CLAT 2026 exam date out; nationwide registration begins Aug 1

• CLAT 2026 scheduled for December 7 in offline mode
• Application window opens from August 1 to October 31
• UG requires 45 percent in Class 12, PG needs LLB with 45 percent

The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has announced the timetable for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026, which acts as the national-level entrance examination for Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) law programs at 24 participating NLUs.

As per the announcement, CLAT 2026 is scheduled for Sunday, December 7, 2025, and will be held in a pen-and-paper (offline) format. The application portal is scheduled to launch on August 1, 2025, and will stay open until October 31, 2025, providing hopeful candidates with a three-month timeframe to finish their registration.

“The Executive Committee and the Governing Body of the Consortium of National Law Universities (the “Consortium”) at their Meetings on July 20, 2025, resolved that the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026 will take place on Sunday, December 7, 2025, from 2 PM to 4 PM,” stated the notice released on the consortium website.

The formal announcement for CLAT 2026, which will contain detailed information such as the syllabus, test format, marking scheme, application cost, eligibility criteria, and other essential details, is anticipated to be released shortly on the CLAT website.

As per the eligibility criteria, candidates who have passed Class 12 with at least 45 percent marks (40 percent for reserved categories) are eligible to apply for the CLAT UG exam. For CLAT PG, candidates need to possess an LLB degree with no less than 45 percent marks, whereas those from SC, ST, and PwD categories need at least 40 percent.

Last year, the application fee was Rs 4,000 for candidates in the General and OBC categories, while it was Rs 3,500 for individuals from SC, ST, and BPL categories.

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The CLAT 2025 exam last year was surrounded by controversies. More than five months after the exam occurred amid several court cases, the results for undergraduate courses of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) were updated and announced on Saturday, May 17.

This year, CLAT, conducted on December 1, 2024, encountered legal challenges regarding certain questions presented in the exam and their correct answers.

The issue has highlighted concerns over how questions are framed and the administration of the exam, with the Supreme Court conveying “deep anguish” in a ruling earlier this month “regarding the callous and casual manner in which” the Consortium of NLUs has been framing questions for CLAT, “an examination based on which meritorious candidates get entry into the prestigious National Law Universities across the country.”