The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is arguably the most popular national-level law entrance examination. The CLAT is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) for admission to undergraduate (LLB) and postgraduate (LLM) programs offered by the NLUs and private law schools that accept the CLAT score.
Due to the pandemic, the CLAT was postponed this year. The new date for CLAT has been released. The exam will now take place on Friday, 23rd July 2021 between 2 & 4 PM for both the undergraduate and postgraduate programs. CLAT 2021 will be a Pen & Paper exam conducted at various centres with all COVID-19 protocols being observed.
Many of my students have asked me, ‘What is the cut-off for CLAT?’
The Consortium of NLUs will release the CLAT 2021 cut-off at the time of counselling separately for the LLB and LLM programs for all participating NLUs. The CLAT counselling for seat allotments takes place in three rounds.
The CLAT cut-off for a round will be the last rank for which admission is offered in that round. Candidates scoring below that rank will not get admission. However, if a candidate scores below the cut-off rank in round 1 & 2, he/she can still participate in round 3 but if the candidate cannot qualify in the last round, he/she will not get any more chances.
Factors determining CLAT Cut-off
Historically, it has been seen that the CLAT cut-off depends on the following factors:
- The number of candidates appearing for the CLAT
- The CLAT merit rank of these candidates
- The total number of applications received for admission
- The seat intake for the LLB & LLM programs
- Category (SC/ST, etc)
- Previous year’s cut-off
If any of these parameters change, the CLAT cut-off will also change. Say, for example, if the number of candidates increases, the CLAT cut-off will also go up. And if the number of candidates goes down, the CLAT cut-off is also likely to come down.
Why is it Important to know the CLAT cut-off?
The CLAT cut-off will give the candidate an idea about what rank he/she needs to secure to get admission. Considering that the CLAT cut-off is program-specific, candidates need to refer to the program they are applying for. Since the CLAT cut-off varies depending on factors like seat intake, category (General/SC/ST, etc.), etc., candidates need to keep an eye on these factors as well.
Cut-off for CLAT
I have already mentioned that the CLAT 2021 cut-off will be released by the Consortium of NLUs at the time of counselling. So, in the meantime, it may be worth considering the CLAT cut-off for 2020. Since the CLAT exam pattern changed in 2020, there is no point in discussing the CLAT cut-off for the years prior to that.
Here, I have presented the CLAT 2020 cut-off for the top 5 NLUs, which are most in-demand:
The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore Cut-off 2020 (UG Program)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 98 |
| SC | 1978 |
| ST | 3707 |
| General (People with Disabilities) | 1727 |
The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore Cut-off 2020 (PG Program)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 70 |
| SC | 613 |
| ST | 906 |
| General (PwD) | 2031 |
The National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law, Hyderabad Cut-off 2020 (UG Programme)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 177 |
| SC | 2496 |
| ST | 5992 |
| General (PwD) | 3945 |
The National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law, Hyderabad Cut-off 2020 (PG Programme)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 108 |
| SC | 1121 |
| ST | 1769 |
| General (PwD) | 2383 |
National Law University, Jodhpur Cut-off 2020 (UG Programme)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 323 |
| SC | 4356 |
| ST | 9061 |
| General (PwD) | 10945 |
National Law University, Jodhpur Cut-off 2020 (PG Programme)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 270 |
| SC | 1825 |
| ST | 1942 |
| General (PwD) | 3786 |
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata Cut-off 2020 (UG Program)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 226 |
| SC | 3064 |
| ST | 6968 |
| General (PwD) | 6470 |
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata Cut-off 2020 (PG Program)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 70 |
| SC | 613 |
| ST | 906 |
| General (PwD) | 2031 |
Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar Cut-off 2020 (UG Programme)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 470 |
| SC | 6607 |
| ST | 11226 |
| General (PwD) | 12726 |
Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar Cut-off 2020 (PG Programme)
| Category | Cut-off Rank (All India Ranking) |
| General | 290 |
| SC | 1896 |
| ST | 1435 |
| General (PwD) | 4615 |
The CLAT 2021 exam pattern has been revised by the Consortium of NLUs for the postgraduate LLM program. The CLAT question paper for the LLM program will now have 120 multiple choice questions (MCQs). The total marks will be 120. There will be no change in the CLAT exam pattern in 2021 for the undergraduate (LLB) program from that of CLAT 2020. Total marks for the UG program will be 150. There will be 150 MCQs. Since the number of questions has been reduced, the CLAT cut-off for 2021 is expected to be high for candidates seeking admission to the top NLUs, unless the Consortium of NLUs shows some leniency.
Many of my students are putting in a lot of hard work to crack CLAT. I, along with the other faculty members at Manu Law Classes, is trying to offer them proper guidance to help them succeed. In recent years, we have trained hundreds of students to bag great ranks in CLAT. In these pandemic times, online law coaching is the ideal resource for candidates. And there are many such coaching centres out there. However, candidates need to choose the right online coaching centre to help their cause-which is to crack CLAT and get admission to the top law universities.
