The Common Law Admission Test is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) which serves as the gateway to the most sought-after law universities of the nation for both undergraduate and postgraduate candidates. The seat matrix of the CLAT Examination is one of the most critical aspects and brings out seat availability across the participating NLUs. A detailed analysis of the seat matrix will allow the candidates to sort their preferences, understand the level of competition and maximise their admission chances. Candidates can look below for a further breakdown of the CLAT 2026 seat matrix covering essential aspects such as seat availability, domicile reservation and total number of seats.
Seat Matrix
The seat matrix refers to the total number of seats available for admission which are distributed across all the National Law Universities of India and are further categorized based on reservation policies. The seat matrix plays an extremely important role in determining the admission of a candidate and the level of competition due to the limited availability of seats. The seat matrix is categorised by total number of seats, Category-wise reservation, domicile reservation and special quota reservation. Each of these category determine the possibility of admission of a candidate.
Seat Availability
The seat availability determines the total number of seats across all the 25 NLUs of the nation where each university has its seat allocation process. Some universities are known to have higher chances of seat intake whereas other universities offer limited seat intake. The top-ranked universities like the NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad and WBNUJS Kolkata have higher seat intake whereas newer universities such as NLUJAA Guwahati and DSNLU Visakhapatnam have comparatively fewer seats than the other universities.
Reservation Policy in National Law Universities
All the National Law Universities follow a standard reservation policy to ensure fair competition among various social and economic categories. The standard reservation categories are given below:
| Category | Reservation % |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Other Backward Classes (OBC) | 27% |
| Persons with Disabilities (PwD) | 5% |
| Economically weaker sections (EWS) | 10% |
NLU-wise seat availability, domicile reservation and courses offered in 2025
The National Law Universities have a policy of domicile reservation for candidates belonging to the same states. The table given below provides detailed information on the seat intake, domicile reservation and seat matrix.
| National Law University | Total Undergraduate Intake | Domicile Reservation % | Courses Offered |
| NLSIU Bengaluru | 300 | 25% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| NALSAR Hyderabad | 132 | 25% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| WBNUJS Kolkata | 132 | 33% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| NLIU Bhopal | 202 | 50% | BA LLB (Hons), B.Sc LLB, LLM |
| NLU Jodhpur | 120 | 29% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| HNLU Raipur | 187 | 50% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| MNLU Nagpur | 240 | 62% | BA LLB (Hons), BA LLB (Hons in Adjudication and Justice), BBA LLB (Hons) |
| HPNLU Shimla | 180 | 25% | BA LLB (Hons) , BBA LLB (Hons) |
| DNLU Jabalpur | 134 | 50% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| NLUT Agartala | 60 | 63% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| NUSRL Ranchi | 201 | 50% | BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) |
| NLUJA Assam, Guwahati | 60 | 49% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| DSNLU Visakhapatnam | 138 | 50% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| TNNLU Tiruchirappalli | 120 | 48% | BA LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons) |
| GNLU Gandhinagar | 172 | 25% | BA LLB(Hons.),BCom LLB(Hons.),BSc LLB (Hons.), BBA LLB(Hons), BSW LLB(Hons) |
| GNLU Silvassa Campus | 172 | 25% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| RMLNLU Lucknow | 191 | 50% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| RGNUL Patiala | 214 | 10% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| CNLU Patna | 138 | 50% | BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) |
| NUALS Kochi | 70 | 49% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| NLUO, Odisha, Cuttack | 180 | 25% | BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) |
| MNLU Mumbai | 100 | 62% | BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) |
| MNLU Aurangabad | 120 | 72% | BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) |
| DBRANLU, Sonipat, Haryana | 120 | 25% | BA LLB (Hons) |
| Total | 3711 |
FAQs
Yes, some of the National Law Universities are known to offer reserved seats for Non-Resident Indian candidates but the fee structures for these candidates may vary based on the NLU.
Yes, a candidate can apply under multiple reservation categories. For instance, a candidate can combinedly apply for SC, Domicile and PwD reservation categories at the same time. Candidates must show the valid proof during the counselling process.
The total number of combined seats offered by the National Law Universities for undergraduate as well as post-graduate candidates is 5085 which includes 3649 seats for the UG candidates and 1436 seats for the PG candidates.
If a candidate fails to produce valid proof of reservation documents under any circumstances they lose the benefits of the reserved category and shall compete under the general category.
The domicile reservation policy states that candidates belonging to the same state as the National Law University shall receive the benefits of reserved seats for them. Candidates must check the policy of domicile reservation before applying to any of the NLUs.