Best Government Law Colleges in Karnataka

Karnataka has emerged as one of the leading hubs for legal education in India, offering a mix of prestigious national universities and reputed state-run law colleges. The state is home to the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. Ranked 1st, NLSIU Bengaluru tops the NIRF 2025 law ranking. National law universities are often the go-to choice for law aspirants in India. Alongside NLSIU, government law colleges in Karnataka, such as University Law College Bangalore and Karnataka State Law University (KSLU), Hubli, have played an important role in shaping generations of legal professionals. These top government law colleges in Karnataka are known for their affordable fee structure, experienced faculty and wide academic exposure, making them highly sought after by aspiring law students. 

Law admission in Karnataka differs depending on the colleges and course level. The scores of CLAT and NSLAT are accepted for admission to the government law colleges. NLSIU Bengaluru, KSLU Hubli, and CUK Karnataka are some of the Best government law colleges in Karnataka. Ranked 1st, NLSIU Bengaluru tops the NIRF 2025 law ranking. In the three years, the median salary package in the 5-year LLB at NLSIU Bengaluru has been constant at Rs. 16 lakhs per annum. However, the median salary package of PG 1-year remains consistent between Rs. 7 lakhs to Rs. 8.40 lakhs per annum. 

Top Government Law Colleges in Karnataka - Highlights

Top Government Law Colleges in Karnataka: NIRF Rankings

As per the NIRF government law colleges rankings 2025, there is only one government law college in Karnataka ranked among the top 40 colleges in the country. The list of top government law colleges in Karnataka, as per the NIRF ranking, is mentioned below.

Best Government Law Colleges in Karnataka: NIRF Rankings

Top 10 Government Law Colleges in Karnataka: Careers360 Rankings

Top Government Law Colleges in Karnataka: Admission Criteria

Nowadays, law education is gaining popularity as the other options have limited admission opportunities and high competition. The best government law college in Karnataka for legal education is NLSIU Bengaluru, and this law school continues to dominate as the top law school in India in the recently released NIRF rankings 2025.  The government law colleges in Karnataka offer admission to those candidates who hold a score in a law entrance exam. Law aspirants can find the list of top law entrance exams that are accepted for admission by government law colleges in Karnataka.

Entrance Exams for Best Government Law Colleges in Karnataka

In order to secure admission to the top government law colleges in Karnataka, candidates need to appear in the law entrance exams. Admission to the NLUs is conducted through CLAT UG and CLAT PG. For admission to the 3-year LLB programme, the university conducts its own entrance examination. Candidates who want to pursue law must appear for entrance exams to get LLB admission in government law colleges in Karnataka. The entrance exams accepted by the top government law colleges in Karnataka are as follows:

CLAT: The Common Law Admission Test is one of the biggest entrance exams for law admissions in India. The CLAT exam is conducted for admissions to 5-year LLB and LLM courses in the participating NLUs. NLSIU Bengaluru is one of the top government law colleges in Karnataka and is featured in the NIRF law rankings for 2025. 

NLSAT: NLSIU Bengaluru conducts the National Law School Admissions Test to admit students into the 3-year LLB programme. The university offers a total of 120 seats in the 3-year LLB programme. NLSAT 3-year LLB is an offline examination held across India. The NLSAT syllabus consists of two parts in the same question paper - Part A and Part B. Candidates are required to attempt both parts of the NLSAT exam to be considered for admission. Part A is an objective-type section, and Part B consists of a subjective-type section.

Direct Admissions

The direct admission to law courses in government law colleges in Karnataka is through merit-based entry without an entrance exam, relying on the last qualifying exam marks. However, this is limited and competitive, often available only for a small percentage of seats in non-NLU government colleges under KSLU. 

Top Government Law Colleges in Karnataka: Eligibility for admission

Eligibility for admission to top government law colleges in Karnataka, such as NLSIU Bengaluru and University of Law College, requires candidates to have completed 10+2 with a minimum aggregate of 45% marks (40% for SC/ ST/ OBC) for integrated law programmes or a bachelor’s degree with 45% marks for 3-year LLB. The eligibility criteria at government law colleges in Karnataka differ from one programme to another. The eligibility criteria for the 5-year LLB, 3-year LLB and LLM are as follows:

5-year LLB course

• Candidate must have passed class 12th from a recognised board with aggregate marks of 45% for the general category and 40% for the reserved categories.

• There is no specific upper age limit to enrol in the programme.

3-year LLB course

• Candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university with aggregate marks of 45% for the general category and 40% for the reserved categories like SC, ST, OBC-NCL, etc.

LLM Programme

• Candidate must have passed the LLB or equivalent degree from a recognised university with aggregate marks of 55% for the general category and 50% for the reserved categories.

• There is no age limit to enrol in the LLM programme.

PhD Programme

• Candidate must have cleared a master’s in law from a recognised university with at least 55% aggregate marks. 

Placements in Top Government Law Colleges in Karnataka

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, demonstrated an excellent placement record over the years. NLU Bangalore has released the NIRF report 2025 on its official website. According to the report, 70  UG (5-year) and 77 PG (1-year) students were placed during NLU Bangalore placements in academic year 2023-24. Further, the median package offered during NLSIU Bangalore placements 2024 was Rs. 16 LPA for UG (5-year) students and Rs. 7 LPA for PG (1-year) students. The top recruiters of NLSIU are Trilegal, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, Anagram Partners, Nishith Desai Associates, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, IC Universal Legal, Godrej, AZB & Partners, Saraf & Partners, Keystone Partners, S&R Associates, Singularity Legal, Catalyst Law and ICICI Bank and others. 

NLSIU Bangalore Placement Statistics for Law: UG (5 Years Programme)

NLSIU Bangalore Placement Statistics for Law: PG (1 Year Programme)

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• CLAT College Predictor
• CLAT Rank Predictor
• AILET College Predictor