CLAT Counselling 2026 Begins: CLAT UG & PG Counselling Admission Schedule

Update – Now that the CLAT result is out, we come to the second part of the CLAT admission process: CLAT counselling. If you ask our IMS mentors, they’ll unequivocally agree that the CLAT counselling process is as important, if not more, as the CLAT exam itself. This is where you choose the right NLU for yourself. Here is the entire CLAT counselling process, along with the steps, instructions, and the most important dates to track.

Key Takeaways for CLAT Counselling Process 2026

• The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has announced the counselling schedule for CLAT 2026 on December 17, 2025. Candidates, qualified in the CLAT 2026 are eligible to participate in the centralized admissions counselling process for UG and PG law programmes in participating NLUs.
• Eligible candidates must register online on the CLAT portal and pay the counselling registration fee within the given timeline.
• The CLAT counselling process will have 5 rounds, and the seat allotments will release at different stages based on candidate preferences, ranks and availability of seats.
• The 1st allotment list will be out in January 2026. The candidates can exercise their choice of ‘Freeze’, ‘Float’ or ‘Exit’ in each round of counselling.
• If a candidate is satisfied with the allotted seat and wants to accept it, they have to ‘Freeze’ the allocation with a confirmation fee.
• The entire counselling and allotment process will be online, making it more accessible for students.

📌 Important Notes:

• Candidates shall receive invitations to the Admissions Counselling Process via email at their registered email address and SMS at their registered phone number. Candidates must check their registered email address and carefully read the instructions in the Consortium’s Notification.

Important Dates for CLAT Counselling 2026: CLAT Admissions Counselling Calendar 

Also, remember that not everyone is allowed to sit for the counselling process. Eligible candidates will be invited to register for the process via text message and email. Your dashboard on the CLAT portal will also be updated to reflect your invitation for the CLAT counselling process.

Read More – CLAT cutoffs – How much do you need to score to get into the top NLUs?

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Registration Process for CLAT Admission Counselling 2026

Here is how to complete the CLAT counselling registration process. You can also read more about the CLAT counselling process here – CLAT Counselling Instructions

1. Eligible Candidates will be invited to participate in the Admissions Counselling Process in accordance with the rank list.
2. Visit the official website – consortiumofnlus.ac.in and use your login credentials to log in to the portal. Candidates have to validate that they have been invited for counselling during each round. The Consortium shall not be responsible for any undelivered emails/SMSs.
3. Registrations for the Admissions Counselling Process opened at 6 P.M, on December 17, 2025 and will close at 10 P.M. on December 27, 2025.

Note: To complete their registration for the Admissions Counselling Process, candidates must pay the Counselling Registration Fee by 10 PM on December 27, 2025 and complete the following 2 steps:

1. Update NLU Preferences

• Login to your CLAT account. If you have been invited for counselling, you will see a “Update NLU Preferences” button. Click that button and update your NLU Preferences as required.
• Candidates are requested to review the different programs and seat matrix by reviewing the brochures of the NLUs available on the Participating Universities page and provide the preferences carefully.
• You should provide a minimum of 15 preferences for UG and minimum of 5 preferences for PG. You can provide more preferences also.
• You’ll only be considered for admission to those 15 NLUs, even if you remain eligible for any other NLU. Even if vacancies are available in other NLUs though he or she might be otherwise entitled to by the merit list.
• Candidates can update the preferences any number of times, until the closure of the counselling registration. Candidates should note that they can only move up to the higher preferences and cannot go down in the preferences given.
• Requests for change of preferences after the last date shall not be considered/accepted.

2. Payment of Counselling Registration Fees

Once you’ve set your preferences, you’ll need to complete the registration payment.

1. The ‘Make Payment’ button will be visible on your dashboard when you log into the CLAT portal.
2. Click on it and complete the payment well in time to avoid any last-minute glitches.
3. Pay the Counselling Registration Fee by 10:00 PM on December 27, 2025 as set out below:
4. The fee for General category students is ₹30,000, and for reserved candidates (ST/ SC/ OBC/ BC/ EWS/ PWD), it is ₹20,000.
5. After you complete the payment, you’ll be redirected to a ‘Payment Successful ’ page. Wait till you see a ‘Payment Successful’ message, before you leave the website.
6. Payments can only be made online after logging in to the CLAT 2026 portal through the Consortium website.
7. The CLAT counselling registration payment is refundable per the stipulated guidelines.
8. Any requests to make the payment after the last date for registration, i.e., 10 PM on December 27, 2025 shall not be considered;
9. Only candidates who have successfully completed the registration for the Admissions Counselling will be considered for the allotment of seats.

Read More – Total Seats in CLAT in India

How Many Rounds are there in CLAT Admissions Counselling 2026

There will be total 5 rounds of CLAT admission counselling for 2026:

• If a candidate is not allotted a seat in a given round, they are requested to wait for the next round of counselling as this is a sequential process.
• The Fourth and Fifth round of admissions counselling shall be conducted in the month of May 2026 to fill-up the seats based on the vacancies that remain vacant after April 24, 2026. All available seats will be allotted to the next eligible candidates at this point.
• After the Fifth round of the admissions counselling process, the central admission process will be closed. Member NLUs, however, may admit candidates to fill remaining vacant seats by following their prescribed norms.

CLAT Admission Counselling 2026 – Post-registration Options

Once the first CLAT seat allotment list is released, the candidate will be presented with three options: Freeze, float, or exit.

Freeze Option in CLAT Admission Counselling

1. If the candidate is satisfied with the seat they have been allotted in any of the CLAT counselling rounds, then they must exercise the freeze option. 
2. Once the freeze option is chosen, the candidate will not be considered for further counselling rounds.
3. Upon freezing, the candidate must pay the confirmation fee. A candidate who selects the Freeze Option in the First or Second or Third round of counselling must pay the remaining University Fee by April 24, 2026.
4. Candidates who choose to freeze their allotment in the fourth and fifth rounds must pay the university fee by May 30, 2026.
5. Failure to pay the confirmation fee or the university fee on time will result in the cancellation of the candidature.

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Float

1. If the candidate has not been allotted their first preference NLU and chooses to leave ‘open’ the possibility of getting a higher preference NLU seat they may choose the ‘Float’ Option.
2. The float option allows students to hold on to their currently allotted NLU while waiting for a more preferred NLU seat in next rounds. Candidates who wish to sit for further counselling rounds to get a seat in a higher-preferred NLU must choose this option.
3. To exercise the Float Option in the First or Second or Third or Fourth round of counselling, the candidate must pay the non-refundable Confirmation Fee within the time limit.
4. Candidates can only move upwards according to their NLU preference list. Once a higher NLU is allotted, the candidate cannot move down to a lower preferred NLU. The candidate may hold the seat allotted to them, and if they are allotted a higher preference NLU seat in a subsequent counselling round, they shall move to that more preferred NLU. If moved to a more preferred NLU, then you can not go back to the previous allotted NLU.
5. There will be no float option in the last round of counselling, and the seat allotted will be considered final.

Exit

1. The exit option is for students who wish to exit the CLAT counselling rounds for any reason.
2. If the candidate has exercised the freeze or float option before exiting the CLAT 2026 counselling process, their seat will be reallocated to someone else, and their name removed from subsequent rounds. Their confirmation fee will also be forfeited.

Read More – Top NLUs of India – Which NLUs should you choose for your preference list?

Required Documents for CLAT Admission Counselling 2026

Keep these documents handy for the CLAT counselling process:

1. Grade 10 statement of marks 
2. CLAT 2026 Admit Card 
3. Grade 12 Statement of Marks 
4. Character Certificate/Conduct Certificate from the Educational Institution last attended 
5. Transfer/Migration Certificate from the Educational Institution last attended 
6. Caste Certificate (SC, ST, OBC, etc.) if applied and allotted under the Reserved category of seats
7. PwD/SAP Certificate, if applied and allotted under the PwD category
8. Domicile/Residence Certificate, if applied and allotted under the domicile/resident category seat 
9. Any other supporting documents to claim your seat for the category you have applied (E.g., Wards of Serving/Retired Defence Personnel, EWS certificate, Sons/daughters of Ex-servicemen/Defence service personnel, etc.)

What’s the Process for Refund of the Counselling Registration Fee?

As per the Consortium of NLUs the refund process of fee is as below:

1. If any candidate:

• Is not allotted a seat at the end of the Fifth round of the Admissions Counselling Process by the Consortium; or
• Has not chosen the Freeze or Float option and Exit from the Counselling Process, the Counselling Registration Fee will be refunded in full.

2. If a candidate:

• Has been allocated a seat and has chosen a Float or Freeze option till the fourth round, and then subsequently chooses to Exit or fails to complete their admission at the chosen NLU by paying their fees then their Counselling Registration
  Fee will be refunded. The fee will be refunded in full if the exit option is exercised before 1 P.M. on May 8, 2026, or after a deduction of Rs 5,000/-, if exercised after 1 P.M. on May 8, 2026.

3. If a candidate:

• Is found ineligible by an NLU based upon the verification of documents/information, an amount of Rs. 5,000/- will be deducted and the remaining registration fee will be refunded.

4. If any candidate:

• Has exercised ‘Freeze’ option and taken admission at the allocated NLU in any of the five rounds, but withdrawn the admission subsequently after May 30, 2026, an amount of Rs. 5000/- will be deducted and also confirmation fees will be forfeited.

5. If a candidate:

• Gets a seat for the first time in the Fifth round of counselling, and the candidate chooses to Exit or fails to complete their admission at the NLU, their registration fee shall be refunded in full.

Notes:

• Refunds will be initiated to the same account from which the Counselling Registration Fee was paid.
• Candidates have to ensure that their given bank accounts are functional during the course of the counselling process and the refund process.

FAQs

How to make fee payment at the allotted NLU?

All candidates who have selected the Freeze option in the first, second, third, fourth or fifth round of counselling must pay the balance of University Fees. This payment should be after adjusting for the registration fee and confirmation fees already paid.

Any candidate who fails to pay their balance university fees by the given date will be deemed to have chosen the Exit option. NLU will forfeit their seat and the Confirmation Fee. They will receive a refund of the Counselling Registration Fee after
a deduction of Rs. 5,000. In case any discrepancy exists in the documents submitted, the concerned NLU reserves the right to reject the admission of a candidate.

CLAT Counselling 2026 – Conclusion

CLAT counselling 2026 is a critical component of the entire NLU admission process. Keep track of all the important dates and read through the instructions carefully, especially the part about the Freeze, Float, and Exit options.