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    What if I don't get an NLU through CLAT 2026

    What if I don't get an NLU through CLAT 2026

    #CLAT
    Sansar Singh ChhikaraUpdated on 25 Aug 2025, 10:34 AM IST

    The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) will conduct the CLAT 2026 on December 07, 2025. Through the scores of the Common Law Admission Test, candidates can get admission to 24 NLUs and other participating law colleges. If you don't secure a National Law University (NLU) seat through CLAT 2026, you still have options to pursue a legal education and career. Every year, thousands of candidates appear in CLAT exam to get admission to top National Law Universities. There are limited seats available in the NLUs, therefore, only the top ranking candidates get the opportunity to get admission. Candidates who are not able to get an NLU through CLAT exam get disheartened. Such candidates should understand that there are many good alternatives. There are several CLAT affiliated colleges and other top private universities that are offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in law. To know more about other good options and information regarding other top law schools. In this article, candidates will get detailed information on what to do if they don't get an NLU through CLAT 2026.

    This Story also Contains

    1. What should I do if I don't get admission to NLU after CLAT 2026
    2. Top Law Entrance Exams Other Than CLAT
    3. CLAT 2026 and Other Participating Colleges
    What if I don't get an NLU through CLAT 2026
    What If I Don’t Get an NLU Through CLAT

    What should I do if I don't get admission to NLU after CLAT 2026

    Candidates shouldn't get disheartened upon failing to get admitted to the National Law University. There are several good options for such candidates. A few of them are listed below:

    • Apply for Affiliated Colleges: Apart from 24 National Law Universities, there are 65 CLAT affiliated colleges that grant admission to various law courses. Candidates with lower ranks can apply to these colleges.

    • Appear for other law entrance exams: There are many popular law entrance tests that are held for admission to law schools. Candidates should look into the details of exams such as AILET, LSAT—India, SLAT, CUET Law, etc. The syllabus of the law entrance tests are mostly similar, which puts the candidates in an advantageous position to prepare for the exams.

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    Top Law Entrance Exams Other Than CLAT

    Exam Name


    Courses offered


    Details

    AILET

    BA LLB, LLM

    The National Law University Delhi conducts the All India Law Entrance Test once a year, in offline mode.

    SLAT

    BA LLB, BBA LLB

    The Symbiosis Law School Admission Test is conducted by Symbiosis International University Pune in online mode.

    ULSAT

    3-year LLB, B.Com LLB, BA LLB, BBA LLB, LLM

    University of Petroleum and Energy Studies Dehradun, conducts the ULSAT. The University of Petroleum and Energy Studies Law Studies Aptitude Test once a year in online mode. It's a university-level exam.

    • Apply for state universities: Almost every state in India has their own law universities. There are some state-level entrance exams such as MH CET, TS LAWCET, etc, which can help candidates get admission in the best law universities and colleges of the respective state

    • Private universities: There are several private universities that are offering admissions in law courses such as 3-year LLB, integrated LLB, LLM, and Diploma in Law. Generally, admissions to such universities are granted either based on merit or through a university-level entrance exam.

    CLAT Sample Paper 2027 with Answer Key
    Download CLAT 2027 sample paper PDF with the latest exam pattern. Practice descriptive questions, improve accuracy, and strengthen your preparation for the upcoming CLAT exam.
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    CLAT

    CLAT Counselling

    DU LLB 5 Year Counselling

    CLAT 2026 and Other Participating Colleges

    Apart from 24 National Law Universities, 65 other participating law universities will accept CLAT 2026 scores. Candidates can visit the respective college’s website to learn more about the admission process.

    Other CLAT participating universities

    Sl. No

    		Institute NameCourses Offered

    1

    Aurobindo Institute of Law, Indore

    BA LLB, LLB LLM

    2

    AAFT University, Noida

    BBA LLB

    3

    ABBS School of Law, Bengaluru

    BBA LLB

    4

    Alliance University, Bengaluru

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, LLB, LLM

    5

    Amity University, Noida

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, B.Com LLB, LLB, LLM

    6

    Apex University Jaipur

    BA LLB, LLB, LLM

    7

    Arka Jain University, Jamshedpur

    BBA LLB

    8

    ASBM University, Bhubaneshwar

    BA LLB, BBA LLB

    9

    Asian Law College, Noida

    BA LLB, LLB

    10

    BITS Law School, Mumbai

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons)

    11

    BML Munjal University, Gurgaon

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB,

    12

    BRCM Law College, Bhiwani, Haryana

    BA LLB, LLB, LLM

    13

    DME Law School, Noida

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons)

    14

    SGT University, Gurgaon

    BA LLB,BBA LLB, LLB, LLM

    15

    Fairfield School of Law, Delhi

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, LLM

    16

    Galgotias University, Noida

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB (Hons)

    17

    GD Goenka University, Gurgaon

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM

    18

    Gitam School of Law, Visakhapatnam

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM,

    19

    GLA University, Mathura

    BBA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), LLM,

    20

    GLS University, Ahmedabad

    BA LLB, BBA LLB (Hons), LLM

    21

    Gopal Narayan Singh University, Rohtas, Bihar

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, LLB, LLM

    22

    Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM

    23

    Harlal School of Law, Noida

    BA LLB

    24

    IAMR Law College, Ghaziabad

    BA LLB, LLB

    25

    IILM University, Gurgaon

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM,

    26

    IIM, Rohtak

    5 Year Integrated Programme in LAW (IPL)

    27

    Indore Institute of Law, Indore

    BBA LLB (Hons) with Global and Transnational Studies, BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM

    28

    Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad

    BA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), LLM

    29

    IPEM Law Academy, Ghaziabad

    BA LLB, B.Com LLB, LLB

    30

    ISBR Law College, Bangalore

    BBA LLB, LLB

    31

    ITM University, Raipur

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, LLM

    32

    JECRC University, Jaipur

    BA LLB(Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), B.Sc (Forensic Science) LLB (Hons)

    33

    JIMS Engineering Management Technical Campus School of Law, Noida

    BA LLB, BBA LLB

    34

    Kalinga University, Naya Raipur

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, LLB, LLM

    35

    Karnavati University, Gandhinagar

    BA LLB(Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM

    36

    K R Mangalam University, Gurugram

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), LLB (Hons)

    37

    LLoyd Law College, Greater Noida

    BA LLB, LLB

    38

    Mahindra University, Hyderabad

    BA LLB(Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB (Hons)

    39

    Mangalayatan University, Beswan, UP

    BA LLB, B.Com LLB, LLB, LLM

    40

    Manipal Law School, Bengaluru

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons),LLM

    41

    Manipal University, Jaipur

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), B.Sc (Hons), LLB

    42

    Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat

    BA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons)

    43

    Mewar University, Gangrar, Rajasthan

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB, LLM,

    44

    MIT World Peace University, Pune

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB, LLM,

    45

    Mody University, Lakshmangarh, Sikar, Rajasthan

    BA LLB , BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM

    46

    National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar

    B.Sc LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM

    47

    Oriental University, Indore

    BA LLB, LLB, LLM

    48

    Presidency University, Bangalore

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), B.Com (Hons), LLM

    49

    Quantum University, Roorkee, Uttarakhand

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons)

    50

    Raffles University, Neemrana

    BA LLB (Hons),BBA LLB (Hons), LLB, LLM

    51

    Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat

    LLM

    52

    Renaissance Law College, Indore

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), B.Com (Hons), LLB (Hons)

    53

    Reva University, Bengaluru

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, LLM

    54

    RNB Global University, Bikaner

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, LLB, LLM

    55

    Sai University, Chennai

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    56

    Sanskriti University, Mathura

    BA LLB (Hons), LLM

    57

    Siddhartha Law College, Dehradun

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, LLB, LLM

    58

    SRM University, Delhi

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM

    59

    SVKM’s NMIMS, Mumbai

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM

    60

    Techno India University, Kolkata

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, B.Com LLB, LLB, LLM

    61

    Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad

    BA LLB, BBA LLB, B.Com LLB, LLM

    62

    Teri School of Advanced Studies, Delhi

    LLM

    63

    ICFAI University, Dehradun

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM

    64

    University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), B.Com (Hons), LLB

    65

    Uttaranchal University, Dehradun

    BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM

    Reappearing for CLAT

    There is no limit to the number of attempts in CLAT. Candidates who don't get into NLU can also take a drop and appear for the exam again next year. Candidates should make sure that they analyse their past year’s mistakes to make a better strategy. The primary focus of the candidates should be on building the right strategy, solving CLAT previous year papers and taking a lot of mocks.

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    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: Will CLAT 2026 be hard?
    A:

    The CLAT is known to be one of the most popular and toughest entrance exams in India. Considering previous year question papers and trends, CLAT 2026 will be easy to moderate.

    Q: What is the exam pattern of CLAT 2026?
    A:

    The types of questions asked in the CLAT are of objective type. Total of 120 questions are asked from the syllabus. For every right answer there are two marks and negative marking of 0.25.

    Q: How to get admission in NLU without CLAT?
    A:

    The All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) is a national-level law entrance exam that will be held by NLUD every year to enrol students at National Law University (NLU), Delhi.

    Q: Can i get admission in NLU without CLAT?
    A:

    No, CLAT exam is necessary for admission into the National Law Universities (NLUs), as they all accept the CLAT score except for NLU Delhi, which only accepts the AILET score.

    Q: Is CLAT worth a drop?
    A:

    Many students take a drop to prepare for CLAT. However, rigorous preparation for 9 to 10 months is enough to clear the exam.

    Q: Does CLAT have two attempts?
    A:

    There is no limit to the number of attempts a candidate can make for CLAT.

    Q: Is there any other way to get into NLU?
    A:

    To get admissions in NLUs, students will have to mandatorily appear for CLAT exam. Except for NLU Delhi, which accepts AILET scores, its own entrance exam for admissions.

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