The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a system by the Ministry of Education in India to rank institutions across the country. NIRF evaluates colleges and universities on various parameters like teaching, research, and graduation outcomes.
For law aspirants, the NIRF NLU ranking is a crucial guide to choosing the best National Law Universities (NLUs). Hence, we are presenting here the latest NIRF law ranking in 2024, highlighting the top NLUs in India and their performance.
NIRF Law Rankings 2024
Below is the full list of the top law colleges in India according to the NIRF 2024 law rankings:
| Rank | College/University | Location | NIRF Score |
| 1 | National Law School of India University (NLSIU) | Bengaluru, Karnataka | 83.83 |
| 2 | National Law University (NLU) | New Delhi, Delhi | 77.48 |
| 3 | NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad, Telangana | 77.05 |
| 4 | The West Bengal National University of Juridicial Sciences | Kolkata, West Bengal | 76.39 |
| 5 | Symbiosis Law School | Pune, Maharashtra | 74.62 |
| 6 | Jamia Millia Islamia | New Delhi, Delhi | 73.12 |
| 7 | Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur | Kharagpur, West Bengal | 71.47 |
| 8 | Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar, Gujarat | 69.56 |
| 9 | Siksha O Anusandhan | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | 65.40 |
| 10 | Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 64.96 |
| 11 | Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | 63.60 |
| 12 | Aligarh Muslim University | Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh | 63.54 |
| 13 | Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | 61.58 |
| 14 | Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy | Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu | 60.65 |
| 15 | Christ University | Bengaluru, Karnataka | 59.39 |
| 16 | Dr. B. R. Ambedkar College of Law | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh | 58.75 |
| 17 | Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University | New Delhi | 58.68 |
| 18 | Alliance University | Bengaluru, Karnataka | 56.72 |
| 19 | Lovely Professional University | Phagwara, Punjab | 56.71 |
| 20 | Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU) | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 55.92 |
| 21 | National Law Institute University (NLIU) | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | 55.64 |
| 22 | National University of Study & Research in Law | Ranchi, Jharkhand | 55.52 |
| 23 | University of Lucknow | Lucknow, UP | 55.05 |
| 24 | Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) | Patiala, Punjab | 51.53 |
| 25 | Banaras Hindu University | Varanasi, UP | 54.70 |
| 26 | National Law University (NLU) | Cuttack, Odisha | 54.49 |
| 27 | National Law University and Judicial Academy | Kamrup, Assam | 53.39 |
| 28 | UPES | Dehradun, Uttarakhand | 52.92 |
| 29 | Manipal University, Jaipur | Jaipur, Rajasthan | 52.23 |
| 30 | Army Institute of Law | Mohali, Punjab | 52.11 |
| 31 | Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 51.70 |
| 31 | Chanakya National Law University | Patna, Bihar | 51.70 |
| 32 | Amity University, Haryana | Gurugram, Haryana | 51.68 |
| 33 | Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur | Nagpur, Maharashtra | 51.43 |
| 34 | Indian Law Institute | New Delhi, Delhi | 50.25 |
| 35 | ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Hyderabad | Hyderabad, Telangana | 49.87 |
| 36 | Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh | 48.49 |
| 37 | National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) | Kochi, Kerala | 47.96 |
| 38 | Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh | 47.94 |
| 39 | Amity University | North Twenty Four Parganas, West Bengal | 47.94 |
NIRF NLU Ranking 2024
NIRF has ranked a total of 40 law colleges in India in its 2024 list. Out of these 40 colleges, 16 NLUs have found their place in the list.
Below is the list of NLUs in India (rank-wise) as per the NIRF law rankings 2024:
| Rank | College/University | Location | NIRF Score |
| 1 | National Law School of India University (NLSIU) | Bengaluru, Karnataka | 83.83 |
| 2 | National Law University (NLU) | New Delhi, Delhi | 77.48 |
| 3 | NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad, Telangana | 77.05 |
| 4 | The West Bengal National University of Juridicial Sciences | Kolkata, West Bengal | 76.39 |
| 8 | Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar, Gujarat | 69.56 |
| 20 | Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU) | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 55.92 |
| 21 | National Law Institute University (NLIU) | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | 55.64 |
| 22 | National University of Study & Research in Law | Ranchi, Jharkhand | 55.52 |
| 24 | Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) | Patiala, Punjab | 51.53 |
| 26 | National Law University (NLU) | Cuttack, Odisha | 54.49 |
| 27 | National Law University and Judicial Academy | Kamrup, Assam | 53.39 |
| 31 | Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 51.70 |
| 31 | Chanakya National Law University | Patna, Bihar | 51.70 |
| 33 | Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur | Nagpur, Maharashtra | 51.43 |
| 37 | National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) | Kochi, Kerala | 47.96 |
| 38 | Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh | 47.94 |
NIRF NLU Ranking 2023
NIRF has ranked a total of 30 law colleges in India in its 2023 list. Out of these 30 colleges, 11 NLUs have found their place in the list.
Below is the list of NLUs in India (rank-wise) as per the NIRF law rankings 2023:
| NIRF Rank | NLU Name | Location | NIRF Score |
| 1 | National Law School of India University (NLSIU) | Bengaluru | 80.52 |
| 2 | National Law University (NLU) | Delhi | 73.91 |
| 3 | Nalsar University of Law | Hyderabad | 73.76 |
| 4 | West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | Kolkata | 69.43 |
| 7 | Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar, Gujarat | 65.69 |
| 18 | National Law Institute University | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | 54.68 |
| 20 | Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law | Patiala, Punjab | 51.53 |
| 21 | Dr Ram Manohar Lohya National Law University | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 50.90 |
| 24 | National University of Study & Research in Law | Ranchi, Jharkhand | 48.20 |
| 28 | National Law University and Judicial Academy | Kamrup, Assam | 46.60 |
| 30 | National Law University | Cuttack, Odisha | 46.02 |
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NIRF NLU Ranking 2022
Find the National Law University ranks according to NIRF 2022 list:
| NIRF Rank | NLU Name | Location | NIRF Score |
| 1 | National Law School of India University (NLSIU) | Bengaluru | 78.00 |
| 2 | National Law University (NLU) | New Delhi | 73.96 |
| 4 | Nalsar University of Law | Hyderabad | 73.05 |
| 5 | West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | Kolkata | 70.72 |
| 8 | Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar | 63.52 |
| 10 | National Law University, Jodhpur | Jodhpur | 62.35 |
| 15 | National Law Institute University (NLIU) | Bhopal | 54.28 |
| 17 | Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU) | Lucknow | 53.23 |
| 18 | The Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) | Patiala | 52.73 |
| 22 | National University of Study & Research in Law (NUSRL) | Ranchi | 49.84 |
| 24 | National Law University and Judicial Academy (NLUJA) | Kamrup | 49.27 |
| 25 | National Law University (NLU) | Cuttack | 48.81 |
Must Know: Choose Right NLU After CLAT
NIRF NLU Ranking 2021
Find the list of top NLUs in India according to NIRL law rankings 2021:
| Rank | NLU Name | Location | NIRF Score |
| 1 | National Law School of India University (NLSIU) | Bengaluru | 78.06 |
| 2 | National Law University (NLU) | New Delhi | 74.55 |
| 3 | NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad | 72.39 |
| 4 | West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | Kolkata | 71.24 |
| 6 | Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar | 65.18 |
| 8 | National Law University, Jodhpur | Jodhpur | 63.41 |
| 14 | National Law Institute University (NLIU) | Bhopal | 52.89 |
| 15 | Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU) | Lucknow | 51.44 |
| 16 | The Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) | Patiala | 50.98 |
| 18 | National Law University (NLU) | Cuttack | 50.31 |
| 20 | National Law University and Judicial Academy (NLUJA) | Kamrup | 49.26 |
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NIRF NLU Ranking 2020
Find the NIRF national law university rank for 2020:
| Rank | NLU Name | Location | NIRF Score |
| 1 | National Law School of India University (NLSIU) | Bengaluru | 78.66 |
| 2 | National Law University (NLU) | New Delhi | 74.02 |
| 3 | NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad | 73.12 |
| 4 | West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | Kolkata | 70.50 |
| 6 | Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar | 64.25 |
| 7 | National Law University, Jodhpur | Jodhpur | 63.50 |
| 11 | National Law Institute University (NLIU) | Bhopal | 55.42 |
| 13 | Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU) | Lucknow | 54.33 |
| 14 | The Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) | Patiala | 53.44 |
| 17 | National Law University (NLU) | Cuttack | 51.56 |
| 19 | National Law University and Judicial Academy (NLUJA) | Kamrup | 50.33 |
Change in NLU Rankings Over The Years
Below, we have summarized the changes in NLU rank over the years from 2020 to 2024:
| NLU Name | Location | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| National Law School of India University (NLSIU) | Bengaluru, Karnataka | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| National Law University (NLU) | New Delhi, Delhi | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad, Telangana | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridicial Sciences | Kolkata, West Bengal | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar, Gujarat | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| National Law University, Jodhpur | Jodhpur, Rajasthan | 7 | 8 | – | – | – |
| National Law Institute University (NLIU) | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | 11 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 21 |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU) | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 13 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 20 |
| The Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) | Patiala, Punjab | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 24 |
| National University of Study & Research in Law (NUSRL) | Ranchi, Jharkhand | – | – | 22 | 24 | 22 |
| National Law University and Judicial Academy (NLUJA) | Kamrup, Assam | 19 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 27 |
| National Law University (NLU) | Cuttack, Odisha | 17 | 18 | 25 | 30 | 26 |
| Maharashtra National Law University | Mumbai, Maharashtra | – | – | – | – | 31 |
| Chanakya National Law University | Patna, Bihar | – | – | – | – | 31 |
| Maharashtra National Law University | Nagpur, Maharashtra | – | – | – | – | 33 |
| National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) | Kochi, Kerala | – | – | – | – | 37 |
| Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh | – | – | – | – | 38 |
Full List of National Law Universities (NLUs) in India
There are 25 total NLUs in India. NLU Delhi accepts AILET score for admission, whereas all other NLUs accept CLAT score for admission to their law programs.
Know the CLAT vs AILET Difference.
| Sr. No. | Full Name of NLU | City/State |
| 1 | National Law School of India University | Bengaluru |
| 2 | NALSAR University of Law | Hyderabad |
| 3 | National Law Institute University | Bhopal |
| 4 | West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | Kolkata |
| 5 | National Law University, Jodhpur | Jodhpur |
| 6 | Hidayatullah National Law University | Raipur |
| 7 | Gujarat National Law University | Gandhinagar |
| 8 | Gujarat National Law University, Silvassa Campus | Silvassa |
| 9 | Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University | Lucknow |
| 10 | Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law | Punjab |
| 11 | Chanakya National Law University | Patna |
| 12 | National University of Advanced Legal Studies | Kochi |
| 13 | National Law University Odisha | Odisha |
| 14 | National University of Study and Research in Law | Ranchi |
| 15 | National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam | Assam |
| 16 | Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University | Visakhapatnam |
| 17 | Tamil Nadu National Law University | Tiruchirappalli |
| 18 | Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai | Mumbai |
| 19 | Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur | Nagpur |
| 20 | Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad | Aurangabad |
| 21 | Himachal Pradesh National Law University | Shimla |
| 22 | Dharmashastra National Law University | Jabalpur |
| 23 | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University | Haryana |
| 24 | National Law University, Tripura | Agartala |
| 25 | National Law University, Delhi | Delhi |
Top 5 NLUs in India (NIRF Rank)
Now, if you are appearing for CLAT or AILET exams, then you must be targeting these top 5 National Law Universities, based on the latest NIRF law colleges list:
- National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore
- National Law University (NLU), Delhi
- NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
- The West Bengal National University of Juridicial Sciences, Kolkata
- Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar
What is NIRF?
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is an initiative by the Ministry of Education in India to rank higher education institutions across the country.
Launched in 2015, NIRF provides a reliable way to assess and compare colleges and universities. It helps students, parents, and educators identify the best institutions based on various performance metrics.
NIRF rankings cover different fields of study, including law, engineering, medicine, and more. By offering a clear and consistent ranking system, NIRF aims to improve the quality of education and promote excellence among Indian institutions.
Criteria for NIRF Law Ranking
NIRF uses several criteria to rank institutions, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of their performance. These criteria include:
- Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR): This criterion assesses the quality of teaching, the learning environment, and the availability of resources like libraries and laboratories.
- Research and Professional Practice (RP): This measures the institution’s research output, quality, and the extent of professional practices and consultancy work.
- Graduation Outcomes (GO): This looks at the success of students in terms of graduation rates, placement records, and higher education opportunities.
- Outreach and Inclusivity (OI): This evaluates how well the institution reaches out to and includes students from diverse backgrounds, including women, economically and socially challenged students.
- Perception (PR): This criterion gauges the reputation of the institution among academics, employers, and the general public.
Importance of NIRF NLU Ranking
NIRF rankings play a significant role for National Law Universities (NLUs) in India. They provide a trusted benchmark for students and parents to evaluate and compare different law schools.
High NIRF NLU rankings can enhance the reputation of NLUs, attracting top faculty and students. These rankings also influence career prospects, as employers often prefer graduates from highly ranked institutions.
Moreover, NIRF law rankings help NLUs identify areas for improvement and promote healthy competition among law schools to maintain or enhance their standings.
FAQs About NIRF NLU Rank
There are 25 National Law Universities (NLUs) in India, which were established to improve the quality of legal education and provide standardized education across the country. Out of these 25 NLUs, 24 accept CLAT score for admission, whereas NLU Delhi accepts AILET score.
The top-ranked NLU according to NIRF 2024 is the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru.
NIRF rankings are updated annually. The latest rankings were released in August 2024.
Yes, private law schools are also included in the NIRF rankings. For example, Symbiosis Law School, Pune, and Siksha O Anusandhan, Bhubaneswar, are among the top 10 law schools in the NIRF 2024 rankings.
You can use NIRF rankings to assess the quality and performance of different NLUs. Consider the rankings along with other factors such as location, faculty, campus facilities, specializations offered, and alumni network to make an informed decision.
NLU Shimla is not listed in the top law schools according to the NIRF 2024 rankings.
Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur, is not listed in the top law schools in the NIRF 2024 law rankings.
Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur (MNLU Nagpur), is not listed in the top law schools according to the NIRF 2023 rankings.
National Law University Delhi is ranked 2nd in the NIRF law rankings 2024 with a score of 77.48.
Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad (MNLU Aurangabad), is not listed in the top law schools in the NIRF 2024 rankings.
Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai (MNLU Mumbai), is ranked 31st in the NIRF 2024 rankings.
Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) is ranked 8th in the NIRF NLU rankings with a score of 69.56.
National Law University Odisha, Cuttack, is ranked 26 in the NIRF NLU rankings.
National Law University Jabalpur (DNLU Jabalpur) is not listed in the top law schools in the NIRF 2024 rankings.
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow, is ranked 20th in the NIRF law rankings 2024.
National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, is ranked 1st in the NIRF 2024 rankings with a score of 83.83.
Yes, NIRF rankings are widely recognized and provide a credible assessment of educational institutions in India. They help students and parents make informed decisions regarding their education and can influence the reputation and resources of the institutions.
National Law University, Jodhpur, is not listed in the top law schools in the NIRF 2024 rankings. Its ranking has fluctuated in previous years.
Wrapping Up:
The NIRF NLU rankings highlight the consistent excellence of top NLUs in India like NLSIU, NLU Delhi, and NALSAR. While some universities have maintained their positions, others have seen significant changes.
To secure a place in these prestigious institutions, thorough preparation for Law entrance exams like CLAT or AILET is crucial.
Join the best CLAT coaching in India or AILET coaching for structured guidance and resources necessary to excel in these competitive exams.
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