If you have scored around 85 marks in CLAT 2026, you have a fair chance of getting admission into some of the mid to lower tier National Law Universities, depending on factors like your category, domicile reservation, women quota and the overall difficulty level of the paper this year.
With a score of 85, general category candidates usually have better chances in NLUs such as NLU Odisha (Cuttack), NLU Assam (Guwahati), NLU Ranchi, NLU Raipur, NLU Patiala, NLU Shimla, NLU Aurangabad, NLU Trichy or NLU Visakhapatnam. If you belong to a reserved category like SC, ST, OBC, EWS, or have domicile or women reservation, your chances improve further and you may also be considered for comparatively better NLUs within the same score range.
Top NLUs like NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLUD Delhi, NLU Jodhpur and GNLU Gandhinagar generally require much higher scores, so getting into these with 85 marks would be difficult under the general category. However, cutoffs change every year based on seat matrix, number of applicants, reservation policies and counselling rounds, so nothing can be ruled out completely until the counselling process ends.
You should participate in CLAT counselling, fill as many preferences as possible in a realistic order, and stay active through all rounds, including vacancy and spot rounds if announced. Many candidates secure seats in later rounds due to withdrawals.
Overall, 85 is a decent score and gives you a reasonable chance of securing an NLU seat, especially in mid or newer NLUs. Stay positive, plan your preferences wisely, and keep checking counselling updates regularly. All the best.