How to get into NLUs?
As several of them are considered among the best by rating organizations like the NIRF Rankings released by the MHRD, NLUs are the first option of a law aspirant. In this post, we closely examine the ranks of these institutes, the courses they provide, the seat matrix, the cost, and the entrance requirements.
Any legal student worth his salt is aware of the National Law Universities, or at the very least has heard of them (NLUs). In fact, universities like NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR, and NLU Delhi have produced some of the nation’s top legal brains, making them the leaders in legal education. Therefore, when application season rolls around, there is a huge rush to get into the NLUs. However, it might be difficult to get accepted into the NLUs, especially the older institutions—many of which are among the best law schools in the nation. To begin with, these universities receive a significant amount of applications, and on top of that, the NLU admission exam is no easy task.
Courses offered by NLUs
| UG Courses | PG Courses |
| BA LLB (Hons.) | LLM |
| BBA LLB | LLD |
| BSc LLB | PhD IN Law |
| BCom LLB | PG Diploma in Urban Environmental Management and Law (NLU Delhi) |
| BLS LLB | Postgraduate Certificate in Environmental and Travel Law (NLU Delhi) |
| BBA LLB (Hons.) | Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Law and Policy (NLU Delhi) Three-year LLB Course at NLSIU Bangalore |
NLU Admission process
Except for NLU Delhi, admission to other NLUs is dependent on CLAT results. The AILET, a unique admission examination, is held by NLU Delhi.
| Name of the NLU | Entrance exam |
|---|---|
| NLU Delhi | AILET |
| NLUs that are members of the NLU Consortium | CLAT |
Let’s examine the key distinctions between the two legal entrance tests for NLU admissions listed above:
CLAT.
For admission to 24 National Legal Universities in India, the CLAT is a national-level law entrance test (except for NLU Delhi). The Consortium of NLUs, whose governing body consists of the vice chancellors of all 24 NLUs, administers the law admission test. 3,213 places for five-year integrated law programmes and 1,217 seats for postgraduate legal programmes are available through CLAT. Extra, supernumerary, and NRI seats are not included in the aforementioned intake.
AILET.
The sole admission examination administered and recognised by NLU Delhi is the All India Law Entrance Test, or AILET for short. In order to be admitted to the university’s five-year integrated LLB and LLM programmes, this national level test is offered once a year. Without including J&K, supernumerary, or NRI seats, the LLB course has 110 seats, while the LLM course has 70 seats.
| Exam Features | CLAT UG | AILET UG |
|---|---|---|
| Exam mode | Offline | Offline |
| Test duration | 2 hours | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Test subjects | Five subjects as under: English including Comprehension Current Affairs including General Knowledge Quantitative Techniques (Elementary Mathematics) Legal Reasoning Logical Reasoning | Five subjects as under: English Comprehension General Knowledge and Current Affairs Elementary Mathematics Legal Aptitude Logical Reasoning |
| Type of questions | Multiple choices questions (MCQs) | Multiple choices questions (MCQs) |
| Total marks | 150 marks | 150 marks |
| Marking scheme | Each accurate response earns you one point. 0.25 points are deducted for each error. | Each accurate response earns you one point. 0.25 points are deducted for each error. |
Qualifications for Admission to NLU
The following are the requirements for admission to the undergraduate and graduate legal programmes offered at NLUs, including NLU Delhi:
Academic requirements for UG Admissions: Applicants for NLU Admissions must have passed or be taking the Class 12 qualifying test.
If they fall under the General, OBC, PWD, NRI, PIO, or OCI categories, they must get at least 45% in the qualifying test.
Candidates from the SC/ST categories are offered a 5% reduction on the minimum qualifying marks, meaning they must receive at least 40% in the Class 12 qualifying test.
Academic requirements for PG admissions: Applicants for LLM programmes at NLUs must hold an LLB degree or an equivalent from a recognised law institution or university.
If they fall under one of the General, OBC, PWD, NRI, PIO, or OCI categories, they must get at least a 55 percent grade in the prerequisite law degree.
The minimum score necessary for applicants in the SC/ST categories is 50%, or an equivalent grade.
Candidates who will be taking their law degree’s final year test are also eligible to apply.
The Bar Council of India has eliminated all age restrictions for admission to law programmes.
A quick overview
There are several ways to get into National Law Universities (NLUs) in India:
- Appear for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), which is an entrance exam for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate law programs in NLUs.
- Appear for AILET (All India Law Entrance Test) for admission to NLU Delhi.
- Appear for LSAT-India, which is accepted by some NLUs as an admission test.
- Appear for the entrance test conducted by the particular NLU you wish to apply to.
- Some NLUs also consider the marks scored in 10+2 or graduation level as a criteria for admission.
- Some NLUs also conduct GD/PI as a part of the admission process.
- It is important to check the official website of the NLU you wish to apply to, for detailed information on the admission criteria and process.
- It is also important to note that some NLUs have a reservation for the candidates from their respective states, so it is always better to check the official website for the same.
- It’s always better to start preparing for the entrance exams well in advance and also keep an eye on the important dates and deadlines for the application process.