CLAT 2027 Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for CLAT 2027 (UG), you must have passed or be appearing in Class 12 (10+2) or an equivalent exam from a recognised board, with a minimum of 45% marks (40% for SC/ST). Any stream qualifies, there is no upper age limit, and you may attempt CLAT any number of times. Appearing candidates apply provisionally and prove passing at admission.

No. There is no upper age limit for CLAT UG — the Consortium of NLUs removed the earlier cap in 2017, so candidates of any age can appear. There is also no specified lower age limit; eligibility is tied to passing or appearing in Class 12, not to your age. This makes CLAT one of the most accessible national-level entrance exams.

CLAT 2027 requires a minimum of 45% in Class 12 for General, OBC, EWS, PwD, NRI, PIO and OCI candidates, and 40% for SC and ST candidates. These are aggregate marks in the qualifying examination, checked at the time of admission rather than to sit the exam. Falling below the minimum can cost you an allotted seat even after a good rank.

Yes. Students sitting their Class 12 board exams in 2027 can apply for CLAT 2027 (held December 2026) on a provisional basis. You take the exam first; if you secure a seat, you must produce your Class 12 passing certificate and marksheet meeting the minimum marks during counselling. So you should not wait for results to apply.

There is no limit on the number of attempts for CLAT UG. As long as you meet the eligibility criteria, you can appear as many years as you wish. Because CLAT is held once a year, each attempt is a year apart, which is why droppers commonly reappear the following December after a focused year of preparation.

Any stream is eligible — Science, Commerce or Arts. There is no subject requirement for CLAT UG; the exam tests aptitude, reasoning, comprehension, current affairs and elementary maths rather than school subjects. So a student from any 10+2 background can apply, provided they have passed (or are appearing in) Class 12 with the minimum required marks.

No. There is no specified lower age limit for CLAT UG. Eligibility is based on passing or appearing in Class 12, not on a minimum age, so a candidate who completes Class 12 early can apply. In practice almost all candidates are around 17–18 when they first appear, simply because that is when Class 12 is completed.

No — you can appear for CLAT 2027 while still awaiting your Class 12 results. The minimum-marks requirement is verified at admission, not to write the exam. However, to actually take up an allotted NLU seat you must pass Class 12 with the required percentage; if your final marks fall short, the admission can be cancelled.

For CLAT PG, you must hold an LL.B. or 5-year integrated LL.B. degree from a Bar Council of India-recognised university, with a minimum of 50% marks for General/OBC/PwD/NRI/PIO/OCI and 45% for SC/ST. There is no upper age limit, and final-year LLB students can appear and submit proof of passing at the time of admission.

Yes. Indian nationals, NRIs, NRI-sponsored candidates, OCIs, PIOs and foreign nationals can apply for CLAT. However, seat allotment and any additional eligibility for the NRI and foreign categories vary by individual NLU, so check the specific university's brochure during counselling. Some NLUs admit foreign nationals directly, outside the common merit list.

CLAT itself has no domicile requirement to appear — it is a national exam open to all eligible candidates. However, several individual NLUs reserve a portion of seats under a state-domicile quota for the state in which they are located. These domicile benefits apply during that NLU's counselling and require a domicile certificate, so check each NLU's rules if you are targeting a home-state seat.

To prove eligibility at admission you typically need your Class 12 (10+2) marksheet and passing certificate, a photo ID, and category certificates where applicable — SC/ST/OBC, EWS income-and-asset certificate, PwD certificate, or a domicile certificate for state quotas. Requirements vary by NLU and quota, so keep these ready before counselling to avoid losing an allotted seat to a documentation delay.

The minimum-marks bar is relaxed by category: 45% for General/OBC/EWS/PwD/NRI/PIO/OCI and 40% for SC/ST. Beyond that, category is not an eligibility filter to appear — reservation benefits (SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD quotas) apply during NLU seat allotment, not to your eligibility to write CLAT. You will need the relevant category certificate at counselling to claim those benefits.

Yes. There is no restriction on gap years or the year of passing Class 12, and no limit on attempts — so droppers and candidates with one or more gap years are fully eligible for CLAT 2027. A focused dropper year is common among CLAT aspirants, and the absence of an age cap or attempt limit means a gap does not affect your eligibility in any way.

CLAT UG eligibility is the same across the participating NLUs for the 5-year integrated LLB programmes — Class 12 with the minimum marks. Individual NLUs may add their own admission formalities or quota rules, but the core CLAT eligibility does not change by NLU. CLAT PG eligibility (an LLB degree with 50%/45%) applies to the LLM programmes instead.

The minimum percentage applies to your aggregate marks in the Class 12 qualifying examination as recognised by your board. Different boards compute aggregates differently, so use your board's official aggregate. If your board awards grades rather than percentages, the equivalent percentage as certified by the board is used. When in doubt, confirm the calculation method in the official CLAT notification and your NLU's admission rules.

You can appear for CLAT regardless, because marks are not checked to sit the exam — but you would not be eligible for ADMISSION to an NLU through CLAT without meeting the 45% (or 40% for SC/ST) threshold. If you are an appearing candidate, an improvement attempt to reach the minimum before admission is one route; verify the rules with the Consortium and your target NLU.

As of now, CLAT 2027 eligibility is unchanged — Class 12 with 45% (40% SC/ST), no age limit, any stream, unlimited attempts. The Consortium has formed an Expert Committee reviewing the exam, so it is worth watching the official notification (expected July 2026) for any revision. Eligibility rules change rarely, but the official notification is always the final word.

Largely yes — both require Class 12 with broadly similar minimum marks (CLAT: 45%/40%; AILET: 45% General, 42% OBC, 40% SC/ST). Neither has an upper age limit, and both allow appearing students. Since the exams overlap heavily and target different NLUs (AILET is only for NLU Delhi), most aspirants who are eligible for one are eligible for both and prepare for them together.

The authoritative source is the Consortium of NLUs website, consortiumofnlus.ac.in, where the official CLAT 2027 notification and information brochure (expected July 2026) set out the final eligibility, minimum marks and documents. Third-party summaries (including this page) help you plan, but always confirm the exact criteria — and any individual NLU's extra rules — against the official notification before applying.

No. Meeting the eligibility criteria only lets you appear for CLAT and be considered for admission. A seat depends on your All-India rank, category, the NLU preferences you list, and seat availability through the Consortium's centralised counselling — plus passing Class 12 with the minimum marks. Eligibility is the entry ticket; your CLAT score and the counselling process decide the outcome.