How Many NLUs Are There in India? Full List of National Law Universities (2026)

If you have searched "how many NLUs are there in India" and found answers ranging from 24 to 28, you are not imagining the confusion. The number genuinely depends on what you count. This guide gives you the exact figure, the full list of every National Law University, the reason different websites disagree, and everything an aspirant actually needs to plan a CLAT preparation strategy.

NLUs in India at a glance

• Total NLUs in India (2026): 26

• NLUs that admit through CLAT: 24

• NLUs with a separate exam: 2 (NLU Delhi through AILET, NLU Meghalaya through its own test)

• First NLU established: NLSIU Bengaluru, set up under a 1986 state Act

• Newest NLU: Dr. Rajendra Prasad National Law University (RPNLU), Prayagraj

• Governing body for CLAT: the Consortium of National Law Universities

• Approximate CLAT seats on offer: around 3,400 in the five-year LLB and about 1,300 in LLM

What is an NLU? The full form and meaning

NLU stands for National Law University. NLUs are autonomous public law schools, each created by its own state legislature and recognised by the Bar Council of India. They were designed as the legal equivalent of the IITs and IIMs, single discipline universities built to lift Indian legal education to a global standard.

The model began with the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, established under a 1986 Karnataka Act as the country's first NLU. Its success set a template that states across India copied over the following decades, which is how a single experiment grew into a national network of 26 institutions.

Why the number of NLUs is reported as 24, 25, 26, 27 or 28

Almost every ranking site quotes a slightly different figure. Here is what each number is really counting, so you can judge any source you read.

The cleanest way to state it: there are 26 National Law Universities in India. GNLU Silvassa is an off-campus of Gujarat National Law University rather than a separate NLU, which is why careful sources keep the headline number at 26 even when a counselling list shows 27 rows.

Complete list of all NLUs in India (2026)

Below is the full list of National Law Universities, with location and the entrance exam each one uses. All are government institutions offering integrated five-year LLB, LLM and PhD programmes.

Note: Gujarat National Law University also operates an off-campus at Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, which admits through CLAT and is listed as a separate choice during counselling. It is part of GNLU, so it is not counted as a 27th university here.

How the number of NLUs grew over time

The NLU network expanded in waves. NLSIU Bengaluru arrived first, followed by NALSAR Hyderabad, NLIU Bhopal, WBNUJS Kolkata and NLU Jodhpur, the group often called the first generation NLUs. A second wave through the 2000s and 2010s added most of the state universities on the list above. The most recent entrants, including RPNLU Prayagraj, are still building their reputations, which is why some articles have not caught up with the current total of 26.

Top NLUs in India and the tier system

Aspirants often group NLUs into informal tiers based on the National Institutional Ranking Framework, placement records and cut-offs. The Ministry of Education publishes the NIRF law rankings each year, and the top names have stayed remarkably stable. The universities below are the ones most candidates target first, commonly described as the tier one NLUs.

A strong rank alone does not decide the right fit. Fees, specialisations, city, hostel life and internship access all matter, so a candidate scoring in the mid range should study the seat matrix for the whole list rather than fixate on the top five.

How admission to NLUs works: CLAT, AILET and the exceptions

There are two entrance routes into the NLU system. The Common Law Admission Test is the gateway to 24 of the 26 universities and is run by the Consortium of National Law Universities. NLU Delhi is not a member of the Consortium and admits only through its own All India Law Entrance Test. NLU Meghalaya conducts its own examinations for its programmes.

For most aspirants the practical takeaway is simple: prepare thoroughly for CLAT to open 24 doors, and sit AILET as well if NLU Delhi is on your wish list. The syllabus overlap between the two is large, so a single well planned preparation covers both.

What is the Consortium of NLUs?

The Consortium of National Law Universities is the official body of the participating NLUs. It conducts CLAT every year, publishes the merit list, and runs centralised counselling that allots seats across member universities based on rank and stated preferences. When people say "NLU consortium" or "consortium of law", this is the organisation they mean. Its decisions on eligibility, seats and the exam pattern apply to all member NLUs.

How many seats do NLUs offer?

Across the CLAT NLUs there are roughly 3,400 undergraduate seats in the five-year integrated LLB and about 1,300 seats in LLM, spread very unevenly. NLSIU Bengaluru and NLIU Bhopal offer some of the largest intakes, while newer universities such as NLUT Agartala and NLU Meghalaya run much smaller batches. Seat numbers shift a little each year as universities add courses or supernumerary seats, and the exact seat matrix for each cycle is published by the Consortium at counselling time.

Are NLUs government or private?

Every NLU is a government university, established by an Act of a state legislature. They are not private colleges. They are, however, largely self financing, which is why tuition is higher than at a typical state university. Annual fees for the five-year LLB commonly fall in the range of about 1.5 lakh to 2.6 lakh rupees, with LLM fees a little lower, and the strongest NLUs recover this through placement packages that private law colleges struggle to match.

Planning your NLU journey from Delhi

Knowing that there are 26 NLUs is the easy part. Turning that into a seat means a preparation plan built around your target universities and their cut-offs. At CLAT Coaching Delhi our mentors help aspirants shortlist the right NLUs, build a CLAT and AILET study schedule, and track cut-off trends year on year. If you are starting out, our structured CLAT Coaching in Delhi programme is a practical first step toward the NLU that fits you best.