Overview
National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam (NLUJAA), Guwahati, is Northeast India's National Law University, ranked 35th in the NIRF 2025 law list. Established in 2009 by an Act of the Assam legislature as the 14th NLU, it is unusual in combining a law university with a judicial academy that trains judicial officers, and it has the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court as its Chancellor. NLUJAA admits students through CLAT, sits on a 50-acre residential campus, and is valued for bringing quality legal education to the Northeast at a reasonable cost. This profile covers its ranking, courses, eligibility, admission, seats, cutoff, fees, hostel, scholarships and placements.
Why NLUJAA stands out
NLUJAA holds 35th place in the NIRF 2025 law ranking and 21st by IIRF in 2025, and it is Northeast India's premier NLU. Its distinctive feature is the judicial academy mandate that sits alongside the university, reflecting a strong orientation toward the judiciary and judicial training. Its curriculum leans into environmental, intellectual property and international law, areas relevant to the region, and its inclusive intake draws students from across the Northeast and the rest of the country.
Courses offered at NLUJAA
NLUJAA's flagship programme is the five-year integrated BA LLB (Hons), admitted through CLAT. At the postgraduate level it offers a one-year LLM in specialisations including environmental law, intellectual property laws and international law through CLAT PG, along with PhD programmes in law and management. Most CLAT aspirants target the BA LLB, which is the focus of the sections below unless stated otherwise.
NLUJAA eligibility criteria
For the BA LLB (Hons), you must have passed class 12 or an equivalent examination with at least 45 percent marks, or 40 percent for candidates in the SC and ST categories. Candidates awaiting their class 12 results may apply and appear for CLAT, subject to meeting the requirement at admission, and there is no upper age limit. For the LLM, you need a three-year or five-year LLB degree with at least 55 percent marks, or 50 percent for SC, ST and PwD candidates.
NLUJAA admission process and how to apply
NLUJAA admits students to the BA LLB and LLM only through CLAT, run by the Consortium of National Law Universities. Register for CLAT on the Consortium website during the application window, appear for the exam, and after results take part in the centralised CLAT counselling, placing NLUJAA high in your preference order. Assam domicile candidates should claim the home-state quota with the required documents. If a seat is allotted, you report to the Guwahati campus for document verification and fee payment. Admission is purely on CLAT merit, with a few seats for NRI and foreign national candidates as per the official notification.
NLUJAA seats and reservation
NLUJAA has a restricted intake, with around 60 seats in the BA LLB (Hons). A share of seats is reserved for Assam home-state candidates, and seats are further reserved vertically for the SC, ST, OBC and EWS categories, with horizontal reservation for persons with disabilities, alongside a few NRI and foreign national seats. The small intake keeps the effective competition meaningful despite the mid-tier cutoff.
NLUJAA CLAT cutoff
NLUJAA is a mid-tier NLU by cutoff. In the general all-India category, its BA LLB (Hons) has closed within roughly the top 1750 to 2150 CLAT ranks in recent years, with the round one general rank around 1764 in 2026 and a 2025 closing near 2141. Assam home-state and reserved seats close at more relaxed ranks. The category-wise all-India closing ranks for the BA LLB in 2026 round one are below.
| Category | BA LLB all-India closing rank, 2026 |
|---|---|
| General | Around 1764 |
| EWS | Around 2597 |
| OBC | Around 3527 |
| SC | Around 11539 |
| ST | Around 17399 |
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.
NLUJAA fees
NLUJAA is one of the more affordable NLUs. The total fee for the five-year BA LLB (Hons) is about 6.70 lakh rupees, covering tuition, hostel, mess and other components, with a first-year fee of about 2.44 lakh rupees, and the one-year LLM costs about 1.09 lakh rupees. That low cost is one of the university's main attractions.
| Programme | Approximate fee |
|---|---|
| BA LLB (Hons), five-year total | About 6.70 lakh rupees |
| BA LLB, first-year fee | About 2.44 lakh rupees |
| LLM, one-year | About 1.09 lakh rupees |
To compare NLUJAA against the other NLUs on total cost, see the NLU fees comparison.
NLUJAA hostel and campus
NLUJAA is a fully residential university on a 50-acre campus in Guwahati, with hostel and mess built into the fee. The campus offers modern infrastructure, a digital library, moot court facilities and a tranquil natural setting that students often cite as a draw. Its location in Guwahati, a major administrative and judicial centre for the Northeast, supports internships and its judicial training mission.
Scholarships at NLUJAA
NLUJAA offers merit-based and need-based financial support, and SC and ST students can access government scholarships and fee reimbursements. Read each year's official notification for the current eligibility bands and amounts.
NLUJAA placements: packages and outcomes
NLUJAA has a steady placement record for its tier. In the NIRF 2025 data its median undergraduate package was about 8.90 lakh rupees a year, with the LLM median lower. The undergraduate placement rate is modest, in the region of 40 to 50 percent, because a large share of students pursue the judiciary, litigation and higher studies, which fits the university's judicial academy orientation, so the placement rate understates the range of outcomes. Placement is supported by structured internships during semester breaks. For how NLUJAA compares with the other NLUs, see the NLU placements comparison.
| Placement metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Median UG package, NIRF 2025 | About 8.90 LPA |
| UG placement rate | About 40 to 50 percent |
| Career note | Strong orientation toward the judiciary and higher studies |
Related NLUs
Comparing your options is the smart way to build a CLAT preference list. See the profiles of the premier NLUs: NLSIU Bengaluru, NLU Delhi, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata and GNLU Gandhinagar, or return to the NLU profiles hub for the full list.
How to get into NLUJAA
Because NLUJAA closes within roughly the top 1750 to 2150 general-category ranks for the BA LLB, it is an accessible target for a moderate CLAT score, and the Assam home-state quota helps local candidates considerably. Aim for steady accuracy across the comprehension-heavy English, current affairs, legal reasoning, logical reasoning and quantitative sections, with enough mock-test practice to hold a strong rank. Law Prep Tutorial Delhi trains aspirants for these 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.