CLAT 2027 Colleges List: NLUs, Seats & Private Colleges

You've got the syllabus. You're a few mocks in. Then someone asks, “So, which colleges are you aiming for?” and your mind goes blank.

If that sounds familiar, relax. Most aspirants spend months on preparation and barely an evening on the destination. This guide puts the CLAT 2027 Colleges List in one place: the NLUs, the seat numbers, the private options, and the admission steps that follow your result. Read it once now, then bookmark it for December.

One reminder before we start. Registration closes on 31 October 2026, and the exam is on Sunday, 6 December. If you haven't applied yet, do that first. Everything else here can wait for the weekend. The form can't.

CLAT 2027 at a Glance

Here's what the Consortium of NLUs has announced for this cycle:

Exam date: Sunday, 6 December 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm, in pen-and-paper mode
Registration: 3 August to 31 October 2026, at consortiumofnlus.ac.in
Pattern: 120 multiple-choice questions, +1 for a correct answer, −0.25 for a wrong one
Sections: English, Current Affairs and GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques
UG eligibility: Class 12 passed or appearing, with at least 45% marks (a lower cut applies to SC/ST candidates), and no upper age limit
Changes: No change to the syllabus or pattern this year

Why “2027” when you write the paper in 2026? Because your score gets you into the 2027–28 batch. Same exam, next year's label. Do check the official notification for exact category-wise eligibility before you submit.

CLAT 2027 Colleges List: Three Buckets to Sort Everything Into

Not every law college you see online takes CLAT. Sort them into three buckets and most of the confusion disappears.

NLUs in the CLAT counselling. These admit through CLAT rank alone, in one centralised process.
Private and other colleges that accept CLAT scores. They use your score but run their own admissions, fees and deadlines.
Colleges that look relevant but use a different test. NLU Delhi uses AILET, Symbiosis uses SLAT, and Jindal Global Law School uses LNAT-UK.

Keep this frame in mind as you read. It will save you from spending hours on lists that don't apply to you.

CLAT 2027 Participating Colleges: The NLU List

How many NLUs are there in India in 2027?

Ask five websites and you'll get five answers, anywhere from 24 to 27. You're not imagining it. The gap comes from how pages count GNLU's Gandhinagar and Silvassa campuses, whether IIULER Goa is included, and how quickly they've added newer universities like NLU Meghalaya.

The most recent compilation we found, updated in September 2026, counts 26 NLUs plus IIULER Goa in the centralised CLAT counselling. NLU Delhi stays out because it runs its own exam. Whatever a blog says (this one included), the Consortium's official brochure has the final word.

NLU-wise list, grouped by how competitive each one was

Seat figures below are approximate UG intakes from the 2026 matrix. The ranks are final-round, general-category closing ranks from last year's counselling. Use them as a compass, not a promise, because cutoffs shift every year.

Top tier (closing rank up to 500)

NLSIU Bengaluru: about 310 seats, closing rank around 108
NALSAR Hyderabad: about 132 seats, around 168
WBNUJS Kolkata: about 100 seats, around 343
NLU Jodhpur: about 164 seats, around 364
GNLU Gandhinagar: about 176 seats, around 398
NLIU Bhopal: about 116 seats, around 459
MNLU Mumbai: about 100 seats, around 500

Middle tier (rank 800 to 1,550)

RMLNLU Lucknow: about 169 seats, around 798
HNLU Raipur: about 170 seats, around 806
NLU Odisha, Cuttack: about 106 seats, around 848
RGNUL Patiala: about 180 seats, around 1,141
NUALS Kochi: about 60 seats, around 1,156
CNLU Patna: about 69 seats, around 1,235
DSNLU Visakhapatnam: about 120 seats, around 1,400
MNLU Nagpur: about 120 seats, around 1,404
NUSRL Ranchi: about 120 seats, around 1,440
GNLU Silvassa campus: around 1,500
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli: about 56 seats, around 1,537

Wider net (rank 1,750 to 2,650)

MNLU Aurangabad: about 60 seats, around 1,784
DBRANLU Sonipat: about 120 seats, around 1,810
DNLU Jabalpur: about 120 seats, around 2,045
NLUJA Assam: about 120 seats, around 2,049
HPNLU Shimla: about 120 seats, around 2,108
RPNLU Prayagraj: about 60 seats, around 2,268
NLU Tripura: about 60 seats, around 2,410
IIULER Goa: about 120 seats, around 2,646

What the list tells you

Two patterns stand out. First, the marks. The top seven NLUs closed at roughly 95 to 101 out of 120, while the lower end of the list closed between 84 and 87. So about a dozen marks separate the most sought-after campus from the last one.

Second, the middle zone is tight. Between ranks 800 and 1,500, one mark was often worth well over a hundred ranks. And remember the negative marking: turning a wrong guess into a correct answer isn't a one-mark gain, it's a 1.25-mark swing. That's why accuracy matters as much as speed.

How to Read Cutoff Data Without Getting Fooled

Cutoff tables are everywhere, and they're easy to misread. Four habits will keep you grounded:

Look at final-round ranks. Round one closes tighter because candidates keep upgrading and leaving. IIULER Goa, for instance, closed at rank 2,124 in round one and 2,646 by round five.
Trust ranks more than marks. A tough paper pulls marks down, but the number of seats stays the same. Ranks travel better from year to year.
Keep general and reserved apart. The numbers above are for the general category. Reserved and home-state cutoffs follow their own pattern.
Don't plan around spot rounds. Some NLUs went much deeper in spot rounds, but that depends on who leaves, and you can't predict it.

CLAT 2027 Seat Matrix: What the Numbers Really Say

The latest seat compilation shows about 4,045 UG seats across the participating NLUs. Of these, 3,693 are regular seats, 229 are for NRI and foreign nationals, and 123 are supernumerary seats across categories. After reservations, roughly 1,500 seats remain for general merit candidates. PG adds around 1,755 more.

Now put that next to the crowd. Last year, 72,631 candidates sat the UG paper, and estimates suggest the UG count could cross 80,000 this time. Rough math: somewhere between 18 and 20 test-takers for every seat overall, and close to 50 for every open-merit seat. That isn't meant to scare you. It's meant to make your college list realistic.

Three things to remember about the CLAT 2027 seat matrix:

Intake isn't the same as ease. NLSIU has the largest intake, yet it closed at rank 108. Seats only help if your rank is in range.
Domicile can change the game. Many NLUs reserve seats for home-state students, which shrinks the open pool for everyone else. This cycle, the Consortium revised reservation categories for NLU Meghalaya and WBNUJS. If you applied under those domicile categories, log in, choose Edit Application Form, open the Reservations tab and update your category by 31 October.
Numbers move a little every year. Some NLUs adjust programmes like BBA LLB, BSc LLB or BCom LLB. The official brochure and notices are the source to trust.

NLUs in India 2027: Choosing Beyond Your Rank

A rank gives you options. It doesn't tell you which option is right for you. Before you finalise a list, ask a few plain questions about each NLU:

Can my family manage five years of costs? Look at tuition, hostel and mess, not just the headline fee.
Do I see myself living there? Climate, language and distance from home matter more than people admit around the second year.
Does the course mix suit me? Most NLUs offer BA LLB, and some add BBA LLB, BCom LLB, BSc LLB or BSW LLB. If business law excites you, the programme mix is worth a close look.
What happens outside the classroom? Moot courts, law journals, clinics and internship access shape a career as much as a name does.
Is a domicile seat within reach? A home-state quota can put a strong NLU closer than you think.

Older NLUs like NLSIU, NALSAR, NLIU Bhopal, WBNUJS and NLU Jodhpur tend to have deeper alumni networks and long-running recruiter relationships. Newer ones are still building theirs, though several already have strong faculty and active moot teams. Don't dismiss a newer NLU because the name is unfamiliar. Look at what its recent graduates are actually doing.

And talk to people. Five honest conversations with current students or recent alumni will tell you more than any ranking.

Private Colleges Accepting CLAT Scores

Let's be honest. With roughly 4,000 NLU seats and tens of thousands of test-takers, many good students won't get an NLU. That isn't failure. It's arithmetic. It's also why private colleges accepting CLAT scores deserve a serious look.

Depending on the source and the year, somewhere between 50 and 60 private institutions are listed as accepting CLAT scores. They use your score on their own terms, so fees, scholarships, cutoffs and deadlines differ from one college to the next.

Names that commonly appear in current lists

Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad
UPES School of Law, Dehradun (it also accepts LSAT, CUET and its own ULSAT)
SRM School of Law, Kattankulathur, and SRM's Delhi-NCR campus
VIT Law School, Chennai
GITAM School of Law, Visakhapatnam
ICFAI Law School, Dehradun
BITS Law School, Mumbai
Alliance University, Bengaluru

Think of this as a starting point, not a final list. Colleges change their test policies, so check each college's 2027 admission page before you count on it.

The outdated-list trap

Plenty of older articles still show Jindal Global Law School and Symbiosis as CLAT-friendly. For 2027, Jindal Global Law School admits to its five-year and three-year LLB programmes only through LNAT-UK, with an early window running from 1 September to 30 November 2026. Symbiosis admits through its own SLAT, with applications open until 4 December 2026. If one of these is your dream school, CLAT alone won't get you there.

When a private college is the smarter pick

A private college can be the better call when your rank falls beyond the last NLU's closing range, when you want a specific city or specialisation, or when a scholarship brings the cost close to a state NLU's. Choosing a private college isn't settling. Choosing one without checking the details is.

How to judge a private law school

Recognition: BCI approval is non-negotiable. Look at NAAC status and NIRF law rankings too, where several private schools now appear.
Total cost: Add up five years, including hostel and other charges. Ask whether scholarships continue every year or need a minimum GPA.
Placement honesty: Ask for median outcomes and how many students were placed, not just the highest package.
Learning culture: Check moot court activity, faculty profiles and internship support.

CLAT 2027 Admission Process: From Form to Seat

Here's the whole journey, in order.

Check eligibility. Class 12 passed or appeared, with the required percentage. If you're still appearing, you'll need to show proof during counselling.
Register and apply. Fill the form at consortiumofnlus.ac.in, upload your photo, signature and category documents, choose up to three exam cities, and pay the fee. The deadline is 31 October 2026. Apply early, because portals slow down near deadlines.
Download the admit card. It's expected in November. Carry a printed copy and a valid ID on exam day.
Write the exam on 6 December. Two hours, offline, 120 questions.
Check the answer key and result. Results usually follow within a few weeks. If you challenge the provisional key, do it within the window the Consortium announces.
Register for counselling. Candidates on the merit list register on the portal, pay the counselling fee and rank their NLU choices. Sources differ on exactly when the preference list is submitted this cycle, so read the official notice carefully instead of assuming.
Go through the rounds. Seats are allotted by rank, category and preference across five rounds, followed by spot rounds at institutions for any vacant seats. After each allotment you choose to Freeze (accept and stop), Float (keep the seat but stay in line for a higher preference) or Exit (leave the process).
Pay, verify and report. Pay the seat acceptance fee on time, get your documents verified, and report to your NLU.

Plan for a long process. Last cycle, the fifth merit list only appeared in May 2026, and a result revision even came in while counselling was underway. Keep scanned copies of your Class 12 marksheet, category and domicile certificates, ID proofs and photographs ready. Counselling deadlines are unforgiving.

Build Your Own College Strategy

Three score zones, three plans

These numbers come from last year's closing marks. Mock scores are only a rough guide, and your paper's difficulty may differ.

Around 96 and above: The top tier is realistic, and NLSIU and NALSAR closed near 100 or higher. Rank them first if that's your level. Still keep a few middle-tier NLUs below them, because one bad day can cost six to eight marks.
Around 89 to 93: This is middle-tier territory, from RMLNLU and HNLU down to NUSRL. Push for 95 if you want MNLU Mumbai or NLIU Bhopal in play, and add two or three private colleges as a real safety net.
Around 84 to 88: Your list is the wider net of NLUs, plus a shortlist of private colleges you apply to early. Track each college's own deadlines from day one.

Add a Plan B exam too. AILET applications are open until 10 November, SLAT until 4 December and BITS LAT until 5 January, and some law colleges accept CUET UG scores. If you're torn between law and management, IPMAT is the five-year route to weigh. Decide early and deliberately, not by default.

Your seven-week plan to 6 December

This week: Finish the form, double-check your category and domicile entries, and draft a rough college list.
Weeks 2 to 5: Take two or three full mocks a week, and spend as much time analysing them as attempting them. Read a newspaper daily. A recent analysis of three years of CLAT papers found well over a hundred news-linked questions.
Week 6: Revise your error log, run short sectional tests, and practise leaving unsure questions blank.
Final week: Sort out your admit card and centre route, practise OMR marking, and sleep properly.

Quick FAQs

How many NLUs accept CLAT 2027?

Roughly 26 NLUs plus IIULER Goa take part in the centralised process, according to the latest compilation. Check the official brochure for the final count.

What is the total CLAT 2027 seat matrix?

About 4,045 UG seats and 1,755 PG seats, including NRI and supernumerary seats. Roughly 1,500 UG seats are open merit.

Does NLU Delhi accept CLAT?

No. It is admitted through AILET.

Can I get into a good law college without CLAT?

Yes. Several universities use CUET, SLAT, LNAT or their own tests, so check each college's process.

Final Thoughts: Know the Map, Then Run Your Race

A college list isn't about guessing where you'll land. It's about knowing the map, so every mock, every passage and every revision hour has a purpose. When you can say, “I need around 93 marks to be in the range of RMLNLU and HNLU,” preparation stops feeling like a grind and starts feeling like a plan.

You have about seven weeks until 6 December. That's enough time to move your score if you use it well.

If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your mock performance, your college shortlist or your last-lap study plan, the mentors at TCM Education are happy to talk it through. We work with students preparing for CLAT, CUET, IPMAT and CAT, and we know how confusing this stretch can feel. A short conversation now can save weeks of second-guessing later.

Fill that form, finish strong, and go claim your seat.