Why Delhi University's 5-Year LLB Cut-offs are Higher Than Many NLUs and Top Non-NLUs

Delhi University introduced 5-year LLB courses — BA LLB and BBA LLB in 2023. Soon after the launching of the courses, the Faculty of Law, DU became one of the most sought-after law schools among CLAT aspirants. The first admission batch of DU has yet to graduate and join the legal profession. The courses are offered at almost Rs. 2 Lakh per annum. Still, several students with CLAT ranks close to 1000 or below opt for Delhi University. The DU LLB cut-offs are more competitive than those of many NLUs and non-NLUs, which included law schools such as NLU Shimla, MNLU Nagpur, Nirma University and IPU. What explains this? Let's try to understand DU LLB cutoff trends in this article.

DU 5-year LLB cutoffs — Previous trends

The university did not release the 5-year LLB cutoffs in the previous two academic years. The merit list is prepared based on the applicants' CLAT scores. In the first year, over 1700 candidates registered for 5-year LLB admission, resulting in 14-15 applicants contesting for each seat offered by the university. Initially, the DU 5-year LLB cutoffs were expected to fall in the range of CLAT all India ranks 4,000 - 5,000, however, it closed around all India rank 1000 for the general category.

In 2024, the DU 5-year LLB admission for the general category closed at around CLAT rank 1000-1100. These admission cut-offs were comparable to those of Tier-2 NLUs. Surprisingly, some students eligible for tier-1 NLUs still chose DU over them.

Among the top non-NLUs, the DU 5-year LLB cut-offs are the highest despite some law colleges having excellent infrastructure and placements better than many tier 2 and tier 3 NLUs.

What makes Delhi University a good option for CLAT aspirants?

The location of DU, the affordability of courses, and its reputation, perception and diverse culture are major attractions for students irrespective of the courses they pick for higher education.

Except for the placements, all other factors make DU one of the best higher education institutes in the country for 5-year LLB. The first 5-year LLB batch of DU will graduate in 2028, so it remains to be seen how the industry will respond to the new courses launched by DU.

The university is located in the national capital, near judicial, administrative and corporate offices. So, it has great locational advantages over law schools far from tier-1 and tier-2 cities.

The 5-year LLB courses at DU are offered at Rs. 2 Lakh per annum, which is relatively affordable compared to the top national law universities, where annual fees can go up to Rs. 4.5 Lakh per annum. Additionally, DU is also offering scholarships in the form of up to 90% fee waiver to students whose family income is below a certain level.

Finally, the reputation of Delhi University is one of the strongest factors that students consider. The fact is many non-NLU law colleges in Delhi NCR were offering 5-year LLB much before DU started its courses. Still, DU has been able to attract students from all corners of the country.

DU standing against NLUs and NLUs?

Delhi University has many things to offer. The learning environment is slightly different from NLUs. While DU offers a strong and diverse student community and learning opportunities beyond classrooms, the NLUs are dedicated to legal education and have a focused learning environment.

NLUs have a long-standing reputation for offering industry-relevant legal education. The placement records of the top 10-14 NLUs are better than most of the other law schools in the country. DU is in its initial years, so there are no placement records to showcase. Even the 3-year LLB course offered by DU is also not very popular for corporate placements.

Some top non-NLU law schools such as Nirma University, BITs Law School, Mumbai, IP University, Delhi and IIM Rohtak also accept CLAT scores. Students who get admission offers from tier 3 NLUs (newly established NLUs) often look to apply to these non-NLUs. Delhi University, in its initial years, can be clubbed with these law schools. It can be preferred over tier 3 NLUs and several non-NLUs.

DU 5-year LLB cut-offs this year

The DU CLAT cut offs are likely to remain similar to previous years. The general category cut-offs for DU may remain in the range of CLAT all India rank 1000-1500. SC and ST cutoffs for DU 5-year LLB may go up to CLAT AIR 10,000, depending on the total number of candidates who apply in these categories. The EWS cut-offs for DU 5-year LLB can be in the range of 4000-4500.