The Ultimate Guide to all NLUs in India
Update: CLAT 2025 third allotment/merit list is released for all NLUs in India. You can check the CLAT 3rd allotment list for seat status and apply for the CLAT counselling.
NLUs in India: NLUs are the go-to choice for law aspirants as they are among the best law colleges by NIRF Rankings. The Ministry of Education releases these rankings yearly, providing aspiring law students with insights into the top colleges. In this blog, we delve into Indian NLUs, covering NIRF Rankings 2024 for law, offered courses, seat availability, fees, and admission criteria.
If you practice law as a profession or academic field, you’re likely familiar with National Law Universities (NLUs) like NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR, and NLU Delhi—leading institutions that have shaped some of the brightest legal minds. During application season, there’s a frenzy to secure a spot in these NLUs.
However, gaining admission to NLUs is not an easy walk. They receive many applications, and their entrance exams, particularly the CLAT exam (except for NLU Delhi, which conducts the AILET Entrance Exam separately), are challenging. For 2024 admissions, the CLAT exam took place on December 3, 2023, from 2 PM to 4 PM, determining entrance to 24 NLUs across the country.
The CLAT 2025 exam is expected to be held in the first week of December 2025.
NLUs in India: NLU (National LAW University)
National Law Universities, frequently referred to as NLUs, are the most well-known legal institutions in the country. India now has 26 national law universities. NLU Tripura (2022), NLU Meghalaya (2023), and GNLU Silvassa (2022) are the new NLUs. National law universities (NLUs) are regarded as the forerunners of legal education in India. These institutions provide integrated LLB, LLM, and PhD programmes.
Some NLUs also provide numerous certification programmes. NLSIU Bengaluru is the only NLU that offers a three-year LLB programme for students who have finished their bachelor’s degree. It provides admission to a three-year LLB programme through the National Law School Admission Test (NLSAT), which is administered online.
Know more: Top law colleges in India
List of NLUs in India
The Ministry of Education has published the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) Ranking of Law Colleges 2024. The NLU List 2024 of the top five law institutions of India is-
- National Law School of India University
- National Law University
- NALSAR University of Law
- The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
- Symbiosis Law School
Here is the NLU List according to the NIRF ranking for 2024
| NLUs | NIRF SCORE 2024 | NIRF RANK 2024 |
| National Law School of India University | 83.83 | 1 |
| National Law University | 77.48 | 2 |
| NALSAR University of Law | 77.05 | 3 |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | 76.39 | 4 |
| Symbiosis Law School | 74.62 | 5 |
| Jamia Millia Islamia | 73.12 | 6 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | 71.47 | 7 |
| Gujarat National Law University | 69.56 | 8 |
| Siksha `O` Anusandhan | 65.40 | 9 |
| Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University | 64.96 | 10 |
| Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology | 63.60 | 11 |
| Aligarh Muslim University | 63.54 | 12 |
| Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | 61.58 | 13 |
| Shanmugha Arts Science Technology and Research Academy | 60.65 | 14 |
| Christ University | 59.39 | 15 |
| Dr. B. R. Ambedkar College of Law | 58.75 | 16 |
| Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University | 58.68 | 17 |
| Alliance University | 56.72 | 18 |
| Lovely Professional University | 56.71 | 19 |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University | 55.92 | 20 |
| National Law Institute University, Bhopal | 55.64 | 21 |
| National University of Study and Research in Law | 55.52 | 22 |
| University of Lucknow | 55.05 | 23 |
| The Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law | 54.70 | 24 |
| Banaras Hindu University | 54.54 | 25 |
| National Law University, Cuttack | 54.49 | 26 |
| National Law University and Judicial Academy | 53.39 | 27 |
| UPES | 52.92 | 28 |
| Manipal University, Jaipur | 52.23 | 29 |
| Army Institute of Law | 52.11 | 30 |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai | 51.70 | 31 |
| Chanakya National Law University | 51.70 | 31 |
| Amity University Haryana, Gurgaon | 51.68 | 33 |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur | 51.43 | 34 |
| Indian Law Institute | 50.25 | 35 |
| ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Hyderabad | 49.87 | 36 |
| Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management | 48.49 | 37 |
| National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) | 47.96 | 38 |
| Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University | 47.94 | 39 |
| Amity University | 47.94 | 39 |
Know more: CLAT Cutoff & Third Allotment List
NLUS in India: NLU List UG and PG Seats
Below is the NLU List of seats for UG and PG provided by different NLUs:
|
NLUs in India |
Seats (UG) | Seats (PG) |
| National Law School of India University, Bangalore | 240 | 100 |
| National Law University, Delhi | 123
(including Supernumerary seats) |
83
(including Supernumerary seats) |
| National Academy of Legal Study & Research (NALSAR) University of Law, Hyderabad | 132 | 66 |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata | 132 | 70 |
| National Law Institute University, Bhopal | 102 | 60 |
| National Law University, Jodhpur | 120 | 50 |
| Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar | 172 | 57 |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow | 187 | 33 |
| Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala | 180 | 60 |
| Chanakya National Law University Patna | 132 | – |
| National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi | 120 | 60 |
| National Law University Odisha, Cuttack | 180 | 46 |
| National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi | 120 | 50 |
| National Law University & Judicial Academy, Assam | 60 | 40 |
| Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU) Visakhapatnam | 120 | 60 |
| The Tamil Nadu National Law School, Tiruchirapalli | 120 | 60 |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai | 100 | 50 |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur | 120 | 60 |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad | 60 | 60 |
| Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla | 180 | 80 |
| Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur | 120 | 50 |
| Dr. BR Ambedkar National Law University, Sonipat, Haryana | 120 | – |
| Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur | 170 | 90 |
| Sikkim National Law University, Gangtok | – | |
| National Law University, Tirupura | 120 | 50 |
| GNLU Silvassa Campus | 66 | 33 |
Courses Offered by NLUs in India:
The List of programs and courses offered by NLUs is-
| PG Courses | UG Courses |
|
|
Eligibility to Admit into NLUs in India
The admission criteria for law programmes are identical across all 24 national law universities in the CLAT Consortium. NLU Delhi mentioned its eligibility criteria individually in its admission notification. Essentially, the eligibility criteria for admission to all NLUs remain the same. Here are the eligibility criteria for NLUs.
| Criteria | Eligibility |
| Qualifications in education | Class 12 integrated LLB or equivalent LLM – LLB (3-year or integrated LLB) degree |
| Minimum qualifying exam marks required |
|
| Age restriction | There is no upper age limit. |
NLUs in India: Check out the detailed NIRF Law Ranking List: 2023-2022
| NLUs in India | NIRF Ranking 2023 | NIRF Ranking 2022 |
| National Law School of India University, Bangalore | 1 | 1 |
| National Law University, Delhi | 2 | 2 |
| NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad | 3 | 4 |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata | 4 | 5 |
| National Law Institute University, Bhopal | 14 | 17 |
| National Law University, Jodhpur | 8 | 5 |
| Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar | 6 | 7 |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow | 15 | 11 |
| Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala | 16 | 10 |
| Chanakya National Law University, Patna | – | – |
| National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi | 26 | – |
| National Law University Odisha, Cuttack | 18 | – |
| National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi | – | – |
| National Law University & Judicial Academy, Assam | 20 | 16 |
| Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU) Visakhapatnam | 28 | – |
| The Tamil Nadu National Law School, Tiruchirapalli | – | – |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai | – | – |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur | – | – |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad | – | – |
| Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla | – | – |
| Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur | – | – |
| Dr. BR Ambedkar National Law University, Sonipat, Haryana | – | – |
| Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur | – | – |
