoffs.
Many low and mid-tier NLUs have been jumping the ladder when it comes to ranking colleges based on CLAT cutoff. For instance, GNLU Silvassa, which had a closing rank of 1820 in 2023, jumped to 1461 in 2025.
Similarly, MNLU Aurangabad, DBRANLU Sonepat and TNNLU Tiruchirapalli have tightened their closing cutoffs, which are directly proportional to the number of students wanting admission in these colleges.
Newer entrants in the NLUs list, like RPNLU Prayagraj and NLU Assam, have been seeing the lowest closing ranks when compared with all other NLUs. These NLUs are more like a safety net for general category candidates under rank 2000.
NLUs like MNLU Mumbai, MNLU Nagpur, HPNLU Shimla, and NLUJ Assam have shown fluctuations in cutoff, making them unpredictable over the years.
All colleges that offer other integrated law courses like BBA LLB, BSc LLM, etc, along with BA LLB have lower closing cutoffs for the latter one. BA LLB is the top priority of candidates in a particular college.
On Question asked by student community
Hi, you can apply for admissions in Nirma University, NFSU Ahemdabad, Alliance, IPU University and affiliated instiutes (in case you are reserved category candidates), UPES Dehradun, BITS Law School etc.
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.
Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026
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