The National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU Bangalore) is the most prestigious law school in the country. It is one of the oldest law school in India. NLSIU was established under the National Law School of India Act (Karnataka Act 22 of 1986).
NLSIU Bangalore was the first National Law University established in India in 1986. Also, the NLSIU Bangalore was one of the first institutions in the country to introduce the five-year integrated law degree at the undergraduate level with the commencement of the first batch in 1988.
The premier law school was set up with a mission to pioneer legal education reforms, and to anchor the transformation of the Indian legal system through research and policy interventions. NLSIU Bangalore stood in 1st position under the law category as per the NIRF 2023 ranking
Governing Bodies of the NLSIU
The NLSIU has the following authorities:
1. The General Council
2. The Executive Council
3. The Academic Council
4. The Finance Committee
The University’s Chancellor is the Chief Justice of India, and the Chairman of the Bar Council of India is the Chairman of the General Council. The University’s Governing bodies include representatives from the Bar Council of India, the Judiciary, the Government of Karnataka, and the Law School faculty.
NLSIU Courses
NLSIU Bangalore courses are offered at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels in streams of law and arts, humanities and social sciences.
NLSIU Courses |
5-Year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) |
3-Year LL.B. (Hons.) |
LL.M. |
Master’s Programme in Public Policy |
Ph.D (Law) |
NLSIU Admissions
Candidates should carefully go through their desired courses and all the relevatnt information related to it
Courses | Intake | Selection Criteria |
B.A.LL.B (Hons) | 240 | CLAT exam |
LL.B | 120 | NLSAT – LLB |
LL.M | 100 | CLAT |
MPP | 100 | NLSAT-MPP |
Ph.D | – | NLSAT-PhD |
B.A. LL.B (Hons) At NLSIU
The five-year integrated Undergraduate B.A. LL.B (Hons) Degree Programme is the flagship degree at NLSIU that offers students training in a range of legal and non-legal subjects. Admission to the B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) Degree Programme is purely on the basis of merit as assessed through a Common Law Admission Test conducted for the purpose.
Eligibility
-A Pass in 10+2 or an equivalent examination with a minimum of:
(i) Forty Five percent (45%) of marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General/OBC/PWD categories and
(ii) Forty percent (40%) of marks or equivalent in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.
-The candidate will have to appear for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) to secure admission to the programme
-Candidates appearing for the qualifying examination in the year of admission are also permitted to take the Admission Test, but their admission to the course shall be subject to their fulfilling the conditions stipulated in the Regulations and producing supporting documentary evidence at the time of admission.
-There is no upper age limit for the UG Programme.
-The University reserves the right to cancel the admission of any candidate in accordance with the Rules.
LLM Program AT NLSIU
NLSIU offers a One-Year LL.M. Degree Programme. Similar to the BA LLB (Hons) programme. A total of 75 students are admitted to the LLM Programme for AY 2022-23. NLSIU accepts students from the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for admission to its LL.M. programme.
Eligibility
-The candidate must have an LL.B. Degree or an equivalent examination with a minimum of:
(i) Fifty percent (50%) of marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General/OBC/PWD categories, and
(ii) Forty five percent (45%) of marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.
-The candidate will have to appear for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) to secure admission into the postgraduate programme.
-Candidates appearing for the qualifying examination in the year of admission are also permitted to take the Admission Test, but their admission to the course shall be subject to fulfilling the conditions stipulated in the Regulations, and producing supporting documentary evidence at the time of admission.
-There is no upper age limit for the PG programme in CLAT.
-There is no provision for direct admission of Foreign Nationals into the postgraduate course.
MPP At NLSIU
The University offers the Master’s Programme in Public Policy – a two-year interdisciplinary programme focusing on the interface between policy and the law. Introduced in 2014, this programme provides comprehensive training in designing public policies for the complex societal problems, translating policies into deliverable programmes, and in evaluating the efficacy of policies.
All candidates seeking admission to the programme shall appear for the National Law School Admission Test for Masters in Public Policy (NLSAT-MPP). The NLSAT-MPP will have a single question paper comprising two parts – Parts A and B. All candidates shall be required to attempt both parts of the question paper. The examination shall be for a duration of 150 minutes.
Eligibility
Any person holding a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized national or international University is eligible to apply to the programme. Applicants in the General Category should have graduated with an aggregate of not less than 45% of total marks.
Applicants in the SC or ST or OBC-NCL or PWD category should have graduated with an aggregate of not less than 40% of total marks. Students in the final year of their Bachelor’s degree are also eligible to apply. However, their final offer of admission shall be contingent upon successful completion of their Bachelor’s degree with the minimum aggregate marks specified above. Proof of completion of the qualifying degree has to be submitted no later than December 31, 2024.
Ph.D (Law) At NLSIU
The Ph.D (Law) programme offers candidates an opportunity to contribute to the academic field in their chosen areas of study.
Eligibility
The following candidates shall be eligible to apply for the Ph.D. (Law) programme:
1. a) Candidates having a 5-year/ 10-semester/ 15-trimester bachelor’s degree programme in Law through regular mode from a recognized University having secured a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed (70% of marks or its equivalent grade in case of SC/ST/OBC- NCL/Persons with Disability.)
2. b) Candidates having a 3-year/ 6-semester/ 9-trimester bachelor’s degree programme in Law (LL.B.) through regular mode from a recognized University having secured a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed (70% of marks or its equivalent grade in case of SC/ST/OBC-NCL Persons with Disability); and
3. c) Candidates having a Masters in Law degree (LL.M.) through regular mode from a recognized University having secured an aggregate of at least 55% marks or its equivalent grade (50% of marks or its equivalent grade in case of SC/ST/OBC-NCL)/ Persons with Disability);
4. d) Candidates having passed the Solicitors Examination conducted by the Bombay Incorporated Law Society and having a completed a bachelor’s in Law (LL.B./LL.B. (Hons.)) degree from a recognized University through regular mode; or
5. (e) Candidates having a Master of Business Laws (MBL) degree from the National Law School of India University with minimum CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of 4.00 and having completed a bachelor’s degree from a recognized University through regular mode.
Provided that candidates in their final year of study in the respective degrees in (a), (b) and (c) shall be eligible to apply, subject to the candidate securing the minimum marks
or equivalent grade prior to July 2024.
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