“Which college is best after CLAT?” is a question whose answer depends on what you actually want from law school. Here is the honest top 10 for CLAT 2027 — with cutoffs, placement medians, recruiter lists, and the campus details that blog posts usually skip. Then a section on how to choose, based on your career goal rather than a generic rank.
Every NLU ranking on the internet has two problems: they either rank on NIRF alone (which has known methodology issues for law schools), or they hide their methodology entirely. We use five measurable parameters and weight them transparently.
Median salary, recruiter diversity, placement percentage, highest package.
Government ranking, weighted for outcomes and research.
CLAT/AILET rank cutoff — market demand signal.
Publications, qualifications, student-faculty ratio.
Campus, library, digital resources, hostel quality.
For a deeper methodology breakdown and the underlying data sources, read our Top 5 NLUs ranking methodology. This post uses the same framework but extends it to the top 10, which involves some expert-judgement calls for positions 6–10 where the quantitative gaps are narrower.
| Rank | NLU | CLAT Cutoff | Median Package | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | NLSIU Bangalore | Top 30–50 (General) | INR 16–20 LPA (median) | View |
| #2 | NLU Delhi | Top 50–70 AILET (General) | INR 17–21 LPA (median) | View |
| #3 | NALSAR Hyderabad | Top 60–95 (General) | INR 14–18 LPA (median) | View |
| #4 | NUJS Kolkata | Top 120–180 (General) | INR 13–17 LPA (median) | View |
| #5 | GNLU Gandhinagar | Top 200–350 (General) | INR 11–15 LPA (median) | View |
| #6 | NLU Jodhpur | Top 250–400 (General) | INR 10–14 LPA (median) | — |
| #7 | RGNUL Punjab | Top 500–800 (General) | INR 9–13 LPA (median) | View |
| #8 | HNLU Raipur | Top 600–1000 (General) | INR 8–12 LPA (median) | View |
| #9 | MNLU Mumbai | Top 700–1200 (General) | INR 10–14 LPA (median) | View |
| #10 | CNLU Patna | Top 1000–1500 (General) | INR 7–11 LPA (median) | View |
Cutoffs are general category, 2023–2025 averages. Placement medians are from most recent published reports. For all-category cutoffs, see our NLU cutoff 2026 page.
NLSIU has been India's #1 NLU since its founding in 1987 and shows no sign of losing the position. The mandatory residential campus at Nagarbhavi produces an extraordinarily cohesive student community. NLSIU's alumni network is the broadest of any Indian law school — partners at every Tier 1 firm, senior advocates at every High Court, and faculty at every top Indian and foreign law school. Placement outcomes are not just high on median but also the most diverse: corporate, litigation, academia, judiciary, and policy in roughly equal measure. If you can get in, this is the default answer.
Read the full profile: NLSIU Bangalore — fees, admissions, placements
NLU Delhi admits through its own AILET exam (not CLAT), which means scoring well on CLAT does not automatically open this door. If you target NLU Delhi, plan to write both exams. Its Dwarka location is the single most consequential advantage among all NLUs — you are a metro ride from the Supreme Court, most regulatory bodies, Tier 1 firm headquarters, and policy institutions. Research centres like the Centre for Communication Governance and Project 39A are nationally significant. Median corporate packages lead the NLU pack.
Read the full profile: NLU Delhi — fees, admissions, placements
NALSAR has held the #3 position for over a decade with remarkable stability. Its academic culture is the most rigorous in the NLU system — small class sizes, strong Socratic teaching, and the NALSAR Student Law Review is one of the most cited student journals in India. Career outcomes are the most diverse of any NLU: corporate, litigation, academia, international organisations, and judiciary in meaningful numbers. The remote Shameerpet campus is the main trade-off — it fosters deep academic focus but limits spontaneous professional exposure.
Read the full profile: NALSAR Hyderabad — fees, admissions, placements
NUJS has the highest corporate placement percentage among Tier 2 top NLUs — more than 55% of its graduating batch goes into law firm practice, a larger share than even NLSIU or NALSAR. The Salt Lake campus is in an accessible urban location, Kolkata is the most affordable of the metro cities, and the Calcutta High Court provides strong internship exposure for students interested in litigation. The alumni bench at senior-associate and partner level in Tier 1 firms is deep. The trade-off is slightly narrower career diversity (more corporate-concentrated).
Read the full profile: NUJS Kolkata — fees, admissions, placements
GNLU has steadily climbed into the top 5 over the past decade, driven by consistent placement improvements and the unique niche of its Centre for Oil, Gas, Energy, Environment, and Climate Change Law. The Gandhinagar campus is arguably the best infrastructure of any NLU. The proximity of GIFT City — India's international financial services hub — is opening new opportunities in financial regulation law for GNLU students. Cutoff is clearly in the second tier, which means GNLU is a realistic first choice for students in the 200–350 CLAT rank range.
Read the full profile: GNLU Gandhinagar — fees, admissions, placements
NLU Jodhpur was one of the earliest post-NLSIU NLUs and has a strong moot court tradition. It offers an integrated BBA LLB in addition to BA LLB, which is useful for students interested in corporate law with a business foundation. Placements have been stable rather than growing, and the campus is remote. NLUJ still competes with GNLU for the #5 position depending on the year's methodology, but has been narrowly behind in recent assessments.
RGNUL Punjab is the highest-ranked NLU in North India outside NLU Delhi. Its placements have improved significantly in the past five years, with consistent Tier 1 firm recruitment. The Patiala campus is fully residential and well-organised, and the academic environment is collegial. Its main advantage over Tier 3 NLUs is the strength of the alumni network in North India's legal ecosystem, particularly in Delhi and Chandigarh HCs.
Read the full profile: RGNUL Punjab — fees, admissions, placements
HNLU Raipur is an under-rated Tier 2 NLU with consistent Tier 1 and Tier 2 firm placements. Its large residential campus is one of the best-maintained in central India, and the low cost of living means a high quality of student life for the fees. HNLU's location means limited professional exposure during the academic year, but the placement pipeline is stronger than its cutoff rank suggests.
Read the full profile: HNLU Raipur — fees, admissions, placements
MNLU Mumbai punches above its rank on placements because of its Mumbai location. Tier 1 firms headquartered in Mumbai (CAM, Khaitan, Nishith Desai, AZB) recruit from MNLU at rates closer to Tier 1 NLUs. The Powai campus is urban and less residential-intensive than NLSIU or NALSAR, which suits students who prefer city living over insulated campus life. Infrastructure is still developing as MNLU is a relatively young institution.
Read the full profile: MNLU Mumbai — fees, admissions, placements
CNLU Patna rounds out our top 10 based on a combination of accessible cutoff, consistent placement outcomes, and the strength of the NLU brand in the public sector and judicial services recruitment. The placement pipeline is weaker than Tier 1 and Tier 2 NLUs on median corporate package, but the brand still opens doors in judiciary, state government legal services, and central PSU recruitment that private law colleges cannot access. CNLU is also the cheapest NLU on fees in the top 10.
Read the full profile: CNLU Patna — fees, admissions, placements
The rank tells you how the market perceives an NLU. It does not tell you which one is best for you. Here is how to translate career goal into NLU choice.
Best picks in order: NLU Delhi · NLSIU Bangalore · NUJS Kolkata · NALSAR Hyderabad · MNLU Mumbai
Tier 1 firms like AZB, Cyril Amarchand, Khaitan, and Trilegal run structured Day Zero and Day One recruitment at the top 4. NLU Delhi leads on median corporate package due to its Delhi location. MNLU Mumbai is the sleeper pick for corporate law because of Mumbai\'s concentration of firm HQs. If you want maximum optionality within corporate law (firms + in-house + international secondments), NLSIU has the broadest partner-track alumni bench across firms.
Best picks in order: NLU Delhi · NLSIU Bangalore · NALSAR Hyderabad · NUJS Kolkata
NLU Delhi\'s proximity to the Supreme Court gives it an unmatched internship pipeline for litigation-focused students. NLSIU and NALSAR produce the highest proportion of graduates who enter litigation and the judiciary. For students targeting specific High Courts, the NLU in that state gives you the best clerkship pipeline — NUJS for Calcutta HC, GNLU for Gujarat HC, MNLU Mumbai for Bombay HC. Judicial services recruitment is heavily NLU-branded; even CNLU Patna opens doors here that private colleges cannot.
Best picks in order: NALSAR Hyderabad · NLSIU Bangalore · NLU Delhi
If your goal is a PhD abroad, an LLM at a top foreign school, or a tenure-track teaching career, NALSAR is the best choice in India. Its research culture, faculty mentorship, and publication opportunities for students are the strongest in the NLU system. NLSIU and NLU Delhi follow. A NALSAR student with a strong research record has a meaningfully better shot at Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, and Yale LLM admissions than most other NLU graduates.
Best picks in order: NLU Delhi · NALSAR Hyderabad · NLSIU Bangalore
NLU Delhi\'s Project 39A, Centre for Communication Governance, and proximity to policy institutions (Niti Aayog, central ministries, think tanks) make it the default choice for public interest and policy-track careers. NALSAR\'s research orientation and NLSIU\'s faculty network in international law academia follow closely. Public interest law fellowships (IDIA, Azim Premji, Legally India fellowships) disproportionately go to students from these three.
Everything above is academic until you have a CLAT rank that puts you in the choice set. Ratio\'s coaching programmes are designed to take you from any starting score to a top-10 NLU rank, with structured section-wise practice, adaptive mocks, and honest analytics. Browse the full NLU directory for fees and admissions details, or start with a free mock test.
NLSIU Bangalore is the best college after CLAT by every measurable parameter — #1 NIRF ranking, highest CLAT cutoff demand (top 30–50 ranks), median placement of INR 16–20 LPA, and the broadest alumni network. NLU Delhi (via AILET) is a close #2, particularly for students targeting corporate law or policy careers in the capital.
For the top 3 NLUs (NLSIU, NALSAR, NUJS via CLAT) you typically need a rank under 100. For the top 5 (adding GNLU and NLU Jodhpur) rank 200–400. For the top 10 (adding RGNUL, HNLU, NLU Bhopal, NLIU, CNLU) rank 800–1500. Category reservations meaningfully change these numbers — always check category-specific cutoffs before setting targets.
NLU Delhi has a marginal edge for corporate placements due to its Dwarka location — proximity to the Supreme Court, Tier 1 firm HQs, and central government. NLSIU leads on alumni network breadth, NIRF rank, career outcome diversity, and research output. For pure corporate law ambitions choose NLU Delhi; for everything else choose NLSIU.
By median package, NLU Delhi (~INR 17–21 LPA) and NLSIU Bangalore (~INR 16–20 LPA) are the top two. By corporate placement percentage, NUJS Kolkata punches above its rank. By highest packages (for top-of-batch students), NLSIU and NLU Delhi both report international firm offers at INR 30+ LPA every year.
Yes, in almost every case. Even a Tier 2 NLU like CNLU Patna or NUSRL Ranchi gives you access to Day Zero placements with firms that do not recruit from most private law colleges, a consortium-level alumni network, and the NLU tag that still opens specific doors (judiciary, public sector, academia). The exception: Jindal Global Law School, which rivals top 5 NLUs on placements and research.
Rank them on three things in order: (1) career goal fit — corporate hubs like Delhi/Mumbai favour NLU Delhi/GNLU; academic/judicial careers favour NALSAR/NLSIU; (2) placement median and recruiter list for your target practice area; (3) location, campus life, and batch culture — you will live there for five years, and personal fit matters more than students think.
Yes — Tier 2 and Tier 3 NLUs (HNLU Raipur, NLU Odisha, MNLU Mumbai, CNLU Patna, NUSRL Ranchi, NLUJAA Assam, DSNLU Vizag) routinely admit students with CLAT ranks in the 1500–4000 range. These schools give you the NLU degree, state-bar access, and placement outcomes that are strong locally even if they do not match top 5 NLUs on median package.
NALSAR Hyderabad and NLSIU Bangalore produce the highest proportion of graduates who go into litigation and the judiciary. For students specifically targeting the Supreme Court or central tribunals, NLU Delhi's Delhi location gives it a practical edge. If your goal is a State High Court, the NLU based in that state (for example NUJS for Calcutta HC, GNLU for Gujarat HC) often provides the best clerkship pipeline.
NLU Delhi, NLSIU Bangalore, and NUJS Kolkata have the strongest corporate law placements. NLU Delhi leads on median corporate package due to its Delhi location and strong Tier 1 recruiter relationships. NLSIU has the broadest partner-track alumni presence across top firms. NUJS has the highest percentage of graduates entering corporate practice (~55% of the graduating batch).
For your first job out of law school — significantly. Top 5 NLUs get Day Zero campus placements from Tier 1 firms that do not recruit elsewhere, and median starting packages differ by INR 5–10 LPA. Five years in, the ranking matters much less than your work quality, specialisation, and network. Ten years in, nobody asks which NLU you attended.