India has 27 National Law Universities (26 admit through CLAT; NLU Delhi uses AILET). They are not equal — not in ranking, not in fees, not in placement, and not in the CLAT rank required to get in. This guide gives you everything in one place: NIRF rankings, actual 5-year fees, CLAT closing ranks, median salaries, and a tier-wise breakdown so you can set your target NLU the right way.
💡 There are 26 NLUs in India (up from 24, with NLU Tripura and NLU Meghalaya joining the consortium) offering thousands of undergraduate law seats. All accept CLAT scores except NLU Delhi, which uses AILET. NIRF 2025 ranks NLSIU Bangalore #1 — a position it has held for 10+ consecutive years.
Top 3 NLUs in India (NIRF 2025)
- NLSIU Bengaluru — NIRF rank 1. Has topped every NIRF law ranking since the category began in 2018. Admission through CLAT.
- NLU Delhi — NIRF rank 2. The only top NLU that admits through its own exam, AILET, instead of CLAT.
- NALSAR Hyderabad — NIRF rank 3. Admission through CLAT.
Together these three take the smallest number of students and close at the earliest ranks (General closing ranks in the final CLAT 2026 list: NLSIU 120, NALSAR 168; NLU Delhi admits through AILET). WBNUJS Kolkata (NIRF 4) and GNLU Gandhinagar (NIRF 5) complete the group aspirants call Tier 1.
Top 10 NLUs in India 2026 — NIRF Rank, Fees & Cutoff at a Glance
| # | NLU | NIRF 2025 | 5-Yr Fees | CLAT Closing Rank | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NLSIU Bangalore | 1 | ₹25 L | 120 (Gen) | ₹16 LPA |
| 2 | NLU Delhi (AILET) | 2 | ₹21 L | Via AILET (guide) | ₹18 LPA |
| 3 | NALSAR Hyderabad | 3 | ₹15.35 L | 168 (Gen) | ₹17.5 LPA |
| 4 | WBNUJS Kolkata | 4 | ₹17 L | 343 (Gen) | ₹20 LPA |
| 5 | GNLU Gandhinagar | 5 | ₹14 L | 398 (Gen) | ₹18 LPA |
| 6 | NLU Jodhpur | Not in 2025 top 40 | ₹13 L | 364 (Gen) | ₹12 LPA |
| 7 | HNLU Raipur | Not in 2025 top 40 | ₹10 L | 806 (Gen) | ₹10 LPA |
| 8 | RGNUL Patiala | Not in 2025 top 40 (24 in 2024) | ₹9 L | 1,141 (Gen) | ₹9 LPA |
| 9 | CNLU Patna | 17 | ₹1.1 L | 1,235 (Gen) | ₹4.8 LPA |
| 10 | NLIU Bhopal | 27 | ₹2.9 L | 459 (Gen) | ₹9 LPA |
ℹ Yellow rows = Tier 1 NLUs. Blue rows = Tier 2 NLUs. Fees are approximate 5-year total. CLAT closing ranks are the General-category ranks in the final (5th) CLAT 2026 allotment list, 20 May 2026 (full NLU-wise table). NIRF column shows the NIRF 2025 law rank; NLU Jodhpur, HNLU Raipur and RGNUL Patiala did not feature in the 2025 top 40, so ranks 6-10 here follow CLAT closing ranks and placements.
NLSIU Bangalore — National Law School of India University
📍 Bangalore, Karnataka | Est. 1987 | India's First NLU
India's oldest and most prestigious NLU. Founded in 1987, NLSIU set the template for all NLUs that followed. It has produced more Supreme Court justices, top law firm partners, and Rhodes Scholars than any other Indian law school. Admission is via CLAT — General category requires a rank within top 120. The 5-year fee of ₹25 lakh includes hostel and mess charges.
NLU Delhi — National Law University, Delhi
📍 Dwarka, New Delhi | Est. 2008 | Admission via AILET
NLU Delhi is unique — it is the only NLU that does NOT participate in CLAT. It conducts its own AILET exam. With only 110 BA LLB seats and proximity to the Supreme Court of India, NLU Delhi offers unmatched litigation and arbitration exposure. The median salary of ₹18 LPA (2025) is among the highest of all NLUs.
NALSAR Hyderabad — National Academy of Legal Study and Research
📍 Hyderabad, Telangana | Est. 1998 | CLAT
NALSAR is widely regarded as the second-best law school in India and is often preferred by students who want strong corporate law and international law exposure in South India. It has one of the highest placement rates among all NLUs — 108 out of 115 UG students placed in 2025. The 5-year fee is considerably lower than NLSIU at ₹15.35 lakh.
WBNUJS Kolkata — West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
📍 Kolkata, West Bengal | Est. 1999 | CLAT
WBNUJS Kolkata recorded the highest median placement salary of ₹20 LPA among all NLUs in 2025 — above even NLSIU and NLU Delhi. Known for its strong alumni network in top law firms and excellent clinical legal education programme. CLAT 2026 General closing rank of 343 makes it more accessible than NLSIU while offering comparable outcomes.
GNLU Gandhinagar — Gujarat National Law University
📍 Gandhinagar, Gujarat | Est. 2003 | CLAT
GNLU has rapidly emerged as a top-5 NLU with exceptional placement numbers — 175 out of 181 UG students placed in 2025, the highest placement volume of any NLU. Located in India's business capital corridor, GNLU has strong connections with Gujarat-based corporates, Reliance Legal, and multinational law firms. The median salary of ₹18 LPA with the most accessible Tier 1 cutoff (General rank 398 in CLAT 2026) makes it excellent value.
| NLU | Location | NIRF 2025 | 5-Yr Fees | Closing Rank | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLU Jodhpur | Rajasthan | 9-10 | ₹13 L | 364 | ₹12 LPA |
| HNLU Raipur | Chhattisgarh | 11-12 | ₹10 L | 806 | ₹10 LPA |
| RGNUL Patiala | Punjab | 13 | ₹9 L | 1,141 | ₹9 LPA |
| NLUO Cuttack | Odisha | 17 | ₹12 L | 848 | ₹13 LPA |
| NUSRL Ranchi | Jharkhand | 34 | ₹5.5 L | 1,440 | ₹10 LPA |
| NLIU Bhopal | MP | 28 | ₹2.9 L | 459 | ₹9 LPA |
ℹ️ Note on RGNUL Patiala: For students from Punjab preparing at Surya Law Academy, RGNUL Patiala is the closest Tier 2 NLU. It closed at General rank 1,141 in the final CLAT 2026 list (1,279 in CLAT 2025). RGNUL has particularly strong connections with Punjab & Haryana High Court for litigation career aspirants.
NLU Placement Data 2025 — Verified NIRF Figures
| NLU | Students Graduating | Students Placed | Median Salary | Top Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLSIU Bangalore | 85 | 70 | ₹16 LPA | ₹22+ LPA |
| NLU Delhi | 79 | 65 | ₹18 LPA | ₹25 LPA |
| NALSAR Hyderabad | 115 | 108 | ₹17.5 LPA | ₹22 LPA |
| WBNUJS Kolkata | 127 | 122 | ₹20 LPA | ₹24 LPA |
| GNLU Gandhinagar | 181 | 175 | ₹18 LPA | ₹22 LPA |
Complete List of All 26 NLUs in India — Rank-Wise (2026)
Searches for an "NLU list", "top 20 NLUs" or "total NLUs in India" deserve a straight answer: India has 26 National Law Universities. 24 admit through CLAT 2026 (including the two newest members, NLU Tripura and RPNLU Prayagraj), NLU Delhi uses AILET, and NLU Meghalaya runs its own entrance test. Only 13 of the 26 feature in the NIRF 2025 top 40 for law, so any "top 20 NLUs" list is partly editorial.
The table below lists all 26 — the 13 NIRF-ranked NLUs first, then the rest. The unranked group still includes established names that ranked in earlier NIRF editions, such as NLU Jodhpur, HNLU Raipur, RGNUL Patiala, MNLU Mumbai, NUALS Kochi and DSNLU Visakhapatnam.
| # | National Law University | City, State | Admission via | NIRF 2025 (Law) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NLSIU — National Law School of India University | Bengaluru, Karnataka | CLAT | 1 |
| 2 | NLU Delhi — National Law University, Delhi | New Delhi | AILET | 2 |
| 3 | NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad, Telangana | CLAT | 3 |
| 4 | WBNUJS — West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | Kolkata, West Bengal | CLAT | 4 |
| 5 | GNLU — Gujarat National Law University (Gandhinagar and Silvassa campuses) | Gandhinagar, Gujarat | CLAT | 5 |
| 6 | NLUO — National Law University Odisha | Cuttack, Odisha | CLAT | 15 |
| 7 | CNLU — Chanakya National Law University | Patna, Bihar | CLAT | 17 |
| 8 | RMLNLU — Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | CLAT | 21 |
| 9 | NLIU — National Law Institute University | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | CLAT | 27 |
| 10 | MNLU Nagpur — Maharashtra National Law University | Nagpur, Maharashtra | CLAT | 28 |
| 11 | NUSRL — National University of Study and Research in Law | Ranchi, Jharkhand | CLAT | 30 |
| 12 | HPNLU — Himachal Pradesh National Law University | Shimla, Himachal Pradesh | CLAT | 34 |
| 13 | NLUJA — National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam | Guwahati, Assam | CLAT | 35 |
| 14 | NLU Jodhpur — National Law University, Jodhpur | Jodhpur, Rajasthan | CLAT | — |
| 15 | HNLU — Hidayatullah National Law University | Raipur, Chhattisgarh | CLAT | — |
| 16 | RGNUL — Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law | Patiala, Punjab | CLAT | — (24 in 2024) |
| 17 | NUALS — National University of Advanced Legal Studies | Kochi, Kerala | CLAT | — (38 in 2024) |
| 18 | DSNLU — Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh | CLAT | — (39 in 2024) |
| 19 | MNLU Mumbai — Maharashtra National Law University | Mumbai, Maharashtra | CLAT | — (31 in 2024) |
| 20 | TNNLU — Tamil Nadu National Law University | Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu | CLAT | — |
| 21 | MNLU Aurangabad — Maharashtra National Law University | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra | CLAT | — |
| 22 | DNLU — Dharmashastra National Law University | Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh | CLAT | — |
| 23 | DBRANLU — Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University | Sonepat, Haryana | CLAT | — |
| 24 | NLU Tripura — National Law University, Tripura | Agartala, Tripura | CLAT | — |
| 25 | RPNLU — Dr. Rajendra Prasad National Law University | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh | CLAT (from 2026-27) | — |
| 26 | NLU Meghalaya — National Law University Meghalaya | Shillong, Meghalaya | Own entrance test (not CLAT) | — |
ℹ — = did not feature in the NIRF 2025 law top 40 (some NLUs do not take part in NIRF). Sources: NIRF 2025 law rankings and the Consortium of NLUs' CLAT 2026 participating-university list. IIULER Goa also admits through CLAT 2026 but is not an NLU.
Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 NLUs — How Aspirants Group Them
"Tier 1 NLUs" is aspirant shorthand, not an official NIRF category. In practice the tiers track NIRF rank, CLAT closing rank and placement medians:
- Tier 1 (top 5): NLSIU Bengaluru, NLU Delhi, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, GNLU Gandhinagar — NIRF 2025 ranks 1 to 5, closing ranks inside roughly the top 400 (General) in CLAT 2026, median packages of ₹16-20 LPA.
- Tier 2: NLU Jodhpur, HNLU Raipur, RGNUL Patiala, NLIU Bhopal, NLUO Cuttack, CNLU Patna, RMLNLU Lucknow — established NLUs whose CLAT 2026 General closing ranks ran from 364 (NLU Jodhpur) to 1,235 (CNLU Patna), with ₹5-12 LPA medians.
- Tier 3 / newer NLUs: NUSRL Ranchi, HPNLU Shimla, NLUJA Assam, NUALS Kochi, DSNLU Visakhapatnam, TNNLU Tiruchirappalli, MNLU Mumbai, MNLU Nagpur, MNLU Aurangabad, DNLU Jabalpur, DBRANLU Sonepat, NLU Tripura, RPNLU Prayagraj and NLU Meghalaya — later closing ranks and younger placement cells. Several are climbing: NLUO Cuttack rose 11 places and CNLU Patna 14 places in NIRF 2025.
For Chandigarh and Punjab students, RGNUL Patiala is the nearest NLU and a common Tier 2 target alongside PU Law (UILS Chandigarh), which sits outside the NLU system but is often preferred locally.
How to Set Your NLU Target — Strategy
- If you score 100+/120 in CLAT mocks: Target NLSIU, NALSAR, WBNUJS — Tier 1
- If you score 88-99/120: Target GNLU, NLU Jodhpur, HNLU — Tier 1-2 boundary
- If you score 78-87/120: Target RGNUL Patiala, NLIU Bhopal, CNLU Patna — strong Tier 2
- If you score 65-77/120: Target newer NLUs — NUSRL Ranchi, MNLU Mumbai, DNLU Jabalpur
- Always apply to PU Law Entrance too — UILS Chandigarh is an excellent parallel option for Punjab students
Want to Get Into a Top NLU in 2026?
Surya Law Academy students have secured ranks at NLSIU, NLU Delhi, and top 10 NLUs. AIR 4, AIR 17 CLAT — your rank is our mission. Free counselling with Megha Sharma.