A score of 45 marks in CLAT 2027 means an approximate rank of 15,000, which limits admission chances in top NLUs. While General and EWS candidates have minimal opportunities, SC/ST candidates may still secure seats in newer NLUs in later counselling rounds. Read further to know more.
CLAT Marks 45: Expected Rank, Top NLUs & Best Non-NLUs options
Scoring 45 marks in CLAT 2027 is considered to be a low performance in the highly competitive CLAT Exam. With this rank, it is not possible to get admission to top-tier NLUs like NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBJNUS, etc. Such marks restrict the student to mid and low-tier NLUs. The chances of candidates who have applied under the category or state domicile are higher wiith this score.
For category-wise admission chances with 45 marks in CLAT Exam, general category students have zero to no chance of getting an NLU. But institutes like NLU Assam, Jabalpur & Shimla might enroll students from the general category in case the seat is vacant. For the OBC & EWS categories, there are not many chances of success. While talking about SC/ST candidates, though it is difficult, there are high chances of admission in the low-tier institutes.
- 45 Marks in CLAT 2027: Expected Rank
- Is 45 Marks a Good Score in CLAT 2027?
- NLUs You May Get at 45 Marks in CLAT 2027
- 45 Marks in CLAT 2027: Category-Wise Admission Chances
- NLUs Tier-Wise Admission Possibility at 45 Marks
- Key Factors Affecting Admission at 45 Marks
- What Should You Do If You Score 45 Marks?
- Top 10 Private Law Colleges in India 2025
45 Marks in CLAT 2027: Expected Rank
Candidates can check the details below regarding the expected rank with 45 marks in CLAT 2027
| CLAT 2027 Marks | Expected Rank (AIR) |
|---|---|
| 45+ marks | Up to AIR 15,500 |
| 44+ marks | Up to AIR 16,300 |
| 43+ marks |
Up to AIR 17,300 |
| 42+ marks | Up to AIR 18,300 |
| 41+ marks | Up to AIR 19,300 |
| 40+ marks | Up to AIR 20,300 |
Commonly asked questions
The CLAT cutoff is decided based on following factors
Total Number of Candidates Appeared
Difficulty Level of the Exam
Total Number of Seats Available
Category-wise Reservations
The CLAT cutoff means the minimum rank or score required to get admission into a National Law University (NLU). Candidates must get the cutoff to participate in the counselling process.
As per NIRF ranking 2025, NLSIU Bangalore is the No. 1 ranked NLU colleges in India. The table below has other NLUs in India rankwise.
Top NLUs in India | NIRF 2023 | NIRF 2024 | NIRF 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1 | |
2 | 2 | 2 | |
4 | 4 | 4 | |
7 | 8 | 5 | |
18 | 21 | 27 | |
24 | 22 | 30 | |
30 | 26 | 15 | |
28 | 27 | 35 |
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website of the ranking body listed and may vary.
No, you can not appear for counselling if you have not cleared CLAT Exam.
Is 45 Marks a Good Score in CLAT 2027?
No, 45 marks is not considered a good score in the CLAT Exam. Top NLUs like NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad, NUJS Kolkata require 90+ marks for the General category. This clearly indicates that 45 marks is far below the top NLU cut-offs. For the reserved category, too, this is not considered a very good score.
Also Read: Law Entrance Exams Other Than CLAT
NLUs You May Get at 45 Marks in CLAT 2027
At this score, candidates can target newer or lower-tier NLUs in later counselling rounds. Possible NLUs are
- NLU Assam
- NLU Jabalpur
- Himachal Pradesh NLU Shimla
- NLU Sonepat
- IIULER Goa
- NLU Agartala
However, candidates must understand that admission to these NLUs will depend on certain factors, like
- CLAT Counselling round (vacant seats)
- Category reservation
- State domicile quota
Commonly asked questions
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.
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45 Marks in CLAT 2027: Category-Wise Admission Chances
Candidates can check the chances of admission to any of the NLUs based on the category below. Reserved categories have a clear advantage at lower scores due to category-wise cut-offs.
- General Category
There is almost no chance of getting NLU under this category. Limited chance is in NLU Assam, NLU Jabalpur & HPNLU Shimla. But the chance of admission in this NLU is also if seats are vacant until the last round.
- OBC/EWS Category
Candidates under these categories have a very low chance of getting admission in NLU. Slightly better than General due to the reservation.
- SC Category
Aspirants under this category have some chances of getting admission in NLU. The possibility is more in these NLUs: NLU Assam, Jabalpur & IIULER Goa.
- ST Category
Amongst all the categories, the chances of getting admission are higher for candidates falling in this category. High probability in: NLU Assam, Agartala & Jabalpur.
Also Read: 55 Marks in CLAT: Check Expected Rank and Top NLUs
NLUs Tier-Wise Admission Possibility at 45 Marks
| NLU Tier | Admission Chances |
|---|---|
| Tier-1 | Not Possible |
| Tier-2 | Highly Unlikely |
| Tier-3 | Very Low |
| New NLUs | Possible |
Also Read:
Key Factors Affecting Admission at 45 Marks
Even with a low score, admission chances depend on
- Category reservation (SC/ST/OBC/EWS)
- Domicile quota (State NLUs)
- CLAT 2027 difficulty level
- Number of applicants
- Counselling participation & seat vacancy
Also Read: CLAT Marks vs Rank
What Should You Do If You Score 45 Marks?
If your score is around 45
During Counselling
- Fill maximum NLU preferences
- Don’t skip new NLUs
- Stay till last Counselling Round
Backup Options
Consider:
- Private law colleges
- State law entrance exams (MH CET Law, APLAWCET etc.)
- Drop year for CLAT 2028 (if targeting top NLUs)
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Top 10 Private Law Colleges in India 2025
There are more than 80 private law colleges in India, and the following colleges are considered among the best private law colleges based on NIRF Rankings 2025:
| Name of Colleges |
NIRF Ranking 2025 |
NIRF Ranking 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5 | |
| 10 | 9 | |
| 14 | 11 | |
| 18 | 28 | |
| 19 | 13 | |
| 20 | 18 | |
| School of Law, Christ University |
24 | 15 |
| S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology | 25 | - |
| LPU - Lovely Professional University |
26 | 19 |
| ICFAI Law School |
31 | 36 |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Yes, students can take admissions to BITS Law School without appearing from CLAT exam. BITS Law School admissions also conducts its own entrance exam called BITS Law Admission Test. Shortlisted candidates need to appear for Personal Interview rounds for admissions.
P
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 days ago
No, CLAT is not compulsory to take admission in the law courses at Innovative Institute of Law. Candidates are shortlisted based on merit achieved in last qualifying exam. However, the institute accepts CLAT score as well.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
To check the merit list for NLU Silvassa, students can refer to the list of pointers below.
- Go to the official Consortium of NLUs website.
- Click on the CLAT OPTION in the top-right corner
- Scroll down to the notification section
- Check the merit list for all courses at the UG and PG levels.
Students shou
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
To get a seat at GNLU Silvassa for the UG and PG-level law courses, students have to appear for the CLAT entrance examination and then the counselling process to be considered eligible for admission.
The GNLU Silvassa CLAT cutoff 2026 was concluded after 5 rounds of seat allotment for the above-ment
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, you could get into GNLU Silvassa with a 4000 rank if you belong to the SC AI category. For this category, the overall cutoff range was 2843 to 8902. Hence, a rank of 4000 could get you a seat at this institute.
Students can see the table below to know the last round closing ranks for available
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
GNLU Silvassa CLAT cutoff 2026 concluded after the release of the final round of seat allotment for the BA LLB (Hons) and LLM courses. The cutoff was out for several AI and HS quota categories.
For the General AI category, the overall cutoff ranged from 336 to 1500 for both courses, with LLM course
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
To get a seat at Dr B.R. Ambedkar National Law University for the BA LLB and LLM courses, students have to first appear for the CLAT entrance exam and then sit for the CLAT counselling process to be considered eligible for admission to the above-mentioned courses.
The NLU Sonepat CLAT cutoff 2026 was
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, you could get into NLU Sonepat with a CLAT rank of 300 if you belong to the OBC AI category.
For this category, the overall cutoff ranged from 3409 to 4684 for the BA LLB and LLM courses. Students can refer to the table below to know the first and last round closing ranks for this category.
| Course | Round 1 | Last Round |
|---|---|---|
| B.A. LL.B. | 3409 | 3780 |
| Master of Legislative Laws (LL.M.) | 3526 | 4684 |
Not
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
To know how to check the merit list for NLU Sonepat admission to the UG and PG-level courses, see below:
- Go to the official Consortium of NLUs portal.
- Click on the CLAT option on the top bar.
- Find the merit list declared for UG and PG programmes.
- Candidates can also log in to the CLAT portal to access
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
To get into HPNLU for the BA LLB (Hons), LLM and BBA LLB (Hons) courses, students have to first appear for the CLAT entrance examination, followed by its counselling process. Only those students who appear for the counselling process are considered eligible for admission.
The HPNLU CLAT cutoff 2026
N
Contributor-Level 10
She has over 10 years of experience in the education and publishing sectors. She specialises in exam coverage and content creation. At Shiksha, she writes, analyses, and presents information for students preparing f
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