CLAT 2026 cut-offs declared: check round and category-wise marks for NLU admissions

Aspirants across the country are currently analyzing their CLAT 2026 results and cut-off marks following the official declaration of scores. The cut-offs are a critical benchmark for assessing chances of securing admission into National Law Universities (NLUs) and will guide candidates through the upcoming counselling process.

The CLAT 2026 examination, conducted in a single shift on 1 December 2024, maintained the same pattern as the previous year, featuring 120 questions across five sections. The overall difficulty level of CLAT 2025 was assessed as easy to moderate, with sections like English and Quantitative Techniques considered accessible and scoring. Legal Reasoning and Logical Reasoning sections included some moderate and analytical questions.

CLAT 2026 Cut-Off Trends and Influencing Factors

The CLAT 2026 cut-off marks vary across universities and categories, influenced by several factors including exam difficulty, the total number of test-takers, the seat matrix, and reservation policies. State domicile reservations further result in different cut-offs for home-state and non-domicile candidates. For CLAT 2026, a score of 100+ is considered a strong range for counselling, although ranks hold more significance than raw marks in the final counselling stages. At the top end of CLAT, a marginal difference of 0.25–0.5 marks can shift a student by 20–40 ranks, indicating a tight cluster of many students between 95–105 marks in CLAT 2026. For instance, a score of 102.75 in CLAT 2026 resulted in an All India Rank (AIR) of 107.

The Consortium of National Law Universities announces CLAT cut-offs for each NLU through provisional allotment lists after each counselling round. NLSIU Bengaluru, a premier institution, now offers approximately 300 seats for undergraduate courses. The CLAT 2025 Round 1 cut-offs were released on 26 May 2025, covering General, OBC, SC, ST, and EWS categories. The second round cut-off for CLAT 2025 was anticipated around 4 June 2025.

Expected CLAT 2026 Cut-Offs for Top NLUs

Analysis of previous CLAT cycles and the 2026 exam’s difficulty suggests specific score and rank ranges for admission to top-tier NLUs. For the General Category, NLSIU Bengaluru is expected to have a closing rank around 120 with a score of 101+, while NALSAR Hyderabad is projected to close between AIR 180–200 with a score of 98. NUJS Kolkata (BA LL.B.) is consistently among the top NLUs, with an expected closing rank between 150–280 for scores of 96–98. Candidates aiming for a decent NLU should target a score of 85+ and a rank between 1500–2500.

Category-Wise Expected Cut-Offs for CLAT 2026

The expected safe score bands for admission into a decent NLU vary significantly across different categories. For the General category, a score between 85–100+ is anticipated, depending on the specific NLU. EWS candidates can expect a safe score band of 83–95, while OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates are looking at 77–93. For SC and ST categories, the expected safe score bands are 69–87 and 66–84 respectively. These bands are crucial for candidates to understand their admission prospects during the counselling process.

CLAT Counselling Process and Next Steps

CLAT counselling will be conducted in three rounds for admission to various NLUs and participating law institutes. Candidates are advised to track live rank lists during counselling to make informed decisions. It is also recommended that candidates create preference buckets, categorizing NLUs into ‘Top 3’, ‘Top 10’, ‘Top 20’, and ‘State quota’ for effective counselling planning. This strategic approach is vital given the intense competition and limited seats available across the National Law Universities. Around 58,504 candidates appeared in CLAT UG and 10,282 candidates appeared for CLAT PG in 2024, highlighting the significant number of aspirants vying for these limited seats.

Further reading

• CLAT 2027 expected cut-offs: what changes for NLU aspirants
• CLAT 2027 cutoff ranks and scores released: what changes for NLU admissions
• Common Law Admission Test counselling: rounds, dates and seat allotment Next step
• AILET 2027 registration closes November 10 for NLU Delhi UG, PG law programmes
• NTA revised exam calendar 2026-27 out: check new JEE Main, UGC NET, CUET PG dates
• Pune Law: Apply for direct admission to LLB courses now Applications open

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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