What is Education Law: Course Duration, Admission 2025, Colleges, Salary & Scope

Education Law is a field of study in Law that examines the legal rights and obligations of all parties involved in the education process, including students, teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders. It entails topics like special education, right to education, discrimination, and educational reform. 

Pursuing Education Law in India offers numerous compelling benefits that a student should consider before enrolling in the course :

• The implementation of the Right to Education Act (RTE) has heightened the focus on legal aspects within the education sector, resulting in an increased demand for lawyers specialised in Education Law.
• Graduates of Education Law programs have diverse career options beyond courtroom litigation, including policy advocacy, educational administration, and working with organisations focused on special needs education or educational access for underprivileged communities.
• Moreover, Education Law is deeply connected to social justice issues, allowing individuals to contribute to ensuring equal access to quality education and promoting inclusive practices in schools.

Hence, If you're passionate about both education and law and aspire to positively impact the Indian education system, pursuing Education Law could be a fulfilling and rewarding career path.

While you might not see job titles often specifcally labelled at "Education Law", but the need for Education Lawyers for knowledge within education field is certainly present and expanding. 

More oftenly, schools and colleges hire Education Lawyers for advise on all sort of legal stuffs like making contracts and dealing with students issues. Then there are law firms that deals in the issues related to schools, educations and universities. Government department also need a legal advise in creating policies and laws related to education laws in India. 

Education Law courses in India have some basic qualification requirements of eligibility criteria but they also differ with the college and level of education. In most instances, the candidates must have obtained an LLB or any other relevant degree from a recognised university or any other institution. Certain courses may have a prerequisite of prior work experience in the area of education or other related fields.

Candidates should have secured at least 55-50 percent marks in their Bachelor degree for admission to a degree course in Education Law. However, every law school/university in India provides relaxation of 5 percent marks to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe candidates. 

Students who have completed an LLM or post-graduation course may further their studies by completing a PhD in Law, also known as LLD. But if they want to make a career in the field of law then they can give the AIBE exam and get licensed to practice in the Indian Court. LLM can be opted for by those who want to join any of the specialised fields like Education Law Analyst, Education Law Attorney, Education Law Professor, etc.

No, you cannot proceed to Education Law after 12th. Here's why:

Education Law is a postgraduate specialization: This involves basic prior training in law to interpret these frameworks and their implications for the education sector.

The minimum qualification is an LLB degree: This is a three-year or five-year programme that provides you with an understanding of the basics of law that prepares you for further studies.

Hence, you must first obtain an LLB qualification before enrolling in an Education Law course such as an LLM (Master of Laws) or Diploma program.

Some of the challenges faced include complexity in regulations, inequity in access, and issues concerning online learning and the privacy of students. There are legal disputes on school policies, needs for special education, and disparities in funding. It is also a field that presents an opportunity to cause positive change through the establishment of policy that aids in the furtherance of educational equity and rights of students. Professionals in this domain further reforms, ensure obedience to the law, and deal with emergent issues such as technology and inclusion. It is through addressing these challenges that they ensure proper provisions of equity and efficiency within education systems.

Yes, you can study law after 12th, by pursuing 5 year integrated LLB course, right after completing your schooling and scoring well in class 12th exam. 

No, the CLAT exam is primarily for admission to undergraduate law programs offered by National Law Universities (NLUs) and other participating institutions. These programs lead to an LLB degree, but not specifically in Education Law.

AIBE or the All India Bar Examination is conducted by the BCI. It's a national-level exam that certifies law graduates who want to become a lawyer and permits them to practice law in Indian Courts. It is a two-hour pen-paper exam and is conducted once a year. Students who want to appear for AIBE 2024 must have obtained a Bachelor's degree in law from a recognised law school or university in India. There is no minimum marks requirement for the Bachelor's degree. The candidates should also have registered as an advocate with a state bar council of India.

No, the CLAT exam is primarily for admission to undergraduate law programs offered by National Law Universities (NLUs) and other participating institutions. These programs lead to an LLB degree, but not specifically in Education Law.

Candidates completing their degree in Education Law have to appear for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) by BCI. Clearing the bar examination is mandatory for all law graduates to be able to practice law in Indian Courts. 

The fees for an education law degree will vary from college to college. UNIRAJ (Rajasthan University) offers the degree at a fee of INR 54.94K while the average placement at the university is INR 6.36 LPA.

Two government colleges provide Education Law courses:

• NLSIU, Bangalore

• UNIRAJ, Rajasthan

The NIRF ranks have recently been released and NLSIU College has been awarded rank 1 under the category “Law.”

NLUs are the top Law colleges in India. Candidates can see the table below for the top NLUs in India with their NIRF rankings of 2024 and 2025:

Source: Official site and may vary.

Following are the career paths you can follow after Education Law:

Working in various education law firms, or working for non-governmental organizations or governments.
As legal consultants or managers employed in schools and other educational facilities.
In universities or research and think thank facilities all over the world.
Positions in independent associations and organizations that plan and campaign for education policies.

Some popular job profiles in Education Law include Education Law Attorney, Education Policy Analyst, Education Compliance Officer, School Legal Counsel, Higher Education Administrator,  and Education Consultant.

In the Andhra Pradesh LAWCET counselling process, students are allotted seats based on merit. The marks secured in the Andhra Pradesh LAWCET entrance exam are used to decide the merit. Candidates are required to attend Andhra Pradesh LAWCET counselling via the link shared by APSCHE. This link redirects them to an online video conferencing tool-based meeting (such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams Meeting, or Zoom Meeting) where they need to verify their educational and caste-related documents and ID proofs to confirm their seats in a 3-year LLB or 5-year LLB course. These documents are required to be uploaded prior to the commencement of the counselling while filling out the Andhra Pradesh LAWCET counselling registration form. APSCHE makes this counselling registration form available on its official website, cets.apsche.gov, in.