CLAT 1st Merit List 2026 (Jan 7th): NLUs Opening/ Closing Ranks List & Expected Cut-off
Common Law Admission Test 2026 ( CLAT )
Counselling - 17 Dec '25 - 27 Dec '25
CLAT 2026 Result declared on December 16, 2025. The Consortium of NLUs will release the institute-wise merit list for CLAT 2026 mentioning names, ranks, and categories for each candidate shortlisted for the final admission process. Check here the CLAT merit list 2026 for all rounds below. Read further to know more. Check details here.
CLAT merit list 2026
The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) will publish the CLAT First Merit List 2026 on January 7, 2026. The CLAT 2026 Result released on December 16, 2025. The registration for the counseling process has begun and will end on December 27. Only those aspirants who have registered on or before the deadline will be allowed to appear in CLAT Counselling.
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Candidates whose names will appear in the CLAT 2026 first merit list must complete the CLAT Counselling Registration 2026 before January 15, 2026, 1:00 pm. The merit list mentions details of candidates shortlisted for admission at the participating NLUs in India. Candidates will be allotted colleges based on their CLAT marks, ranks, and preferences marked in the application form. The merit list for CLAT participating colleges will be released separately for Five-year Integrated LLB, and LLM courses.
The CLAT cutoff is calculated based on several factors that influence the minimum rank or score required for admission to an NLU.
Factors Affecting CLAT Cutoff Calculation
- Total Number of Candidates Appearing – Higher competition leads to a higher cutoff.
- Difficulty Level of the Exam – If the paper is tough, the cutoff is lower, and vice versa.
- Total Number of Seats Available – Fewer seats lead to higher cutoffs.
- Category-wise Reservations – SC, ST, OBC, and EWS candidates have different cutoffs.
- Previous Year Trends – The Consortium considers past years' cutoffs for reference.
Cutoff Calculation Process
- After the CLAT exam, candidates' scores are arranged in descending order.
- Based on seat availability, the last admitted candidate's rank becomes the closing rank (cutoff) for that NLU.
- Cutoffs vary across NLUs and category-wise reservations impact the final numbers.
The CLAT Cutoff is decided by following factors
- Exam Difficulty
- Number of Applicants
- Seat Availability
- Reservation Policy
- Domicile Quota
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Only those candidates whose names will appear on the CLAT invite list are eligible to attend the admission process. Candidates can check details about the institute-wise CLAT merit list 2026 as given on this page below.
Latest Update:
- CLAT 2026 Merit List Dates
- CLAT 2026 First Merit List- College Wise
- CLAT 2025 First Merit List- College Wise
- CLAT 2026 PG Merit List for all NLUs
- CLAT 2024 LLM Merit List for all NLUs
- The seat allotment list is shared based on the preferences marked by candidates in CLAT application forms as well as, during the counselling process.
CLAT 2026 Merit List Dates
CLAT counselling is done in online mode, and the merit list will be published as per the counselling schedule and guidelines. The candidates shortlisted for CLAT 2026 counselling will have to accept the allotment or request for revision/ upgrade. Moreover, candidates also have the option to withdraw from the allotted seat and exit the counselling process if they do not want to participate in further rounds. Those accepting the allotted seats or requesting for seat upgrade will have to pay the admission fee/ course fee.
| Event | Dates |
|---|---|
| CLAT Counselling 2026 Registration | December 17 to December 27, 2025, 10:00 PM |
| CLAT 2026 First Merit List | January 07, 2026 at 10:00 AM |
| CLAT 2026 Second Merit List | January 22, 2026, at 10:00 AM |
| CLAT 2026 Third Merit List | February 05, 2026, at 10:00 AM |
The expected cutoff for top 5 NLUs based on previous year is 90+.
Check out the complete schedule for the CLAT counselling process.
CLAT 2026 First Merit List- College Wise
The merit list will be published for all participating NLUs, mentioning category-wise ranks. Check below:
| CLAT 2026 Participating NLUs |
Download CLAT 2026 1st Merit List PDF |
|---|---|
| National Law School of India University, Bangalore |
To be announced |
| NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad |
To be announced |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata |
To be announced |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata |
To be announced |
| National Law Institute University, Bhopal
|
To be announced |
| To be announced | |
| National Law University, Jodhpur |
To be announced |
| Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar |
To be announced |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow |
To be announced |
| Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala |
To be announced |
| Chanakya National Law University Patna
|
To be announced |
| To be announced | |
| National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi |
To be announced |
| National Law University Odisha, Cuttack |
To be announced |
| National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi |
To be announced |
| National Law University & Judicial Academy, Assam |
To be announced |
| Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU),Visakhapatnam |
To be announced |
| The Tamil Nadu National Law School, Tiruchirapalli |
To be announced |
| To be announced | |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai |
To be announced |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur
|
To be announced |
| To be announced | |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad |
To be announced |
| To be announced | |
| Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla |
To be announced |
| To be announced | |
| Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur |
To be announced |
| Dr B R Ambedkar National Law University Sonipat, Haryana |
To be announced |
| Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur |
To be announced |
| National Law University, Tripura |
To be announced |
| GNLU Silvassa Campus |
To be announced |
| Dr. Rajendra Prasad National Law University (RPNLUP), Prayagraj
|
To be announced |
| India International University of Legal Education and Research Goa - B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) | To be announced |
| India International University of Legal Education and Research, Goa - B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) | To be announced |
Also Read: List of NLUs in India
CLAT 2025 First Merit List- College Wise
The merit list is published for all participating NLUs, mentioning category-wise ranks. Check below:
CLAT Merit List 2026- All Rounds
Candidates can check here the merit list for UG and PG courses for all rounds of CLAT 2026 counselling and seat allotment process:
- CLAT 2026 Second Merit List (January 22, 2026)
- CLAT 2026 Third Merit List (February 05, 2026)
- CLAT 2026 Fourth Merit List (May 2, 2026)
- CLAT 2026 Fifth Merit List (May 15, 2026)
CLAT 2026 PG Merit List for all NLUs
Candidates can check CLAT 2026 LLM Merit List below to get an idea. CLAT will be able to download the merit list for LLM course from the links below:
| CLAT Participating NLUs for LLM course |
Opening rank |
Closing rank |
Download CLAT 2026 - 1st Merit List |
|---|---|---|---|
| NLSIU Bangalore |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| NALSAR Hyderabad |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| NLU Bhopal |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| WBNUJS Kolkata |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| NLU Jodhpur |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| NLU Raipur |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| GNLU Gandhinagar |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| GNLU Silvassa |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| DRMNLU Lucknow |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| RGNUL Patiala |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| NUALS Kochi |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| NLUO Cuttack |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| NUSRL Ranchi |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| NLUJAA |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| TNNNLU Tiruchirappalli |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| To be announced | To be announced | To be announced | |
| To be announced | To be announced | To be announced | |
| DSNLU Visakhapatnam |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| MNLU Mumbai |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| MNLU Nagpur |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| MNLU Aurangabad |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| HPNLU Shimla |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
| DNLU Jabalpur |
To be announced | To be announced | To be announced |
CLAT 2024 LLM Merit List for all NLUs
Candidates can check the merit list for CLAT PG 2024 from the links mentioned below once uploaded, until then aspirants can check CLAT 2024 Merit List for reference:
The seat allotment list is shared based on the preferences marked by candidates in CLAT application forms as well as, during the counselling process.
Read more:
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
To raise grievances on the CLAT 2026 Result, log in to your account on the Consortium of NLUs website (consortiumofnlus.ac.in), find the 'Submit Grievance' button, detail your issue (score/rank discrepancy, conduct) with supporting proof within the specified time, and submit online; accepted grievan
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, you can. Candidates can raise their grievances by sending an email. Candidates can follow the steps given below
- Go to the consortiumofnlus.ac.in
- Login using your email
- Enter your password
- Click on the grievance option
- Submit
B
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, you can get admission based on CLAT Score. Apart from that you can also appear for ULSAT Exam conducted by the university.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, you can absolutely prepare for CLAT and UPES ULSAT together, as they share significant syllabus overlap (Legal/Logical Reasoning, GK, English, Quant), making integrated preparation efficient; focus on core areas for both but tailor extra practice for ULSAT's specific GK/current affairs and CLAT
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
You should understand that once you opt to get out of the counselling process you can not go back. You will get option to either freeze your seat or choose to let it go and participate in next round. You can anytime exit the whole process too.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
There is no restriction as such for the CLAT exam. Thus, one can give CLAT any number of times they want to. Candidates should not feel bad if they are not able to clear the CLAT exam in first time.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
No you can not get admission to 24 participating NLUs without clearing CLAT Exam. For admission to NLU Delhi, you need to clear AILET Exam.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, you can, However, the consortium will not open any objection window for the same. In case you have any problem with your result you have to contact the helpdesk directly.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
The CLAT Sample Papers will be released on consortiumofnlus.ac.in. Candidates who have paid for the sample papers will be able to download and solve the same.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
Solving Sample papers will help candidates to understand the overall exam and the expected difficulty level. Hence, candidates must solve as many sample paper as possible.
M
Contributor-Level 7
CLAT Notifications
The CLAT cutoff refers to the minimum rank or score required to secure admission into a National Law University (NLU) through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).
Types of CLAT Cutoffs:
Who Decides CLAT Cutoff?
The Consortium of NLUs releases the cutoff based on exam difficulty, number of candidates, and seat availability.