The Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLUs) has officially commenced the centralised counselling process for admissions to its five-year integrated Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) law programmes. This follows the declaration of the CLAT 2026 results on December 16, 2025. All candidates who have qualified in the Common Law Admission Test are now invited to participate in the online admissions process.
CLAT 2026 Counselling: Key Dates and Registration Process
The registration window for CLAT 2026 admissions counselling opened on December 17, 2025, at 6:00 PM. Candidates have a crucial deadline to meet: they must complete their registration and pay the counselling fee by December 27, 2025, 10:00 PM. Only those who fulfil this requirement will be considered for seat allotment.
The entire process will be conducted online via the official Consortium website. Candidates will receive invitations through their registered email, SMS, and notifications on the CLAT 2026 candidate portal.
The registration involves two critical steps:
- Login and Update NLU Preferences: Candidates must log into their portal and use the "Update NLU Preferences" option. UG aspirants must list a minimum of 15 NLU choices, while PG candidates must list at least 5. These preferences can be edited multiple times until the December 27 deadline.
- Pay Counselling Registration Fee: The mandatory fee must be paid online. It is set at Rs 30,000 for the General category and Rs 20,000 for SC, ST, OBC, BC, EWS, and PWD categories. This fee is refundable under conditions specified by the Consortium.
Seat Allotment Rounds and Candidate Options
The CLAT 2026 counselling will be held in five distinct rounds, with seat allotment based on the candidate's rank, submitted preferences, and seat availability at each National Law University.
The allotment list publication dates are as follows:
- First Round: January 7, 2026 (10:00 AM)
- Second Round: January 22, 2026
- Third Round: February 5, 2026
- Fourth Round: May 2, 2026
- Fifth and Final Round: May 15, 2026
After each round, candidates who receive a seat must select one of three options:
- Freeze: Accept the allotted seat and withdraw from further rounds. A confirmation fee must be paid.
- Float: Accept the seat but remain eligible for a higher-preference NLU in later rounds (available only until the fourth round).
- Exit: Withdraw from counselling entirely, forfeiting the allotted seat.
Failure to select an option within the given timeline will result in removal from the counselling process.
Essential Documents and Final Admission Steps
Candidates must keep scanned copies of all required documents ready for upload during counselling and final verification at the allotted NLU. The mandatory list includes:
- CLAT 2026 admit card and scorecard.
- Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets and certificates.
- Category, domicile, and PWD certificates (where applicable).
- Character and transfer certificates.
- For PG candidates, LL.B. degree and marksheets.
Important fee payment deadlines for candidates who choose the Freeze option are April 24, 2026 for the first three rounds, and May 30, 2026 for the fourth and fifth rounds. Missing these deadlines will lead to seat cancellation.
The Consortium has emphasised that all seat allotments are provisional and subject to successful document verification by the allotted university. Candidates are strongly advised to monitor their registered email, SMS, and the official CLAT portal regularly for all updates on counselling rounds and admission formalities.
