The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has extended the application deadline for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026 to November 7, 2025 . This extension comes amidst persistent demands from students to reduce the current application fees for the national-level entrance exam.
Prospective candidates for undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law programs can now submit their online application forms until 11:59 PM on November 7. The application process for CLAT 2026 originally commenced on August 1, 2025.
CLAT 2026 Examination Details
The CLAT 2026 examination is scheduled for December 7, 2025 . The test will be conducted in a single session from 2 PM to 4 PM. The Consortium of NLUs first announced this exam date through a notification issued on July 20, 2025.
CLAT serves as the primary entrance examination for admissions into five-year integrated LLB and one-year LLM programs. These programs are offered by 25 participating National Law Universities across India. The scores obtained by candidates are also utilized by numerous affiliated colleges and other private law institutes for their admission processes. The Consortium explicitly stated that all admissions for the academic year 2026-2027 for these programs will be exclusively through CLAT 2026.
Application Fees and Student Advocacy
All candidates must pay a non-refundable application fee when applying for CLAT 2026. The fee structure is categorized as follows:
| Candidate Category | Application Fee |
|---|---|
| General, OBC, NRI | Rs 4,000 |
| SC, ST, BPL, PwD | Rs 3,500 |
Beyond the application fee, candidates also incur a separate charge of Rs 500 for accessing CLAT previous years’ question papers. This amount is not included in the primary application fee.
Student representatives from various National Law Universities, along with numerous individual applicants, have collectively urged the Consortium to review and revise these fee charges. They have submitted multiple formal requests advocating for a reduction in both the application and subsequent counselling fees. These student bodies highlight that the current fee structure poses a financial burden, prompting calls for a more accessible fee policy.
Eligibility Criteria
Students who are scheduled to appear for their Class 12 board examinations in March-April 2026 remain eligible to take the CLAT 2026 exam. However, these candidates must produce verifiable evidence of successfully passing their qualifying examination at the time of the final admission process into their chosen law program.
Support and Contact Information
For any inquiries or technical assistance related to the CLAT 2026 application process, candidates can contact the Consortium of NLUs directly:
- Email: clat@consortiumofnlus.ac.in
- Phone: 080-47162020 (Monday to Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 05:00 P.M.)