After CLAT 2026 (UG): A Complete Guide to Seats, NLUs, Domicile Quota, Counselling & Real Competition

CLAT 2026 (UG) is now over, and attention has shifted from the examination hall to admission realities. Beyond scores and answer keys, students must understand candidate numbers, seat availability, NLUs accepting CLAT scores, domicile reservations, and the counselling process. This guide explains what truly matters after CLAT 2026 and how undergraduate admissions actually work.

CLAT 2026 UG Examination Overview

The Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLUs) issued an official press release confirming the successful conduct of CLAT 2026 (Undergraduate). This notification is the formal starting point for understanding the post-exam phase, including answer keys, results, counselling, and admissions.

Conduct of the Examination

CLAT 2026 UG was conducted on a national scale, demonstrating the administrative and operational reach of the Consortium.

Key highlights from the notification:

• Examination conducted across 156 exam centres
• Centres spread over:
  • 25 States
  • 93 Cities
  • 4 Union Territories
• The examination process was reported to be:
  • Smooth
  • Secure
  • Free from major disruptions

The Consortium specifically acknowledged the cooperation of:

• State governments
• District administrations
• Police and security authorities
• Centre superintendents and invigilators

This confirmation is important because it rules out mass cancellations, large-scale technical failures, or administrative irregularities that could otherwise impact results.

Why This Notification Matters for CLAT-UG Aspirants

Many aspirants underestimate the importance of the official post-exam notification. For CLAT UG candidates, this press release establishes:

• The exam has been formally conclude
• The results will proceed as scheduled
• The admission cycle is now officially activated
  

From this point onward, the focus shifts entirely from preparation to interpretation, including:

• Rank analysis
• Seat availability
• Category-wise chances
• Counselling strategies

This notification also sets the timeline for post-exam events.

CLAT 2026 Provisional Answer Key & Objection Window (UG)

As per the notification:

• Provisional Answer Key Release
  • Date: 10 December 2025
  • Time: 5:00 PM

• Objection Window
  • Opens: 10 December 2025, 5:00 PM
  • Closes: 12 December 2025, 5:00 PM
  • Mode: Online only, through the designated portal

Only objections filed within this window and through the official mechanism are considered.

This step is particularly relevant for candidates near critical cut-off zones, where even a 0.25 or 0.50 mark change can significantly alter ranks.

CLAT 2026 UG Candidate Pool – How Many Appeared, and What It Actually Means

Once the exam is done, the most critical question is not “How was the paper?”, but “How many candidates am I competing against?”

Total Number of UG Candidates

According to the official data released by the Consortium:

• Total CLAT 2026 UG applicants: 75,009
• Attendance percentage: 96.83%

This means the actual number of candidates who appeared for the exam was extremely close to the total registrations.

CLAT 2026 UG Candidates vs UG Seats: The Reality Check

Now compare the candidate pool with actual seat availability.

This ratio explains why:

• Even high scorers may miss top NLUs
• Rank volatility is extremely high
• Lower-tier NLUs still close at competitive ranks

CLAT 2026 UG Seat Matrix Explained — Total Seats, Categories, and How Seats Are Actually Distributed

After understanding how many candidates appeared, the next critical layer is how many seats actually exist and how those seats are divided. This is where most misconceptions about CLAT begin.

Total CLAT 2026 UG Seats: The Absolute Numbers

Across all participating NLUs, CLAT 2026 offers the following undergraduate seat structure:

However, this aggregate number can be misleading if not broken down properly.

What Are “Core” CLAT UG Seats?

The 3,705 core seats are the seats that are filled strictly through:

• CLAT rank
• Category reservation
• Domicile reservation
• Centralised counselling rounds

These seats form the real competition pool for the majority of Indian candidates.

Understanding Supernumerary Seats (Why They Don’t Help Everyone)

Supernumerary seats are additional seats, over and above the sanctioned intake.

Common Types of Supernumerary Seats

• NRI
• NRI-sponsored
• Foreign National (FN)
• OCI / PIO (in select NLUs)
  

➡️ For most UG aspirants, these 247 seats do not materially reduce competition.

Other Reserved / Special Category Seats (140 Seats Explained)

Apart from caste-based reservation, several NLUs allocate seats for specific socio-political or administrative groups, such as:

• Wards of Kashmiri Migrants
• J&K Residents
• EWS (in select NLUs)
• Transgender candidates
• North-East India residents (GNLU)
• Sports quota (limited NLUs)

These seats further reduce the pool of open All India seats.

Why “4,092 Seats” Is a Misleading Comfort Figure

Let’s break this myth:

• A General category, non-domicile student is:
  • Not competing for supernumerary seats
  • Not eligible for most special category seats
• Such a student is realistically competing for far fewer than 3,705 seats

Once domicile and category reservations apply, the effective All India General seat pool shrinks drastically.

Complete List of NLUs Accepting CLAT 2026 UG & Their Course-wise Seat Intake

This is the most important structural section for aspirants. Every NLU differs in:

• Courses offered
• Seat intake
• Programme structure
• Strategic value during counselling

Below is a complete, non-selective list, not just “top NLUs”.

Tier-1 & High-Intake NLUs (UG)

These NLUs usually close at very high ranks and are the most preference-heavy during counselling.

NLUs Offering Multiple UG Programmes (Expanded Choices)

These NLUs offer flexibility and allow candidates to:

• Balance rank with course preference
• Align undergraduate education with career inclination

Single-Programme but Strategically Important NLUs

Despite lower rankings or smaller intakes, these NLUs are crucial buffers in counselling rounds.

State Domicile (State Quota) in CLAT 2026 UG — How It Reshapes Competition

State domicile reservation is one of the most decisive yet least understood aspects of CLAT UG admissions. Many admissions that appear “unexpected” are actually explained entirely by domicile quotas.

What Is State Domicile Reservation in CLAT?

State domicile (also called state quota) refers to seats reserved for candidates who are permanent residents of the state where the NLU is located.

Key characteristics:

• These seats are filled through CLAT counselling
• There is no separate examination
• Eligibility depends on state-specific domicile rules
• Valid documentation is mandatory at the counselling stage

Domicile reservation exists to ensure that home-state students receive representation in their state’s public law university.

Why State Quota Is Structurally Powerful

To understand the impact of state quota, it is important to compare it with caste-based reservation.

For General category candidates, domicile can be the difference between:

• A top NLU seat and no NLU seat
• Or between Tier-1 and Tier-3 NLUs

NLU-wise State Domicile Reservation (Complete Table)

High-Domicile NLUs: Where State Candidates Have Major Advantage

NLUs with 50% or Higher State Quota:

• NLIU Bhopal (50%)
• HNLU Raipur (50%)
• CNLU Patna (50%)
• NUSRL Ranchi (50%)
• NLUJA Assam (50%)
• DNLU Jabalpur (50%)
• MNLUs (Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad) – 62%
• DSNLU (48%)
• TNNLU (48%)
• NUALS Kochi (49%)

For candidates domiciled in:

• Maharashtra
• Madhya Pradesh
• Chhattisgarh
• Bihar
• Jharkhand
• Assam
• Tamil Nadu
• Andhra Pradesh
• Kerala

the effective competition pool is almost halved.

Example: How Domicile Changes the Math (NLSIU vs MNLU)

Example 1: Karnataka Domicile Candidate – NLSIU

• Total seats: 310
• Karnataka quota (25%): ~78 seats
• All India seats: ~232
• General category within All India (~50%): ~116 seats

Example 2: Maharashtra Domicile Candidate – MNLU Mumbai

• Total seats: 100
• Maharashtra quota (62%): ~62 seats
• All India seats: ~38
• General category seats (approx.): ~19

Result: A Maharashtra domicile candidate is competing for more protected seats at MNLU than an All India candidate at NLSIU, despite NLSIU having triple the intake.

Common Domicile Mistakes That Cost Seats

• Assuming CBSE/ICSE schooling equals domicile (it does not)
• Not arranging domicile certificates in advance
• Filling preferences without factoring domicile advantage
• Choosing All India NLUs over high-domicile home-state NLUs

These mistakes often lead to avoidable counselling failures.

Non-NLU Institutions Accepting CLAT 2026 UG Scores — Complete and Explained

CLAT UG scores are not used only by NLUs. Several private and deemed universities accept CLAT scores either as:

• A primary shortlisting tool, or
• A qualifying benchmark for further rounds

Understanding this expands a candidate’s post-CLAT options significantly.

Why Non-NLU Options Matter

Not all candidates will:

• Secure an NLU seat
• Want to accept lower-tier NLUs
• Be willing to relocate far from home states

Non-NLU institutions become important for:

• Candidates with mid-range ranks
• Students seeking better infrastructure or niche exposure
• Aspirants who missed counselling cut-offs narrowly

Major Non-NLU Law Universities Accepting CLAT UG Scores

Key Differences Between NLUs and Non-NLUs

Candidates must approach non-NLUs with clear expectations regarding:

• Fees
• Residential facilities
• Academic autonomy

Strategic Use of Non-NLUs in the CLAT Ecosystem

Non-NLUs should not be seen as:

• “Fallbacks only”  but instead as:
• Parallel tracks of admission planning

Many candidates:

• Apply to non-NLUs while waiting for CLAT counselling rounds
• Use CLAT rank as leverage during interviews
• Keep these options as safety cushions

Calculating Your Actual Competition in CLAT 2026 UG — Why Total Seats Can Be Misleading

After looking at candidates, seats, NLUs, domicile, and non-NLU options, the most important insight remains this:

In CLAT UG, no one competes for “total seats”.
Every candidate competes for a much smaller, filtered pool of seats.

This section explains how to calculate real competition using practical examples.

Why “Total Seat Count” Is the Wrong Metric

A common assumption among aspirants is:

• “This NLU has 150 seats, so competition is manageable.”

This is incorrect because:

• Seats are divided by domicile
• Then by category
• Then by sub-categories
• Only the remainder forms the open competition pool

Step-by-Step Framework to Calculate Real Competition

To understand competition for any NLU, apply this four-step method:

1. Start with total UG seats
2. Subtract state domicile quota
3. Apply category reservation
4. Identify the effective seat pool

We now apply this method to real NLUs.

Example 1: General Category Karnataka Domicile — NLSIU Bengaluru

Competition Reality

• These ~116 seats are contested by General category candidates nationwide
• With 75,000+ UG candidates, this demands:
  • Extremely high accuracy
  • Minimal negative marking
  • Near-perfect sectional balance

Practical Outcome

• Admission usually requires 95+ percentile
• Small score differences drastically affect rank

Example 2: Maharashtra Domicile — MNLU Mumbai

Why This Matters

• A Maharashtra domicile candidate competes for: 62 protected seats
• While a non-domicile candidate competes for: ~19 seats

This explains:

• Sharp domicile-based rank differences
• Lower cut-offs within state quota
• Why MNLUs are strategically crucial

Example 3: High Domicile, Mid-Tier NLU — NLIU Bhopal

For MP domicile candidates:

• The competition pool is nearly halved
• Admission chances improve significantly even at mid-range ranks

What General Category, Non-Domicile Candidates Face

For a General candidate without domicile advantage:

• Competition applies only to:
  • Reduced All India seats
  • Further reduced General category seats

This explains why:

• Even decent scores feel insufficient
• Some lower-intake NLUs close early
• Counselling mistakes are costly

Final Takeaways — How CLAT 2026 UG Aspirants Should Interpret Their Results

CLAT 2026 UG is not just an entrance exam; it is a multi-layered admission system where rank, reservation, domicile, and preference logic interact continuously.

This final section consolidates everything discussed so far into clear interpretive guidance.