Overview
The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, also written NLSIU Bangalore, is India's first and top-ranked National Law University. It was established under the National Law School of India Act, 1986, and notified in the official gazette on 29 August 1987, with the first batch of the five-year integrated BA LLB (Hons) joining in 1988. Founded by Dr. N. R. Madhava Menon, it set the template for modern legal education in India and is sometimes called the Harvard of the East. NLSIU has ranked first in the NIRF law list every year since the category began, and it remains the first-choice NLU for the highest scorers in CLAT. This profile covers its ranking, courses, admission, seats, cutoff, fees, scholarships and placements so you can decide whether to make it your top preference.
Why NLSIU Bangalore is ranked number one
NLSIU tops the NIRF 2025 law ranking with a score of 82.97, its eighth consecutive year at rank one. It leads on the parameters that decide the ranking, namely teaching and resources, research output, graduation outcomes and peer perception. That reputation feeds a cycle in which the strongest applicants list NLSIU as their first preference, which keeps its cutoff the highest of any NLU and its recruiter interest the deepest. The university holds deemed university status from the UGC and a NAAC A grade.
Courses offered at NLSIU Bangalore
NLSIU runs a full range of law programmes. The flagship is the five-year integrated BA LLB (Hons), admitted through CLAT. The university also offers a three-year LLB (Hons) and a Master of Public Policy, both through its own National Law School Admission Test (NLSAT), a one-year LLM through CLAT PG, and doctoral (PhD) research programmes. Most CLAT aspirants target the five-year BA LLB, which is the focus of the sections below unless stated otherwise.
NLSIU Bangalore admission and eligibility
Admission to the BA LLB (Hons) is entirely through CLAT and is decided purely on merit, with no management, donation or NRI seats. To be eligible you need to have passed class 12 with at least 45 percent marks, or 40 percent for candidates in the SC and ST categories, and there is no upper age limit. After CLAT results, the Consortium of National Law Universities runs a centralised counselling process, and you must place NLSIU high in your preference order to have a chance at a seat. The three-year LLB and the Master of Public Policy are admitted separately through NLSAT, and the LLM through CLAT PG.
NLSIU Bangalore seats and seat matrix
NLSIU has the largest undergraduate intake of any NLU, with 310 BA LLB (Hons) seats for 2026-27. That total is made up of 300 seats distributed across the vertical categories plus 10 additional seats reserved for Karnataka students. Of the 300, the vertical General category holds 121 seats, but the pool a general non-domicile candidate effectively competes for is smaller once horizontal reservations are applied, roughly 50 to 55 open all-India seats, which is why the general closing rank is so high. Horizontal reservations run across all categories: 30 percent of seats for women, 25 percent for Karnataka domicile candidates, and 5 percent for persons with disabilities.
| Category | BA LLB seats 2026-27 |
|---|---|
| General | 121 |
| Other Backward Classes (NCL) | 81 |
| Scheduled Caste | 45 |
| Economically Weaker Section | 30 |
| Scheduled Tribe | 23 |
| Karnataka students (additional) | 10 |
| Total intake | 310 |
The university also offers 120 seats in the three-year LLB and around 120 LLM seats across specialisations. NLSIU has expanded its intake steadily under its Inclusion and Expansion Plan.
NLSIU Bangalore CLAT cutoff
NLSIU has the toughest cutoff of any NLU. In the general category it closes within roughly the top 100 to 120 all-India CLAT ranks, and reserved categories follow their own separate merit lists. Because only around 50 to 55 general-category seats are open to all-India candidates after horizontal reservations, competition at the very top of the rank list is extreme. The exact closing rank moves each year with the size of the applicant pool, seat revisions and how candidates upgrade or freeze during counselling. To check whether your expected rank is in range, use the CLAT college predictor, and see the NLU cut-offs page for round by round closing ranks.
NLSIU Bangalore fees and hostel charges
The BA LLB (Hons) at NLSIU costs about 5 lakh rupees in the first year, a figure that already bundles in tuition, on-campus hostel and mess, a one-time admission fee and a refundable security deposit. From the second year onward the recurring fee is lower, at roughly 4.5 lakh rupees a year, because the admission fee and deposit are charged only once. Across the full five years the total comes to roughly 22 to 25 lakh rupees. Because hostel and mess are included in the annual figure, there is no large separate hostel bill to plan for on top.
| Fee component | Amount (General category) |
|---|---|
| First-year total, all inclusive | About 5 lakh rupees |
| Recurring fee, year 2 onward | About 4.5 lakh rupees a year |
| Five-year BA LLB total | About 22 to 25 lakh rupees |
To compare NLSIU against more affordable NLUs on total cost, see the NLU fees comparison.
Scholarships at NLSIU Bangalore
NLSIU offers both need-based and merit-based financial aid so that cost does not keep able students away. SC and ST students can also access a Central Government scholarship, under which the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs support selected students with fee, boarding, lodging and book costs. Read each year's official aid notification for the current eligibility bands and amounts.
NLSIU Bangalore placements
NLSIU leads NLU placements. Its median undergraduate package was about 16 lakh rupees a year in the NIRF 2025 data, the strongest among all NLUs. A large share of each graduating batch enters top corporate law firms, with regular recruiters including Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, Trilegal, Khaitan and Co, AZB and Partners and S&R Associates, and the university also feeds chambers, companies, litigation and public policy roles. Placement outcomes shift with each recruitment season, so treat the median as a reliable anchor and read the university's own placement report for the latest highest and average figures. For how NLSIU compares with the other premier NLUs, see the NLU placements comparison.
NLSIU Bangalore campus and facilities
NLSIU sits on a 23-acre residential campus in Nagarabhavi, Bengaluru, having moved there in 1991 from its original home at Central College. The campus has on-campus hostels for undergraduate students, a well-regarded law library, an on-campus health centre with hospital tie-ups, and an active culture of mooting, debating and student-run journals. The Bengaluru location gives students ready access to law firms, chambers and companies for internships throughout the course.
Related NLUs
Comparing your options is the smart way to build a CLAT preference list. See the profiles of the other premier NLUs: NALSAR Hyderabad, NLU Delhi, WBNUJS Kolkata and GNLU Gandhinagar. If you are deciding between the top two, read the NLSIU vs NALSAR comparison, or return to the NLU profiles hub for the full list.
How to get into NLSIU Bangalore
Because NLSIU closes within the top hundred or so general-category ranks, a seat here calls for a focused CLAT strategy rather than general preparation. That means high accuracy across the comprehension-heavy English, current affairs, legal reasoning, logical reasoning and quantitative sections, and enough mock-test practice to hold a top rank under time pressure. Law Prep Tutorial Delhi trains aspirants specifically for these top-NLU cutoffs. Explore the college predictor to see your realistic NLU options, then return to the NLU profiles hub to build your full preference list.