CLAT Cut-Offs 2027: NLU-Wise Closing Ranks, Category-Wise Marks & Safe Score

This page gives the full CLAT cut off picture in one place: the actual CLAT 2026 NLU-wise closing ranks, a six-year trend line, category-wise cut-offs for General, OBC, EWS, SC and ST, a marks-to-rank guide, and the safe score for each tier of NLU. Every number is an indicative planning figure drawn from recent CLAT counselling cycles — the official CLAT 2027 cutoff will be published only during counselling at consortiumofnlus.ac.in.

What Is the CLAT Cut-Off?

The CLAT cutoff is the minimum All-India Rank (or the corresponding score) required to secure a seat at a particular NLU in a particular category. Because the Consortium of NLUs releases seats through round-wise counselling, the "cut-off" is really the last admitted rank in each NLU’s category list after a given round. A tighter (lower-numbered) closing rank means a more competitive NLU. When people search for the NLU cut off, they usually mean this last-admitted General-category rank at the NLU they are targeting.

The score behind that rank is set by the marking scheme — +1 for a correct answer and −0.25 for a wrong one across 120 questions. If you are still working out how marks convert to a rank, start with how CLAT’s marking and scoring works. For the exam behind these ranks — full form, eligibility, pattern and dates — see our complete guide to the CLAT exam.

CLAT 2027 Cut-Off at a Glance

CLAT 2027 is expected on 6 December 2026, so the CLAT 2027 cut-offs will be released during counselling, expected January–March 2027. Until then, the CLAT 2026 cut off (from the December 2025 exam) and the CLAT cutoff 2025 are the most reliable guides. For context, what began the last cycle as the CLAT 2026 expected cut off — around 90+ marks for top NLUs — proved accurate once the real closing ranks came out.

NLU-Wise CLAT Cut-Offs: Actual 2026 & 2025 Closing Ranks (General)

This is the table most cut-off pages bury in round-by-round dumps. Here it is in one view: each NLU’s actual General-category closing rank in CLAT 2026 and CLAT 2025, the approximate score that reached it, and the tier — ordered most-to-least competitive. Use it to convert a target NLU into a target rank and score.

Indicative General-category closing ranks from recent CLAT counselling (chiefly the 2026 and 2025 final allotment lists). Marks are approximate and vary each year with the marks-to-rank curve. Category, home-state domicile, NRI and PwD cut-offs differ and are usually at higher rank numbers. NLU Tripura and NLU Meghalaya, new for 2027, are expected to have the most accessible cut-offs — natural safety options. Verify official figures in the CLAT 2027 counselling data.

Category-Wise CLAT Cut-Offs (General, OBC, EWS, SC, ST)

The CLAT cut off 2026 category wise shows how far reserved-category closing ranks sit from the General cut-off at the same NLU. These are CLAT 2026 first-round General/OBC/EWS/SC/ST closing ranks for the most competitive NLUs — a template for reading the CLAT 2025 cut off for General versus reserved categories too.

CLAT 2026 Round-1 closing ranks (General category). OBC/EWS/SC/ST ranks are higher (numerically) than General, reflecting reservation; several NLUs reserve OBC/SC/ST seats for home-state domicile candidates, shown as “—”. Indicative — confirm category-specific ranks in the official counselling data.

Marks → Rank → NLU: What Score Reaches Which Cut-Off

A cut-off is only useful if you can turn your target score into it. This is the marks-to-rank-to-NLU map for the General category, based on recent cycles — the interpretation the raw rank tables leave out. In CLAT 2026, roughly 60,500 candidates appeared, and a score of about 90+ was a strong result.

At the top, a single mark can move your rank by 70–100 positions, so accuracy is decisive. These bands are General-category planning guides; domicile quotas can secure a home-state NLU at a higher rank, and reserved-category ranks follow different curves.

To build the score behind your target rank, work from the section-wise syllabus and weightage and sharpen accuracy on CLAT previous-year papers.

Year-Wise CLAT Cut-Off Trends (2021–2026)

Closing ranks are remarkably stable at the top and drift year to year lower down. The CLAT cutoff 2025 and the CLAT cut off 2024 sit close to 2026 for marquee NLUs — the NLU cut off 2025 barely moved from 2024 at the elite end — which is why past cycles are a fair guide. Even the CLAT 2020 cut off for NLSIU sat near the top ~100 General ranks — the elite tier barely moves.

General-category closing ranks by year; 2026 figures reflect the latest available allotment round and remain indicative. Source: recent CLAT counselling allotment lists; verify at consortiumofnlus.ac.in.

Safe Score for Top NLUs

“Safe” means comfortably above the closing rank, not just at it. For the General category: about 100–105+ marks is safe for NLSIU or NALSAR; 95+ for the rest of the top five; 88–92 for strong NLUs; and 75–80+ puts most other NLUs in reach. For SC/ST candidates, a score around 75+ is often enough for a good NLU because reserved-category cut-offs sit at higher rank numbers. Treat these as targets to clear with margin, since the last cycle showed the CLAT 2025 cut off for General tightening at the very top.

What Decides the CLAT Cut-Off Each Year

• Exam difficulty. An easier paper pushes cut-off marks up; a tougher one pulls them down.

• Number of applicants. More candidates for the same seats means tighter closing ranks — about 60,500 appeared in the last CLAT UG cycle.

• Seat matrix. Seat changes move cut-offs; NLSIU expanding its UG intake has eased its closing rank slightly.

• Reservation & domicile. Category and home-state quotas set separate, usually higher, closing ranks.

• Counselling round. Cut-offs loosen across rounds as candidates withdraw or upgrade — later rounds admit at higher ranks.

When & How CLAT 2027 Cut-Offs Are Released

The CLAT 2027 cut-offs are published round-wise during counselling, expected January–March 2027, after the exam on 6 December 2026. See the full CLAT 2027 date and notification timeline for the counselling window. To check a cut-off: visit consortiumofnlus.ac.in, open the CLAT 2027 notification section, select the round-wise provisional allotment list, and find your NLU and category.

How Cut-Offs Drop Across the Five Counselling Rounds

The cut-off you see in Round 1 is not the final one. As candidates withdraw or upgrade, closing ranks loosen with each round — barely at the top NLUs, sharply at newer ones. This is why a rank just outside the Round-1 cut-off is often still in the game.

CLAT 2026 General-category closing ranks by counselling round (indicative). The top NLUs moved only ~5–20 ranks from Round 1 to the final round, while a newer NLU like NLUT Agartala loosened by ~400 — so a borderline rank should Float and track every round rather than settle early.

Using the Cut-Off in Counselling: Freeze, Float, Exit

Cut-offs only help if you fill preferences well. Order every NLU by where you would actually study, mixing a few ambition NLUs just above your expected rank, several target NLUs around it, and two or three safety NLUs below — the new NLU Tripura and NLU Meghalaya are natural safeties for 2027. In each round you can Freeze (accept and stop), Float (accept but stay in the running for a higher preference), or Exit. Choose Float early to keep upgrading, track all five rounds since seats open on withdrawals, and fill the list completely.

Once you know the rank you need, the next question is how to reach it — that is the job of structured CLAT coaching in Delhi NCR, with a rank-graded mock series built around these exact cut-off bands.