NLU List & CLAT Cutoffs 2027

26 National Law Universities admit students through CLAT 2027 — up from 24, after the Consortium of NLUs added NLU Tripura (Agartala) and NLU Meghalaya (Shillong) in April 2026, effective from the 2027–28 session. NLU Delhi is the only National Law University that does not use CLAT; it conducts its own exam, AILET. Always confirm the final list in the official CLAT 2027 notification.

Two new NLUs joined the CLAT pool for 2027 — NLU Tripura in Agartala and NLU Meghalaya in Shillong — each offering 60 UG seats from the 2027–28 academic session, taking the total to 26 participating NLUs. As recent entrants, both are expected to have among the most accessible closing ranks, which makes them useful safety options on a CLAT preference list.

CLAT 2027 offers approximately 3,520 undergraduate (BA LLB and other integrated LLB) seats across the 26 participating NLUs, plus separate LLM (PG) seats. Seat numbers shift slightly each year with new entrants and intake changes — for example, NLSIU Bangalore is reported to be expanding its UG intake. The official seat matrix is confirmed in the CLAT 2027 notification and counselling documents.

NLSIU Bangalore consistently has the highest CLAT cutoff — its General-category closing rank is typically within the top ~150 All-India ranks. It is followed by NALSAR Hyderabad (around the top 250) and WBNUJS Kolkata (around the top 400). These three, with NLU Jodhpur and GNLU Gandhinagar, form the most competitive tier of NLUs to enter through CLAT.

The newest and smaller NLUs have the most accessible cutoffs. For 2027, the new entrants — NLU Tripura and NLU Meghalaya — along with NLUJ Jabalpur, NLUT Agartala and GNLU Silvassa, are expected to admit at the highest rank numbers (beyond roughly 4,000–5,000 in the General category). This makes them realistic safety options for aspirants outside the top ranks.

For the elite NLUs, aim for a General-category All-India rank under about 750: NLSIU Bangalore closes around the top 150, NALSAR around 250, NUJS around 400, NLU Jodhpur around 600 and GNLU around 750. A rank under 1,500 brings strong NLUs like NLIU Bhopal, MNLU Mumbai, HNLU and RMLNLU into reach. Cutoffs vary by year and category.

NLSIU Bangalore, the top NLU, typically closes its General-category seats within roughly the top 150 All-India ranks through CLAT — so you generally need to be in the top 100–150 to be confident of a seat. Home-state domicile and reserved-category cutoffs differ. With NLSIU reportedly expanding its UG intake for 2027, the exact closing rank may ease slightly, but it remains the most competitive NLU.

A good CLAT rank is one that secures an NLU you would be happy to attend. Broadly: under 500 puts the elite NLUs in reach; under 1,500 covers most strong NLUs; under 3,000 opens established NLUs; and under about 5,000 brings the newer NLUs into play. Because there are ~3,520 UG seats among roughly a lakh aspirants, a rank in the low thousands is genuinely strong.

Yes — a General-category rank under 1,000 is strong and puts several excellent NLUs in reach. Around the top 750–900 you can target GNLU Gandhinagar and NLIU Bhopal, with NALSAR, NUJS and NLU Jodhpur in play nearer the top of that band. Under 1,000 you are competing for genuinely top-tier NLUs, especially when home-state domicile quotas are factored in.

A General-category rank of 1,500–3,000 typically brings established NLUs into reach — RGNUL Patiala, CNLU Patna, NUALS Kochi, MNLU Nagpur and NLUO Cuttack are realistic around this band. These are well-regarded NLUs with good faculty and placements. Listing several of them in your preference order around your expected rank gives you a strong chance of a solid seat.

No. CLAT cutoffs shift each year with the number of applicants, the difficulty of the paper, the seat matrix and any new NLUs joining. The figures on this page are indicative, based on recent cycles, for preference-planning only — not guarantees. A sensible approach is to aim a little above last year's closing rank for your target NLU to leave a safety margin.

Yes. Closing ranks differ for General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS and PwD categories, and for home-state domicile pools. Reserved-category cutoffs are usually at higher rank numbers than the General cutoff for the same NLU, reflecting reservation. The ranks on this page are General-category figures; check the NLU- and category-specific cutoffs in the Consortium's counselling data for your exact category.

Several NLUs reserve a share of seats for candidates domiciled in the state where the NLU is located, with a separate (often more accessible) cutoff. So your home-state NLU may admit you at a higher All-India rank than its All-India cutoff suggests. To claim a domicile seat you need a valid domicile certificate at counselling. This is worth factoring into your preference order if your state has an NLU.

NLSIU Bangalore is widely regarded as the top NLU, followed by NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLU Jodhpur and GNLU Gandhinagar — the consistently most competitive tier. 'Best' also depends on your goals: location, fee, specialisation, placement record and home-state domicile all matter. Choose the highest NLU your rank realistically reaches that also fits your priorities, rather than chasing a name alone.

NLU Delhi is the one National Law University that does not admit through CLAT — it conducts its own entrance exam, AILET (All India Law Entrance Test), for its BA LLB and LLM programmes. So NLU Delhi never appears in CLAT cutoff lists. Aspirants who want to keep NLU Delhi open prepare for both exams; the syllabi overlap by roughly 80%.

NLSIU Bangalore, the top NLU, has one of the larger UG intakes — reported to be expanding toward around 180 BA LLB seats for 2027 (from 120 earlier), following a government grant. Seat numbers include All-India and home-state domicile pools and can change year to year, so confirm the exact 2027 intake in the official CLAT seat matrix released with counselling.

The top five NLUs by cutoff are, in order, NLSIU Bangalore (General closing rank around the top 150), NALSAR Hyderabad (around 250), WBNUJS Kolkata (around 400), NLU Jodhpur (around 600) and GNLU Gandhinagar (around 750). To be confident of any of these you generally want a General-category rank inside the top 700–750, with the very top names needing a top-150–400 rank.

For 2027, the newest NLUs make natural safety options because their cutoffs are the most accessible — NLU Tripura and NLU Meghalaya (both new this year), plus NLUJ Jabalpur, NLUT Agartala, GNLU Silvassa and DBRANLU Sonipat, which typically admit beyond roughly the 4,000 General rank. Including two or three of these low on your preference list protects you against missing the higher NLUs.

List all NLUs by where you would actually like to study, mixing a few 'ambition' NLUs just above your expected rank, several 'target' NLUs around it, and two or three 'safety' NLUs below it. Factor in location, fee, domicile quota and placement record. Fill the list completely — the Consortium allots the best seat it can against your rank and preferences, and you can upgrade in later rounds.

A higher rank greatly improves your options but never guarantees a specific NLU — allotment depends on your rank relative to others, your category, your domicile, the seats available and the preference order you submit. Even a strong rank can miss a top NLU if you don't list it. Filling a complete, honest preference order is what converts a good rank into the best available seat.

The authoritative source is the Consortium of NLUs at consortiumofnlus.ac.in, which publishes the participating-NLU list, seat matrix and round-wise counselling cutoffs. The figures on this page are indicative, recent-cycle, General-category ranks for planning only. Always verify the official cutoffs and the final list of participating NLUs for CLAT 2027 — including the new entrants — in the Consortium's notification and counselling data.