CLAT 2026 will be held on December 7 in offline mode for admissions into 24 NLUs. Application starts from August 1; Supreme Court recently criticised previous CLAT question-setting.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
NEW DELHI: The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has shared the important dates and schedule for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026, which is the main entrance exam for getting into both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law courses at 24 top law universities in India.
This year, the CLAT exam will be held in traditional offline mode using pen and paper.
The CLAT 2026 exam is officially going to happen on Sunday, December 7, 2025, as per the notice issued by the Consortium.
Candidates who want to apply for the exam can start registering from August 1, 2025, and they will have time until October 31, 2025, to complete the application process.
“The Executive Committee and the Governing Body of the Consortium of National Law Universities (the “Consortium”) at their Meetings held on July 20th, 2025 decided that the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026 shall be conducted on Sunday, December 7th 2025, from 2 PM-4 PM,”
This official announcement was shared on the Consortium’s website.
All important details such as syllabus, exam format, marking scheme, registration fees, eligibility requirements, and other necessary guidelines will be shared soon through the official CLAT website.
As per the eligibility criteria:
- Students who have passed Class 12 with minimum 45% marks (or 40% for SC/ST candidates) are allowed to apply for the CLAT UG exam.
- For CLAT PG, candidates must hold a valid LLB degree with at least 45% marks (or 40% for SC/ST and PwD candidates).
In the previous year’s exam, the application fee was:
- Rs 4,000 for General and OBC candidates
- Rs 3,500 for candidates belonging to SC, ST, and BPL categories
Last year’s CLAT 2025 exam saw multiple problems and legal issues. Though the exam was held in December 2024, the final results for undergraduate admissions were only released five months later, in May 2025, after several court cases were resolved.
This delay happened because some exam questions and their answer keys were challenged in court. Due to these issues, the Supreme Court also had to step in and expressed serious concern over how the exam was conducted.
“An examination on the basis of which meritorious candidates get entry into the prestigious National Law Universities across the country.”
“Regarding the callous and casual manner in which” the Consortium of NLUs has been framing questions for CLAT, deep anguish”
The Court made it clear that the way questions were framed in CLAT 2025 showed carelessness, which is unacceptable in such a competitive and important exam that decides admission into India’s top law colleges.
With CLAT 2026 now announced, students are hopeful that the Consortium will take extra care this time to avoid mistakes and ensure a smooth and fair exam process.
Would You Like Assistance In Drafting A Legal Notice Or Complaint?
CLICK HERE
Click Here to Read Our Reports on CJI BR Gavai
Click Here to Read Our Reports on CLAT
FOLLOW US ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES
