CLAT Exam Date and Application Form: Registration, Fees and Last Date

A quick but important note before anything else, because it saves a lot of confusion. CLAT exams are named after the year of admission, not the year you sit the paper. CLAT 2026 was held in December 2025 and its application window is long closed. If you are reading this now and planning to appear, the cycle that matters to you is CLAT 2027, whose form is live and whose last date is near. Throughout this page we foreground the current cycle, and treat older years only as reference, so you always act on the right dates.

Which CLAT cycle should you apply for right now?

This single question decides every date on this page, so let us settle it first. Because CLAT is named for the admission year, the exam happens in December of the previous calendar year. So:

• CLAT 2026 was held in December 2025. Its form closed in 2025, its result is out, and its admissions are done. You cannot apply for it now.

• CLAT 2027 is the live cycle. Its application form opened on 3 August 2026, closes on 31 October 2026, and the exam is in early December 2026.

So if you searched for the CLAT application form for 2026 and landed here, the honest answer is that you have most likely just missed one cycle and should aim at CLAT 2027, which is open as you read this. If you are in Class 11 or early Class 12 and planning ahead, your target is the cycle that will be named for the year you want admission.

Everything below is written to be true every year. The exact dates shift by a few days each cycle, so we show the current CLAT 2027 schedule as the live example and tell you where to confirm, but the structure of the calendar stays the same year after year.

CLAT exam important dates

Here is the full calendar of a CLAT cycle, with the live CLAT 2027 dates filled in. Treat the pattern as evergreen and the exact dates as the current example, and always confirm against the official notification.

The one date you cannot afford to miss is the registration last date, because late forms are simply not accepted. For CLAT 2027 that line is 31 October 2026. Set a reminder a week before it, not on the day itself, since servers slow down and payments fail near every deadline.

When is the CLAT exam held? Month and timing

A very common search is simply when is clat exam, or in which month clat exam is conducted. The answer is steady: CLAT is held in December, almost always on the first Sunday, for admission in the following academic session. For CLAT 2027 the date is 6 December 2026.

The exam timing is a single two hour slot in the afternoon. For CLAT 2027 it runs from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Your admit card states the exact reporting time and the gate closing time, and you must reach early, because late entry is not allowed. There is no evening or multi shift system; everyone sits the same paper at the same time across the country.

When does the CLAT application form release, and where?

The CLAT application form, which many students call the CLAT form or the registration form, releases online on the official Consortium of National Law Universities website, consortiumofnlus.ac.in. It opens a few months before the December exam. For CLAT 2027 it opened on 3 August 2026.

There is only one official place to apply. The form is not released on coaching websites, news portals or any app, however convincing they look. Those sites may repeat old dates or wrong fees, so for the form itself, the dates, and the fee, always go to the official site. Treat every date you read elsewhere, including on this page, as a reminder to go and verify on the official notification.

If you want the step by step walkthrough of filling the form, with each field explained, read our dedicated guide on how to give the CLAT exam. Below we give you the shorter version that fits on a dates and application page.

How to fill the CLAT application form: the short version

The CLAT form is online only, and you can save your progress and return to it. In brief, the flow is:

1. Register on consortiumofnlus.ac.in with your name, a working mobile number and email, and verify the OTP to create your login.

2. Fill the form with your personal, communication and educational details exactly as they appear on your Class 10 and Class 12 certificates.

3. Choose your test city preferences, usually up to three, ranked by how easily you can reach each on exam morning.

4. Upload your photograph and signature in the specified size and format, and any category certificate you are claiming.

5. Pay the fee online, then submit before the last date.

6. Use the correction window only if you spot a genuine error after submitting.

Keep your login details safe, because the same account carries you through the admit card, the result and counselling. For the full field by field detail and the common mistakes to avoid, the how to give the CLAT exam guide covers everything.

Documents required for the CLAT form

Keep these ready before you start, scanned to the right size, so the upload does not stall:

• Photograph: a recent passport style photo, plain background, usually up to about 500 KB.

• Signature: a clear scan, usually up to about 100 KB.

• Category certificate: for SC, ST, OBC and similar, where you claim the benefit.

• PwD certificate: for candidates applying under the persons with disability category.

• BPL certificate: where the below poverty line benefit is claimed.

• Domicile certificate: for domicile based reservation at specific NLUs.

File size and format limits change slightly between cycles, so read the instructions on the form itself and resize your files to match. A photo in the wrong size or format is one of the most common reasons an upload fails.

CLAT application form fees

The CLAT form fees are paid online only, and the payment is non refundable, so submit only when your details are final. Fees differ by category. The figures below reflect the current cycle and should be confirmed against the official notification.

Payment is accepted through UPI, net banking, credit card and debit card. Keep a screenshot or receipt of the successful payment, because your form is not considered complete until the fee is paid. A saved but unpaid form will not get you an admit card. Note also that the previous year question papers offered by the Consortium sometimes carry a separate optional charge, which is different from the application fee.

CLAT registration last date: why it rules everything

If there is one date to circle, it is the registration last date. For CLAT 2027 it is 31 October 2026. Miss it and the rest of the calendar does not matter, because there is no late form and no extension you can rely on.

A few practical points that save students every single year:

• Apply early, not on the last day. Near the deadline the portal slows and payments fail. An application finished a week early is an application that actually counts.

• Do not wait for the perfect moment. You can edit permitted fields later in the correction window, so submit once your core details and payment are done.

• Confirm the fee went through. An unpaid form is an incomplete form. Check for the payment confirmation before you close the tab.

After the last date passes, a short correction window usually opens for fixing small errors such as spellings or a re uploaded photo. It is not a second chance to redo the whole form, so use it only for genuine corrections.

CLAT admit card release date

The CLAT admit card is released on the same candidate portal a few weeks before the exam, usually around two to three weeks prior. To download it, you log in with your registered credentials, open the admit card section, and save the PDF. Check that your name, photo, category and exam centre are correct, then take a clear printout and keep a soft copy on your phone as backup.

You cannot enter the exam hall without the admit card, so download it the day it releases rather than waiting. If any detail on it looks wrong, contact the Consortium helpdesk immediately using the contact details on the official site.

CLAT PG application and exam dates

Everything above is for CLAT UG, which most aspirants take. CLAT PG, the entrance for the LLM, runs on the same calendar and the same portal. The application form, the registration last date, the exam date and the fee are the same as CLAT UG for the cycle; what differs is the eligibility and the paper you sit.

So if you are an LLB graduate or in your final year and searching for the CLAT PG date, the PG registration last date and the PG exam date, the answer is simple: they match the CLAT UG schedule for that cycle. For CLAT 2027 that means the same 31 October 2026 last date and the same early December exam. You select the PG programme when you register, and the form guides you to the PG specific details.

Quick eligibility check before you apply

Before you spend time on the form, make sure you are eligible, since the application itself does not change by eligibility but your plan does. In short:

• CLAT UG: you must have passed or be appearing in Class 12, with the minimum marks stated in the notification, usually around 45 percent for general and a relaxation for reserved categories.

• CLAT PG: you need an LLB degree or to be in its final year.

• Age: there is no upper age limit to apply.

• Attempts: there is no limit on how many times you can appear, as long as you remain eligible.

For the full eligibility breakdown, our how to give the CLAT exam guide covers it category by category. And if you are still deciding whether law is for you, our explainer on what the CLAT exam is and what it is for answers the basics in Hindi and English.

What happens after you submit: a quick map

Submitting the form is the start, not the end, so it helps to know the road ahead. After the last date and the correction window, the admit card is released. You sit the exam in early December. Within days, the Consortium releases a provisional answer key and invites objections for a short window. After objections are reviewed, the final answer key and the result, with your All India Rank, are published on the same portal. On the basis of that rank you take part in counselling, which runs in rounds, and receive a seat according to your rank and preferences. The login you create at registration stays with you through all of it, so protect those credentials until your admission is complete.

The CLAT 2026 cycle, for reference

Since many searches still mention 2026, here is the reference, clearly labelled as past. CLAT 2026 was conducted in December 2025, its application window closed in 2025, and its admissions concluded in 2026. There is no open CLAT 2026 form. If you were looking for it, your live target is CLAT 2027, with the dates given above. For the next cycle beyond that, keep an eye on our CLAT exam date and notification page, which we update as the Consortium announces each year.

Prepare while you apply

Handling the application cleanly removes stress from the final weeks, and that calm energy belongs on your actual preparation. The students who stumble are usually the ones who left the form, the fee or the admit card to the last minute. So apply early, then put your focus where rank is actually won: daily reading, section practice and weekly mock tests.

Our full method is laid out in how to clear the CLAT exam, and when you are ready to practise under real conditions, work through genuine previous year CLAT papers. If you want that preparation sequenced and mentored against your target NLU, the team at CLAT Coaching Delhi does exactly this, in the classroom and online. We run centres in Hauz Khas, GTB Nagar, Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram, and the same mentoring is available through our online CLAT coaching. If NLU Delhi is on your list, you can prepare for it alongside CLAT with our AILET coaching in Delhi NCR.

Applying this cycle? Talk to the CLAT Coaching Delhi team and we will help you with both the application and a study plan built around your target NLU.