Expected CLAT 2026 Cutoff: Top 10 NLUs & Category-Wise Analysis

BY: CL-LST Team

Published on: 02 Dec 2025

Total Views: 184

The CLAT 2026 exam will be held on 7th December 2025, and we will release the live CLAT 2026 analysis right after the exam.

While the NLUs will declare official cutoffs later, the expected cutoffs give students an idea about the score range required at the top National Law Universities.

This article covers:

Expected CLAT 2026 Cutoffs for Top 10 NLUs: General Category
Category-wise expected cutoff table
Score vs NLU prediction
Cutoff trends based on the last few years.
Factors affecting CLAT 2026 cut-offs

Table of Contents

How We Predict the CLAT 2026 Cutoff

Our predicted cutoffs are based on:

Last 3–5 years’ CLAT cutoff trends
Anticipated Difficulty Level of CLAT 2026 According to the Sample Paper
Seat matrix changes across NLUs
Mock and test the series performance of aspirants
Historical score-rank patterns
Reference values include the 95–93–91 clusters in the cutoff chart provided.

This ensures highly accurate and practical cutoff estimates.

CLAT 2026 Expected Cut-off (General Category) – Top 10 NLUs

The cutoffs would likely fall in the following score ranges if CLAT 2026 is moderately difficult.

Expected General Category Cutoffs for Top 10 NLUs

Rank	NLU Name	Expected Score Range (General Category)	Key Notes
1	NLSIU Bangalore	101-105	Highest cutoff every year; flagship NLU.
2	NALSAR Hyderabad	96-99	Strong second preference for top scorers.
3	WBNUJS Kolkata	95–98	Matches the 95 score cluster seen in the reference image.
4	NLU Jodhpur	92–94	Competitive cluster NLU.
5	GNLU Gandhinagar	91–93	Consistently rising preference.
6	NLIU Bhopal	90–92	Stable cutoff trend.
7	RMLNLU Lucknow	89–91	Usually slightly below GNLU/Bhopal.
8	NLU Odisha (Cuttack)	86–88	Increasing popularity with balanced cutoffs.
9	HNLU Raipur	83–85	Mid-tier NLU with steady demand.
10	MNLU Mumbai	82–84	Strong metro demand; highly preferred in Maharashtra.

CLAT 2026 Category-Wise Expected Cutoffs (Top NLUs)

Here is the consolidated table for GEN, OBC, EWS, SC, and ST categories.

Category-wise Expected CLAT 2026 Cutoffs

Category	Expected Score Range (Top 10 NLUs)	Trend Summary
General (GEN)	82–110	Highest competition; wide variation by NLU tier.
OBC	78–103	3–6 marks lower than General.
EWS	79–104	Slightly lower than General; high demand.
SC	60–85	18–25 mark difference from the General category.
ST	55–75	Lower competition, but state NLUs vary heavily.

CLAT 2026 Score vs NLU Prediction

Use this quick guide to estimate which NLU you may get, based on your expected score.

Score (Out of 120)	Probable NLUs
105+	NLSIU Bangalore
100–104	NALSAR Hyderabad
95–99	NUJS Kolkata
92–94	Jodhpur, GNLU, Bhopal
88–91	Lucknow, Odisha
82–87	Raipur, Mumbai
75–82	Mid-tier NLUs
Below 70	Lower NLUs or waitlist chances

Also Read

What Factors Will Affect the CLAT 2026 Cut-offs?

Overall Difficulty Level

If English & Legal Reasoning are tougher, cutoffs drop. If GK is easy, the cutoff increases.

Paper Pattern Changes

Even small shifts in question difficulties impact clusters of scores.

Number of Serious Aspirants

Higher competition means higher cutoffs.

Seat Matrix Adjustments

Any increase/decrease in the total number of seats affects the closing ranks.

Score Normalisation

CLAT uses scaling, which can slightly raise or lower rank mapping.

CLAT Cut-off Trend: What We Learnt from 2024 & 2025

Top NLUs such as NLS, NALSAR, and NUJS consistently had high cutoffs.
For the cluster of Jodhpur–GNLU–Bhopal, the score band of 95–91 remained the closing area.
The mid-tier NLUs closed in the 82–88 range.
This trend very strongly influences the expected cutoff of CLAT 2026.

The actual cutoff for CLAT 2026 will be confirmed after the exam to be held on 7th December 2025, followed by the official merit lists of NLUs. Until then, these data-backed predictions help you to: Understand your realistic NLU targets, Plan your revision and attempt strategy Estimate the score needed to enter your dream NLU.