If you have made up your mind to pursue law and explore options in the same field, then understanding the list of NLU in India is important for making an informed decision. Each NLU in India offers a unique advantage or benefit in terms of faculty, curriculum, placements as well as infrastructure. Whether you aim for the top NLU like NLSIU Bengaluru or explore other reputed options then these institutions provide a solid foundation for a successful legal career.
The National Law Universities are one of the most prestigious colleges in India for pursuing Law as a career. We currently have 26 NLUs in India, of which NLSIU Bengaluru stands as the undefeated champion, also National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bengaluru is the first NLU of India and was established under the guidance of the National Law School of India Act (Karnataka Act of 1986). Check out below for the updated list of NLU in India according to their NIRF Ranking, admission process, eligibility and other important information.
List of NLU in India- NIRF Ranking 2024
Given below is the list of all the 26 NLUs of India along with their NIRF Rankings and seat intake capacity:
List of NLU in India Rank – Wise
| NLU | NIRF Ranking 2024 | Seat Available (UG&PG) |
| National Law School of India University, Bangalore | 1 | 100 seats for PG courseand 310 seats for UG |
| National Academy of Legal Study & Research (NALSAR) University of Law, Hyderabad | 3 | 66 seats for the PG course and 132 seats for UG |
| National Law University, Delhi | 2 | 83 seats for the PG course (including Supernumerary seats) and 123 seats for UG (including Supernumerary seats) |
| National Law Institute University, Bhopal | 21 | 60 seats for the PG course and 102 seats for the UG |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata | 4 | 70 seats for the PG course and 132 seats for the UG |
| Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala | 24 | 60 seats for the PG course and 180 seats for UG |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow | 20 | 33 seats for the PG course and 187 seats for UG |
| National Law University, Jodhpur | 50 seats for PG courseand 120 seats for UG | |
| Chanakya National Law University Patna | 31 | 132 seats for UG |
| Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar | 8 | 57 seats for the PG courseand 172 seats for UG |
| National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi | 38 | 60 seats for the PG courseand 120 seats for UG |
| National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi | 22 | 50 seats for PG courseand 120 seats for UG and |
| Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU) Visakhapatnam | 39 | 60 seats for the PG courseand 120 seats for UG |
| National Law University Odisha, Cuttack | 26 | 46 seats for the PG courseand 180 seats for UG |
| National Law University & Judicial Academy, Assam | 27 | 40 seats for the PG courseand 60 seats for UG |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur | 34 | 60 seats for the PG courseand 120 seats for UG |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai | 31 | 50 seats for PG courseand 100 seats for UG |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad | _ | 60 seats for the PG course and 60 seats for UG |
| The Tamil Nadu National Law School, Tiruchirapalli | _ | 60 seats for the PG course and 120 seats for UG |
| Dr B R Ambedkar National Law University Sonipat, Haryana | _ | 120 seats for the UG course |
| Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla | _ | 80 seats for the PG course and 180 seats for the UG |
| National Law University, Tripura | _ | 50 seats for the PG course and 120 seats for the UG |
| Dr. Rajendra Prasad National Law University, Prayagraj | _ | 60 seats for the UG course |
| Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur | _ | 50 seats for the PG course and 120 seats for the UG |
| GNLU Silvassa Campus | _ | 33 seats for the PG course and 66 seats for the UG |
| Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur | _ | 90 seats for the PG course and 170 seats for the UG |
| Sikkim National Law University, Gangtok | _ | _ |
Eligibility Criteria for the Top NLUs in India
The eligibility criteria for both undergraduate as well as postgraduate courses are given below:
Academic Criteria for UG Admissions:
- Candidates who have cleared the class 12th examination or are appearing for the same are eligible to apply for the NLU admissions.
- Students in the General/ OBC/ PWD/ NRI/ PIO/ OCI categories must secure at least 45% marks in the qualifying examination.
- Students belonging to SC/ST categories must obtain a minimum of 40% marks in the qualifying examination.
Academic Criteria for PG Admissions:
- Students wishing to pursue LLM Courses from any of the NLU must have an LLB or equivalent degree from any renowned law college or university.
- Students in SC/ST categories must obtain a minimum of 50% marks in the qualifying examination.
- Students in the General/ OBC/ PWD/ NRI/ PIO/ OCI categories must secure at least 55% marks in the qualifying examination.
- Candidates in their final year of law degrees are also eligible to apply for the LLM Courses.
Admission Process for the Top NLU in India
Candidates wishing to pursue an LLB/LLM degree from any NLU must clear the CLAT Examination, except for the students planning to get into NLU Delhi. NLU Delhi conducts its very own examination called the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET). NLU Meghalaya also conducts its entrance examination called MEGUAT and MEGPAT respectively for UG and PG courses.
Courses Offered by NLUs in India
| NLU Name | UG Programmes (5‑Year Integrated) |
| NLSIU Bengaluru, Bangalore | BA LLB (Hons.) |
| NLU Delhi | BA LLB (Hons.) |
| NALSAR Hyderabad | BA LLB |
| NLIU Bhopal | BA LLB; BSc LLB (Cyber Security) |
| NLUJ Jodhpur | BA LLB; BSc LLB |
| WBNUJS Kolkata | BA LLB; BSc LLB |
| HNLU Raipur | BA LLB |
| GNLU Gandhinagar | BA LLB; BCom LLB; BSc LLB; BBA LLB; BSW LLB |
| NLU Lucknow | BA LLB |
| RGNUL Patiala | BA LLB |
| CNLU Patna | BA LLB |
| NLU Kochi (NUALS) | BA LLB |
| NLU Odisha (NLUO) | BA LLB; BBA LLB |
| NUSRL Ranchi | BA LLB |
| NLU Assam (NLUJAA) | BA LLB |
| DSNLU Visakhapatnam | BA LLB |
| TNNLU Tiruchirappalli | BA LLB; BCom LLB |
| MNLU Mumbai | BA LLB |
| MNLU Nagpur | BA LLB; Adjudication & Justicing; BBA LLB |
| MNLU Aurangabad | BA LLB; BBA LLB |
| NLU Shimla (HPNLU) | BA LLB; BBA LLB |
| DNLU Jabalpur | BA LLB |
| DBRANLU Sonipat | BA LLB |
| NLU Tripura | BA LLB |
| GNLU Silvassa Campus | BA LLB |
| NLU Meghalaya (Shillong) | BA LLB |
| RPNLU Prayagraj | BA LLB |
List of NLU in India (State-Wise Distribution)
| State/UT | NLU in India | Location | Year of Establishment |
| Andhra Pradesh | Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU) | Visakhapatnam | 2008 |
| Assam | National Law University and Judicial Academy (NLUJAA) | Guwahati | 2009 |
| Bihar | Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) | Patna | 2006 |
| Chhattisgarh | Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) | Raipur | 2003 |
| Gujarat | Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) | Gandhinagar | 2,003 |
| Haryana | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University (DBRANLU) | Sonipat | 2,012 |
| Himachal Pradesh | Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU) | Shimla | 2,016 |
| Jharkhand | National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL) | Ranchi | 2,010 |
| Karnataka | National Law School of India University (NLSIU) | Bengaluru | 1,987 |
| Kerala | National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) | Kochi | 2005 |
| Madhya Pradesh | Dharmashastra National Law University (DNLU) | Jabalpur | 2018 |
| Madhya Pradesh | National Law Institute University (NLIU) | Bhopal | 1997 |
| Maharashtra | Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) | Mumbai | 2014 |
| Maharashtra | Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) | Nagpur | 2016 |
| Maharashtra | Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) | Aurangabad | 2017 |
| Meghalaya | National Law University Meghalaya (NLUM) | Shillong | 2022 |
| Odisha | National Law University Odisha (NLUO) | Cuttack | 2009 |
| Punjab | Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) | Patiala | 2006 |
| Rajasthan | National Law University (NLU) | Jodhpur | 1999 |
| Sikkim | Sikkim National Law University (SNLU) | Gangtok | 2018 |
| Tamil Nadu | Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU) | Tiruchirappalli | 2012 |
| Telangana | NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad | 1998 |
| Tripura | National Law University Tripura (NLUT) | Agartala | 2022 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU) | Lucknow | 2005 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Dr. Rajendra Prasad National Law University (RPNLU) | Prayagraj (Allahabad) | 2023 |
| West Bengal | The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS) | Kolkata | 1999 |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli (UT) | Gujarat National Law University Silvassa Campus (GNLU Silvassa) | Silvassa | 2022 |
| Delhi (UT) | National Law University Delhi (NLUD) | New Delhi | 2008 |
CLAT VS AILET Comparison
Check below the Comparative study of CLAT and AILET entrance examinations for a detailed comparison:
CLAT vs AILET
| Category | CLAT | AILET |
| Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Typology of Questions | MCQ-based questions from given passages | MCQ Comprehension-based questions from English and Legal Aptitude. |
| Number of Questions | CLAT UG – 120 MCQsCLAT PG – 120 questions | AILET BA LLB/LLM – 150 |
| Mode | Offline | Offline |
| Total Marks | UG-120 marksPG-120 marks | AILET BALLB/LLM- 150 marks |
| Question weightage | Each question will carry 1 mark. 0.25 marks to be deducted for an incorrect answer | Each question will carry 1 mark. 0.25 marks to be deducted for an incorrect answer |
Top NLU in India
In this section we are covering list of NLU in India.
| Top NLU in India | Location |
| National Law School of India University (NLSIU) | Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| National Law University Delhi (NLUD) | New Delhi, Delhi |
| NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad, Telangana |
| West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS) | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| National Law University Jodhpur (NLUJ) | Jodhpur, Rajasthan |
| Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) | Gandhinagar, Gujarat |
| National Law Institute University (NLIU) | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU) | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh |
| Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) | Patiala, Punjab |
| Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) | Patna, Bihar |
NLU in India – FAQ’s
The top 5 NLUs of India include NLSIU Bengaluru, NLU Delhi, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata and Symbiosis Law School. You can also consider the other 21 NLU’s based on your CLAT scores.
NLU stands for National Law University. These are some of the most prestigious law schools in India. There are 26 NLU in India of which NLSIU Bengaluru is considered the best.
AILET focuses mainly on knowledge-based questions in legal studies making it slightly more difficult in terms of Legal Aptitude whereas CLAT comprises MCQ-based questions on a given passage.
General category students have a cutoff near 87 to 98 marks. OBC students should score around 83 to 95 marks whereas SC/ST cutoff stands near 70 to 86 marks.
NLU in India offers multiple courses such as 3-year LLB, 5-year LLB, LLM, PG Diploma courses and several other law programs.
