CLAT Eligibility Criteria 2020: Check age limit, educational criteria & more

Are you planning to take admission in five-year integrated LLB courses and LLM courses? Shiksha elaborates on CLAT 2020 eligibility criteria such as academic requirements, age limit, and minimum marks.

The CLAT Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has released the latest eligibility criteria for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2020 along with the applications. Candidates, who plan to appear for the exam to get admission in five-year integrated LLB courses or LLM course should ensure they meet the CLAT eligibility criteria. The application process of CLAT 2020 has begun on January 1 and the registration can be done in online mode only. Candidates have to fill the details such as educational qualification, date of birth, and other details in the form and it should be as per the eligibility requirements only. 

All law schools in India accepting CLAT follow the eligibility criteria mentioned by the CLAT Consortium to offer admissions. Moreover, the eligibility criteria for legal education in India are prescribed by the Bar Council of India (BCI). Therefore, the CLAT 2020 eligibility criteria remain the same as earlier and candidates can check below the requirements for their courses:

CLAT 2020 Eligibility Criteria for Undergraduate Law Courses

Parameters that candidates need to meet in order to fulfil CLAT eligibility criteria for undergraduate (UG ) level law courses are mentioned below:

Educational qualification

• Candidates should clear Class 12^th with minimum 45% marks (applicable for candidates belonging to General/ Other Backward Class (OBC)/ Person with Disability (PwD)/ Non-Resident Indian (NRI)/ Person of Indian Origin (PIO)/ Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) category)
• Candidates should clear Class 12^th with minimum 40% marks (applicable for candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST) category)
• Candidates appearing for their Class 12^th board examinations are also eligible to apply for CLAT 2020 exam. However, such candidates need to produce the proof of passing Class 12^th or equivalent exam at the time of admission. Candidates unable to produce the evidence shall forfeit their right of admission through CLAT 2020 exam

CLAT age limit

• There is no upper age limit to appear for the CLAT 2020 exam. This means that candidates belonging to any age group can apply for the law entrance exam. 
• The age will be an important factor when there will be a tie in marks of two or more candidates.

CLAT 2020 Eligibility for Postgraduate Law Courses

Postgraduate (PG) law programme in which candidates can secure admission through CLAT  exam is LLM (Master of Law).

Basic criteria that candidates need to fulfil in order to meet CLAT eligibility criteria for LLM course are mentioned below:

Educational qualification

• Candidates (belonging to General/ OBC/ PwD/ NRI/ PIO/ OCI category) should possess an LLB or equivalent degree with minimum 50% aggregate marks
• Candidates (belonging to SC/ ST category) should possess an LLB or equivalent degree with minimum 45% aggregate marks
• Candidates appearing for the final year examination of their qualifying degree are also eligible to apply for CLAT

CLAT age limit

• There is no upper age limit to apply for CLAT PG exam

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FAQs for CLAT Eligibility Criteria

Q: Is the 45% in Class 12^th board exams required as an aggregate percentage to meet CLAT eligibility?

A: Yes, you need to score a minimum of 45% aggregate marks in all the subjects of Class 12^th in order to be eligible for CLAT 2019 exam.

Q: Is there any age restriction for CLAT exam?

A: No, candidates belonging to any age group can appear for CLAT exam. However, it may be noted that BCI had earlier introduced an age limit for the CLAT exam. But, later Supreme Court directed the BCI to remove the age criteria.

Q: How many times can I appear for the CLAT exam?

A: Currently, there is no restriction on the number of times you can appear for CLAT. There is no prescribed age limit as well to appear for the CLAT exam.

Q: I am a student having Science subjects in Class 12^th. Am I eligible to apply for CLAT?

A: Yes, candidates belonging to any educational stream (Science/ Commerce/ Humanities) are eligible to apply for CLAT exam.

Q: I am a student belonging to a reserved category. Which documents do I need to submit along with the application form?

A: You need to submit your relevant category certificate issued by the competent authority along with the application form.

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