Law after 12th: CLAT, AILET, SLAT, fees, salary and scope

You study: A bachelor's subject and a full law degree together
Open to: Any stream, 45 per cent in Class 12, no age limit
Total cost: About 11 to 23 lakh at a National Law University (NLU)

What it is really like

It is 11 am in a moot court (a practice trial). A first-year in a borrowed black coat cites a case; the professor on the bench cuts in. A BA LLB or BBA LLB pairs arts or business with law, across five years of cases, moots and internships. Later, a corporate lawyer drafts deals late at night; a litigator argues in court and builds clients slowly.

How you get in

CLAT
Common Law Admission Test: English, current affairs, reasoning and Class 10 maths.
AILET
All India Law Entrance Test: the National Law University Delhi's own test.
SLAT
Symbiosis Law Admission Test: for Symbiosis Law School.

Where to study

Top, government

NLSIU Bengaluru; NLU Delhi; NALSAR

About 14 to 23 lakh

Other, government

NLU Jodhpur; NUJS; HNLU and other NLUs

About 11 to 18 lakh

Private

Symbiosis Pune; Jindal Global

About 4.5 lakh a year; 60 lakh or more at Jindal

After the degree

About 4,000
NLU seats: Up to 2 in 3
join law firms: 17 to 19 lakh
median at top NLUs

Leads to

Corporate lawyerAdvocateJudgeLegal adviserLLM (master's in law)

The median (middle salary) counts only law-firm jobs. A young litigator often starts on about 20,000 a month, so classmates can start many times apart. Court work can grow well.

Top colleges and what it takes

24 National Law Universities admit on the CLAT UG rank through the Consortium of NLUs' centralised counselling; NLU Delhi uses its own AILET, Symbiosis uses SLAT, Jindal uses LSAT-India and Jamia runs its own test. Figures are the General (unreserved, All-India) closing rank for the 5-year integrated LLB after CLAT 2025 counselling: the final (3rd) allotment list where it was published, otherwise round 1 (marked). Round-1 ranks are always a little better (smaller) than the final ones. A smaller number is better; home-state domicile seats at most NLUs close much later.

National Law School of India University (NLSIU)
Bengaluru · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #1
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 112 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 112 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 100
NALSAR University of Law
Hyderabad · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #3
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 159 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 159 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 150
National Law University Delhi
New Delhi · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #2
AILET
BA LLB closed around AILET rank 61 (General, AILET 2025; portals differ slightly by round)(approx.) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)AILET rank about 52 to 61 (General, AILET 2025; roughly 110+ out of 150 marks)
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS)
Kolkata · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #4
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 327 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
2 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 327 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 285
- B.Sc LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 711 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025)
National Law University Jodhpur
Jodhpur · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 367 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 367 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 357
Gujarat National Law University (GNLU)
Gandhinagar · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #5
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 444 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
2 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 444 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 402
- BBA LLB / B.Sc LLB / B.Com LLB (Hons)Separate CLAT merit per programme; these usually close a few hundred ranks after BA LLB (General, CLAT 2025; programme-wise figures not verified)
National Law Institute University (NLIU)
Bhopal · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #27
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 480 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
2 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 480 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 458
- B.Sc LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 915 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025)
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU)
Lucknow · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #21
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 780 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 780 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 721
Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU)
Raipur · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 807 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 807 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 765
Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) Mumbai
Mumbai · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 536 in round 1 (General, CLAT 2025); later rounds close a little higher source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 536 (General, round 1 allotment, CLAT 2025); the final list closes somewhat higher
National Law University Odisha (NLUO)
Cuttack · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #15
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,013 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
2 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,013 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 943
- BBA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,176 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025)
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL)
Patiala · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,279 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,279 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 1,146
National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS)
Kochi · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,346 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,346 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 1,175
Chanakya National Law University (CNLU)
Patna · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #17
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,398 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
2 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,398 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 1,278
- BBA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,555 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025)
Gujarat National Law University, Silvassa campus
Silvassa · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,461 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,461 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 1,252
Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) Nagpur
Nagpur · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #28
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,529 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,529 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 1,353
National University of Study & Research in Law (NUSRL)
Ranchi · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #30
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,667 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
2 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,667 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 1,476
- BBA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,760 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025)
Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU)
Visakhapatnam · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,682 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,682 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 1,489
Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU)
Tiruchirappalli · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,763 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
2 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,763 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 1,516
- B.Com LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,947 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025)
Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,580 in round 1 (General, CLAT 2025); later rounds close a little higher source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,580 (General, round 1 allotment, CLAT 2025); the final list closes somewhat higher
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University (DBRANLU)
Sonipat · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,621 in round 1 (General, CLAT 2025); later rounds close a little higher source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,621 (General, round 1 allotment, CLAT 2025); the final list closes somewhat higher
National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam (NLUJAA)
Guwahati · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #35
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 2,141 (General, final allotment list, CLAT 2025) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 2,141 (General, final (3rd) allotment list, CLAT 2025); round 1 closed at 1,643
Dharmashastra National Law University (DNLU)
Jabalpur · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,762 in round 1 (General, CLAT 2025); later rounds close a little higher source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,762 (General, round 1 allotment, CLAT 2025); the final list closes somewhat higher
Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU)
Shimla · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #34
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,951 in round 1 (General, CLAT 2025); later rounds close a little higher source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,951 (General, round 1 allotment, CLAT 2025); the final list closes somewhat higher
Dr. Rajendra Prasad National Law University (RPNLU)
Prayagraj · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 1,987 in round 1 (General, CLAT 2025); later rounds close a little higher(approx.) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 1,987 (General, round 1 allotment, CLAT 2025); the final list closes somewhat higher
National Law University Tripura (NLUT)
Agartala · Government
CLAT UG
BA LLB closed at CLAT rank 2,098 in round 1 (General, CLAT 2025); later rounds close a little higher source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)CLAT rank 2,098 (General, round 1 allotment, CLAT 2025); the final list closes somewhat higher
Symbiosis Law School (SLS)
Pune · Deemed · NIRF 2025 Law #7
SLAT (Symbiosis Law Admission Test)
No official cut-off: the Pune campus needs a high SLAT score, roughly the top few percent of test-takers (General, 2025; portal estimates)(approx.) source
2 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)SLAT merit plus Class 12 (45%+); no official closing score published
- BBA LLB (Hons)SLAT merit; similar to BA LLB (approx.)
Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), O.P. Jindal Global University
Sonipat · Private
LSAT-India (or JGU-accepted scores) + interview
No cut-off: holistic selection on LSAT-India, Class 12 marks, a statement of purpose and an interview; fees are among the highest in Indian law, with scholarships(approx.) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB / BBA LLB (Hons)LSAT-India score plus interview; no published cut-off
Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia
New Delhi · Government · NIRF 2025 Law #8
Jamia's own BA LLB entrance test
No national rank: merit on Jamia's own written entrance, with about 180 seats and heavy competition(approx.) source
1 programmes
- BA LLB (Hons)Jamia entrance merit; no published cut-off

Cut-offs move every year and differ by category, quota and home state. Use them to judge the level, then check the official counselling data.

How to prepare

Read a good newspaper daily and summarise one editorial.
Practise reading comprehension and logic puzzles from Class 11.
Take full practice tests (mocks) in the autumn of Class 12.

Is it for you?

Good fit if

you read closely, write well and argue clearly
you can handle long hours and heavy reading

Think twice if

you are counting on law-firm pay, or a private fee is out of reach

Official links and free study material

Law: common questions

How do I get into Law after 12th?

CLAT: Common Law Admission Test: English, current affairs, reasoning and Class 10 maths. AILET: All India Law Entrance Test: the National Law University Delhi's own test. SLAT: Symbiosis Law Admission Test: for Symbiosis Law School.

Which stream do I need for Law?

Any stream: PCM, PCB, Commerce and Humanities are all open. Any stream, 45 per cent in Class 12, no age limit.

How much does Law cost in India?

About 11 to 23 lakh at a National Law University (NLU). By college: NLSIU Bengaluru; NLU Delhi; NALSAR: About 14 to 23 lakh; NLU Jodhpur; NUJS; HNLU and other NLUs: About 11 to 18 lakh; Symbiosis Pune; Jindal Global: About 4.5 lakh a year; 60 lakh or more at Jindal. Fees change every year; confirm in each official notice.

What happens after Law?

About 4,000 NLU seats; Up to 2 in 3 join law firms; 17 to 19 lakh median at top NLUs. The median (middle salary) counts only law-firm jobs. A young litigator often starts on about 20,000 a month, so classmates can start many times apart. Court work can grow well.

Is Law a good career for me?

A good fit if you read closely, write well and argue clearly, and you can handle long hours and heavy reading. Think twice if you are counting on law-firm pay, or a private fee is out of reach.

Source: Chapter 13 of the book. Notes and sources