The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) conducts the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). It is one of the most challenging law entrance exams in the country and is a gateway to the top 22 NLUs. Candidates who successfully crack the exam will secure a seat in the NLUs and other private law colleges to pursue their LLB degrees. However, most candidates are unaware of the seats offered by these national law universities. It is important for the aspirants to have detailed information about the CLAT seats as this will help them in making an informed decision while enrolling.
The admission process for CLAT will be similar to that of prior years. The consortium releases the merit list, followed by three lists of provisionally selected candidates. Candidates provisionally selected will be invited to the counselling session. The shortlisted candidates will be required to pay a counselling fee of Rs. 30,000 in order to secure the seats and attend counselling. Failure to pay the counselling fee will result in the cancellation of the allotment seats of the selected candidate.
The law entrance exams such as SLAT are usually followed by GD (Group Discussion) and PI (Personal Interview) conducted by the university. However, there is no GD and PI round in CLAT 2022, and candidates will be selected based on the rank obtained in the CLAT exam.
After the successful completion of the examination and release of the merit list, the shortlisted candidates will be called to attend counselling. Then, the admission is finalized, and the candidate officially becomes a student of the respective NLU after attending the counselling and paying the counselling fee and other dues within the requisite time slots and submitting required documents like 12th Marksheet, address proof, age proof, etc. to the concerned NLU administrative authorities.
Also read: Best Law Colleges in India
CLAT Seat Reservation Categories
The total seats in CLAT is divided based on category reservations. The different categories considered for the reservation of seats are given below.
If you secure a higher rank on the merit list, you will be given priority over other candidates.
- Scheduled Caste (SC)
- Scheduled Tribe (ST)
- Other Backward Classes (OBC)
- State Quota for the applicants in which NLU is located NRI/Foreign National candidates
- Physically Disabled Candidates (PwD)
- Kashmiri Migrants
- Candidates belonging to the North-Eastern States
CLAT 2022 Participating NLUs and Their Seats (UG Courses)
| National Law University | CLAT Seats | State Quota (Domicile & Category) | All India Seats |
| National Law School of India University, Bangalore | 120 | N/A | 120 |
| National Academy of Legal Studies & Research, Hyderabad | 120 | 20% | 96 |
| WB National University of Judicial Sciences, Kolkata | 105 | 36% | 67 |
| National Law Institute University, Bhopal | 102 | 50% | 51 |
| National Law University, Jodhpur | 104 | N/A | 104 |
| Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar | 174 | 25% | 130 |
| Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow | 169 | 52% | 81 |
| Rajiv Gandhi National Law University, Patiala | 175 | 10% | 157 |
| Chanakya National Law University, Patna | 120 | 66% | 54 |
| Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur | 160 | 50% | 80 |
| National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi | 60 | 49% | 29 |
| National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi | 120 | 50% | 60 |
| National Law University Odisha, Cuttack | 159 | 25% | 119 |
| National Law University and Judicial Academy, Guwahati | 60 | 48% | 31 |
| Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Visakhapatnam | 120 | 55% | 54 |
| Tamil Nadu National Law School, Trichy | 114 | 50% | 57 |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai | 100 | 63% | 37 |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur | 120 | 62% | 45 |
| Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad | 60 | 62% | 23 |
| Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla | 120 | 25% | 90 |
| Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur (MPDNLU) | 120 | 50% | 60 |
| Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University | 120 | 25% | 90 |
| Total | 2622 | 1635 |
Important Points to Know About CLAT 2022 Seats
- The total seats in NLU for integrated law programs is 2622.
- Each National Law University has its own set of reservation criteria. They follow the reservation policy set by the central and state government.
- The NLUs grant reservations for different categories such as SC, ST, OBC, state quota, PwD, Kashmiri migrants, and others
- Apart from NLUs, there are other private law colleges that accept CLAT scores and offer admission to integrated law courses.
- Rajiv Gandhi National Law University, Patiala, offers 157 seats for the integrated law program, which is the highest among all the NLUs.
Also read: India’s top NLUs – the ranking parameters
FAQs
Q1. What are the total NLU seats in India?
Ans. The total seat intake for integrated law programmes offered by the NLUs is 2622.
Q2. Who makes the decisions regarding CLAT reservations?
Ans. The consortium of NLUs makes the decisions regarding CLAT reservations. The decision is made considering the central and state governments’ regulations.