AILET 2026 – NLU Delhi Law Entrance Exam

The All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) is a unique beast in India's law entrance ecosystem. While 24 of the 25 National Law Universities accept CLAT scores for admission, NLU Delhi — consistently ranked among the top 2 law schools nationally — operates its own independent entrance test. This exclusivity makes AILET the most concentrated, high-stakes law exam in the country. You either crack it and land at NLU Delhi, or you don't.

AILET 2026 was conducted on December 14, 2025 in offline mode (pen and paper) across multiple cities. The exam covers three sections: English Language, Current Affairs & General Knowledge, and Logical Reasoning. There is no Legal Reasoning section as a separate component — a key difference from CLAT. NLU Delhi released the first merit list on January 8, 2026, followed by subsequent merit lists for admission to BA LLB (Hons), BCom LLB (Hons), and LLM programmes.

The AILET 2026 notification was released on July 22, 2025. The online application window opened on August 7, 2025 and closed on November 10, 2025 (extended to November 13). The exam was held on December 14, 2025, from 2 PM to 4 PM in offline mode at designated centres across India. Results were declared alongside the final answer key on the official NLU Delhi website.

For the 2027 cycle: AILET 2027 is scheduled for December 13, 2026 (Sunday), 2 PM to 4 PM. Notification is expected in July 2026 with applications opening in August 2026.

AILET is widely regarded as harder than CLAT on a question-by-question basis, particularly in the GK and Logical Reasoning sections. The static GK component in AILET is notably heavier — questions on Indian history, polity, science fundamentals, and geography appear regularly alongside current affairs. Candidates who have prepared primarily for CLAT's passage-heavy format often find AILET's direct knowledge-recall questions more demanding.

NLU Delhi is the only NLU not in the CLAT consortium (along with NLU Meghalaya). It uses AILET scores exclusively. Given NLU Delhi's #1 or #2 national ranking in every NIRF Law edition, competition is exceptionally fierce: with roughly 18,000–20,000 candidates and 110–120 open seats (excluding reserved categories), only the top 0.5–0.6% of takers make it in — rivalling IIT admission ratios.

The exam covers three sections for UG programmes: English (comprehension + grammar + vocabulary), Current Affairs & GK (last 12 months of news + static GK), and Logical Reasoning (verbal reasoning + analytical reasoning + critical reasoning). For LLM, AILET tests legal subjects at the postgraduate level.

AILET registration is conducted entirely online on the official NLU Delhi website. Candidates create an account, fill in personal and academic details, upload documents, select their exam centre, and pay the application fee. No offline or postal applications are accepted under any circumstances.

For AILET 2027, the registration process is expected to open around August 2026. Category-wise application fees remain: ₹3,000 for General/OBC/EWS and ₹1,000 for SC/ST/PwD. SC/ST women from BPL families are fully fee-exempt. Payment is accepted online only.

1. Visit the official NLU Delhi website: nationallawuniversitydelhi.in
2. Click on "AILET Admissions" → "Register"
3. Enter name, date of birth, email ID, gender, mobile number, and category
4. Verify registration via OTP; your Candidate Account is created
5. Log in and fill personal, academic, and category details in the application form
6. Select preferred exam centre city from available options
7. Upload passport-size photograph and signature as per NLU Delhi specifications
8. Pay the application fee online (debit/credit card or net banking)
9. Download the confirmation page and save your application number

Correction Window: NLU Delhi provides a limited correction window post-registration to rectify errors. Name, photograph, signature, and date of birth corrections require a written request with supporting documents to the Convenor.

• Recent passport-size photograph (as per NLU Delhi size/format specifications)
• Scanned signature (as per specifications)
• Class 10 certificate and mark sheet (for date of birth verification)
• Class 12 mark sheet / provisional certificate (for UG programmes)
• LLB degree and mark sheets (for LLM programme applicants)
• Category/caste certificate (for SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD candidates)
• Valid government photo ID (Aadhaar / Passport / Voter ID)

AILET 2026 Age Limit

There is no upper age limit for AILET for either BA LLB or LLM programmes. Candidates of any age who meet the academic qualifications are eligible to apply. For LLM, there is also no upper age cap.

AILET 2026 Educational Qualifications

BA LLB / BCom LLB (Hons): Passed Class 12 or equivalent from any recognised board in any stream. Minimum aggregate: 45% (General/EWS), 42% (OBC), 40% (SC/ST/PwD). Students awaiting Class 12 results can apply provisionally but must meet the percentage by NLU Delhi's cut-off date.

LLM: Must hold an LLB degree or equivalent (3-year or 5-year integrated LLB) from any recognised institution with minimum 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD).

Foreign Nationals / OCI / PIO: May apply but are exempted from AILET; admission for foreign nationals is based on academic merit only.

Eligibility Marks

Nationality

Indian citizens can apply through the regular AILET process. Foreign nationals (including OCI/PIO) are eligible for NLU Delhi admissions but are exempted from the AILET exam and admitted based on academic merit in a separate category.

Unlike CLAT, AILET's BA LLB syllabus has no dedicated Legal Reasoning section. All 150 marks come from three areas: English, GK/Current Affairs, and Logical Reasoning. The NLU Delhi syllabus leans on direct knowledge recall more than CLAT's reading-comprehension-heavy format.

For LLM: AILET LLM tests legal reasoning across Constitutional Law, Contracts, Torts, Criminal Law, Public International Law, Environmental Law, Jurisprudence, and current legal issues. The earlier descriptive component has been removed; it is now entirely objective.

• Treat AILET as a Separate Exam, Not a CLAT Extension: While 80% of the syllabus overlaps, AILET's GK is deeper and its Logical Reasoning is harder. Build a distinct AILET preparation track that spends 30-35% of time on static GK specifically.
• Static GK Is Non-Negotiable: Many AILET aspirants under-prepare static GK because CLAT has reduced it significantly. AILET hasn't. Cover Indian history (particularly the freedom movement), polity (basic constitutional law), geography, and science basics thoroughly.
• Current Affairs: Rolling 12 Months: Maintain a current affairs diary with monthly summaries. Focus on judiciary-related news, constitutional amendments, important Supreme Court judgments, government schemes, and international legal agreements.
• Logical Reasoning: Accuracy Over Speed: AILET's logical reasoning questions are inference-heavy. Practice critical reasoning and argument-evaluation questions specifically — these are harder than simple syllogisms and appear in higher numbers.
• English: Read Quality Long-form Content: AILET comprehension passages are often from The Hindu editorial page, law review articles, or opinion pieces on governance. Daily reading of 2–3 editorial pieces builds the background knowledge needed to comprehend and answer these passages quickly.
• Solve 5+ Years of AILET Papers: Question patterns repeat. AILET 2019–2024 papers reveal that certain GK topics (Indian constitutional milestones, Nobel/Bharat Ratna recipients, sports records) recur annually. These are free marks for prepared candidates.
• Mock Tests Under Offline Conditions: Unlike CLAT (CBT), AILET is pen-and-paper. Practice time management and bubble-sheet accuracy specifically — marking 150 answers accurately in 120 minutes under exam pressure is a skill you must build.

Solving AILET previous year papers (2015–2024) is the single most effective preparation strategy. Pattern analysis shows that Logical Reasoning consistently contributes 45–55% of total marks, making it the highest-scoring section if mastered. Current Affairs questions from the 6-month window before the exam carry the highest hit-rate of any GK category. English passages in AILET tend to be longer (400–600 words) compared to CLAT, testing reading speed alongside comprehension depth.

The AILET admit card is released online on the NLU Delhi official portal. Carrying the admit card to the exam centre is mandatory — no candidate is permitted entry without it. The admit card includes the candidate's name, application number, roll number, exam centre address, date, time, and photograph. Candidates must also carry a valid government-issued photo ID matching the application details.

For AILET 2027, the admit card is expected approximately 7–10 days before the December 13, 2026 exam date.

NLU Delhi releases the AILET answer key shortly after the examination on its official website. Candidates can challenge specific answers within the designated objection window by submitting a representation with justification. After reviewing challenges, NLU Delhi releases the final answer key, which is used for computing official scores. The AILET 2026 final answer key was released alongside the result in December 2025.

AILET cut-offs are extremely high given the intense competition for limited seats. Based on historical trends from past five years:

* Indicative ranges. Actual cut-offs vary year-to-year based on exam difficulty and total candidates. A General category rank of 50–60 is typically needed for a confirmed seat.

The AILET 2026 result was declared by NLU Delhi on its official website in December 2025 / January 2026. The result includes each candidate's All India Rank (AIR), sectional scores, and overall score. NLU Delhi releases results as both a scorecard (for individual candidates) and a compiled rank-wise merit list. Shortlisted candidates are called for AILET counselling in a ratio of approximately 3:1 against available seats.

AILET counselling is conducted online through the NLU Delhi portal. Qualified candidates register for counselling, complete document verification digitally, and seats are allotted based on merit, reservation criteria, and seat availability. The counselling process typically runs in 3–4 rounds (including a final mop-up round) to fill all available seats.