Checked 29 September 2026. From the Consortium's CLAT 2027 pages and NLU Delhi's AILET 2027 notification (23 Jul 2026), admission announcement (7 Aug 2026) and B.A.LL.B. pages.
NLU Delhi is the one National Law University that does not take CLAT. It runs its own All India Law Entrance Test (AILET), and its FAQ is blunt: admission through CLAT or LSAT is not possible — "any candidate who wishes to secure admission at NLU Delhi will have to appear in AILET". In the 2027 cycle the two papers are one week apart: CLAT on Sunday 6 December 2026 and AILET on Sunday 13 December 2026, both starting at 2:00 PM and both pen and paper. CLAT runs to 4:00 PM, or 4:40 PM for eligible PwD candidates; AILET runs 2:00 to 4:00 PM. This guide compares them from the two official sets of documents.
CLAT 2027 press release and question format; AILET 2027 notification, admission announcement and seat matrix.
The two tests side by side
| Item | CLAT 2027 | AILET 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Conducted by | Consortium of NLUs | National Law University Delhi |
| Admits to | 26 NLUs (the participating list shows GNLU's Silvassa campus as a separate entry) | NLU Delhi only |
| Exam date | Sun 6 Dec 2026, 2:00-4:00 PM; 2:00-4:40 PM for eligible PwD candidates | Sun 13 Dec 2026, 2:00-4:00 PM |
| Mode | Offline (pen and paper) | Offline, OMR sheet |
| Applications | 3 Aug to 31 Oct 2026, 11:59 PM | Online; last date 10 Nov 2026 (30 Apr 2027 for foreign nationals and OCI/PIO) |
| Admit card | Date to be announced | From 30 Nov 2026 (FAQ) |
| Questions | 120, one mark each | 150, one mark each |
| Duration | 2 hours (2 hours 40 minutes for eligible PwD candidates) | 120 minutes |
| Average time per question (our arithmetic) | 1 minute | 48 seconds |
| Test cities | Listed on the Consortium site (two removed in Sep 2026) | 32; a city needs at least 200 candidates, else your 2nd or 3rd choice |
| Negative marking | 0.25 per wrong answer | 0.25 per wrong answer |
| Tie-break | Legal aptitude marks, then age, then draw of lots | Logical Reasoning marks, then age, then draw of lots |
| Application fee | ₹4,000 General/OBC; ₹3,500 SC/ST/BPL/PwD | ₹3,000; ₹1,000 SC/ST/PwD; SC/ST and women BPL candidates exempt |
| Minimum Class 12 marks | 45%; 40% SC/ST/PwD | 45%; 42% OBC; 40% SC/ST (the eligibility page adds PwD at 40%) |
| Upper age limit | None | None |
| Foreign nationals | Not eligible for CLAT; apply to NLUs directly | Exempt from AILET; 5 seats on qualifying-exam merit (65% needed) |
CLAT 2027 press release, UG instructions, eligibility and format pages; AILET 2027 notification, admission announcement, B.A.LL.B. exam-details, eligibility and fee pages, and FAQ.
Where the two sources on the AILET side differ, both are printed: the admission announcement gives 40% for SC/ST only, while the B.A.LL.B. eligibility page gives 40% for SC/ST/Person with Disability. If you are a PwD candidate near the line, write to NLU Delhi before you rely on either.
How the papers differ
| Section | CLAT 2027 (questions) | AILET 2027 (questions) |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 22-26 | 50 |
| Current Affairs and General Knowledge | 28-32 | 30 |
| Legal Reasoning | 28-32 | No separate section |
| Logical Reasoning | 22-26 | 70 (may use legal principles; no legal knowledge needed) |
| Quantitative Techniques | 10-14 | No section |
| Total | 120 | 150 |
CLAT 2027 UG question format page; AILET 2027 B.A.LL.B. exam-details page.
CLAT midpoints are our reading of the official ranges; AILET counts are fixed by NLU Delhi.
Three differences matter for preparation. AILET is faster: 150 questions in 120 minutes is 48 seconds a question, against a minute for CLAT. AILET has no quant and no separate legal section; legal principles may appear inside its 70 logical-reasoning questions, which also break ties. And AILET's English section is twice CLAT's. The shared core — reading, current affairs, and applying a stated rule to facts — is large enough that one preparation serves both, with a final week that shifts toward AILET speed and CLAT's legal and quant sets.
Seats at NLU Delhi
| Category | Seats | PwD (horizontal) within |
|---|---|---|
| General | 50 | 3 |
| OBC (non-creamy layer, 22%) | 24 | 1 |
| Scheduled Castes (15%) | 17 | 1 |
| Scheduled Tribes (7.5%) | 8 | 0 |
| EWS (10%) | 11 | 1 |
| Subtotal on AILET merit | 110 | 6 |
| Foreign nationals (5) and OCI/PIO (5) | 10 | — |
| Grand total | 120 | — |
AILET 2027 B.A.LL.B. seat matrix and reservation page. The same page adds a horizontal reservation of 30% of the total seats for eligible women, including women selected in the reserved and foreign-national categories; it cuts across the rows above rather than adding a row. OBC certificates must be from the Central List or the Delhi State List, issued on or after 1 April 2026. Unfilled foreign-national and OCI/PIO seats go to General on AILET merit. The FAQ says there are no NRI seats.
Where other pages get this wrong
NLU Delhi does not admit through CLAT, so it has no CLAT cut-off.
Commonly published instead: CLAT "indicative cut-off" tables that include NLU Delhi (for example collegenirnay).
The CLAT 2027 participating-universities list does not include NLU Delhi, and NLU Delhi's FAQ says admission through CLAT or LSAT is not possible — only through AILET.
What a year at NLU Delhi costs
| Fee head (B.A.LL.B.) | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Admission fee | ₹10,000 | One time |
| Tuition fee | ₹1,63,000 | Per year; rises by ₹7,000 a year for Indian nationals |
| Academic services and facilities | ₹43,000 | Per year |
| Student welfare fund | ₹7,000 | Per year |
| Utility services | ₹20,000 | Per year |
| Refundable estate deposit | ₹25,000 | One time, refundable |
| Halls of residence (hostellers) | ₹92,000 | Per year; rises by ₹3,000 a year |
| Mess charges | ₹50,000 | Per year |
NLU Delhi B.A.LL.B. fee details page, as displayed on 29 September 2026. Hostel rooms are limited and allotted by aerial distance from NLU Delhi, not by rank.
NLU Delhi's admission announcement also sets its counselling-fee policy: the counselling fee is fully refunded if you exit the admission process, adjusted against fees if you join, and refunded under UGC guidelines if you withdraw after admission. CLAT's counselling rules are different and are set out in the counselling guide in this series. Fees at the CLAT NLUs are not compared here: each brochure prints them on a different basis (per year, per semester, five-year total or, at IIULER Goa, banded by rank), and a like-for-like table would need each one normalised first.
Eligibility: the fine print that differs
Both tests are open to students still in Class 12. CLAT 2027's eligibility page says candidates appearing for the qualifying examination in March/April 2027 may apply, but must show that they passed at the time of admission or lose the right to be considered. AILET likewise admits candidates appearing in the qualifying examination. Neither test has an upper age limit. Beyond that, the rules part ways.
| Rule | CLAT 2027 | AILET 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Students appearing in Class 12 in 2027 | Eligible; proof of passing at admission | Eligible |
| OBC minimum | 45% — the eligibility page gives no separate OBC figure | 42% |
| OBC certificate | Per the NLU's state or central rules | Central List or Delhi State List of OBCs (non-creamy layer) |
| NRI seats | At some NLUs, filled outside CLAT merit (see each brochure) | None |
| Foreign nationals | Not eligible to take CLAT | Exempt from AILET; 65% in the qualifying exam |
CLAT 2027 UG eligibility page; AILET 2027 notification, eligibility and seat-matrix pages, and FAQ.
The OBC rule is the one most often missed. NLU Delhi accepts an OBC (non-creamy layer) certificate issued under the Central List or the Delhi State List only. A certificate issued under another state's list that is not also on the Central List will not support an OBC claim at NLU Delhi, even if the same certificate works at that state's own NLU through CLAT.
The calendar, August to December 2026
| Date | CLAT 2027 | AILET 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Aug 2026 | Applications open | — |
| 7 Aug 2026 | — | Admission announcement published |
| 31 Oct 2026, 11:59 PM | Last date to apply and pay | — |
| 10 Nov 2026 | — | Last date to apply (Indian candidates) |
| 30 Nov 2026 | Admit card date not yet announced | Admit card available in your login |
| 6 Dec 2026 | Exam, 2-4 PM | — |
| 13 Dec 2026 | — | Exam, 2-4 PM |
CLAT 2027 press release and instructions; AILET 2027 notification, admission announcement and FAQ.
If you are sitting both
- Apply to CLAT first: its window closes ten days before AILET's.
- Choose test cities you can reach on consecutive Sundays. AILET creates a centre only where at least 200 candidates choose it, else it uses your second or third city.
- In the week between, practise 150-question timing: AILET gives 48 seconds a question.
- Keep both admit cards and both sets of rules separate — the tie-breaks and eligibility wording differ.
Sitting both: weeks to CLAT, split across the shared syllabus
Choose your likely exam day and how many hours a week you can study. The planner counts the weeks left from today and splits your total hours across the paper.
Our suggested split for a candidate sitting both papers, not an official one. It counts to CLAT on 6 December because that paper comes first; the week after it is for AILET timing.
AILET only: weeks to 13 December, split by AILET section
Choose your likely exam day and how many hours a week you can study. The planner counts the weeks left from today and splits your total hours across the paper.
Shares in proportion to AILET 2027's section sizes (70, 50 and 30 of 150; our arithmetic). AILET has no quant section, so none of the time goes there.
Practise it, don't just read it
Reading, current affairs and principle-application are shared by both papers.
The ProSyllabus CLAT library has three quizzes today: reading-comprehension inference (English), international treaties and summits (current affairs) and constitutional-law principle application (legal reasoning).
When is AILET 2027?
Sunday 13 December 2026, 2:00 to 4:00 PM, one week after CLAT 2027 on 6 December.
Can I get into NLU Delhi through CLAT?
No. NLU Delhi admits only through AILET; its FAQ says admission through CLAT or LSAT is not possible.
Is there negative marking in AILET 2027?
Yes. 0.25 marks is deducted per wrong answer, the same as CLAT.
How many questions are in AILET 2027?
150: English 50, current affairs and GK 30, logical reasoning 70, in 120 minutes.
How many B.A.LL.B. seats does NLU Delhi have?
110 on AILET merit plus 10 for foreign nationals and OCI/PIO candidates, 120 in all.
What is the AILET 2027 application fee?
₹3,000, or ₹1,000 for SC, ST and PwD candidates; SC/ST and women candidates below the poverty line are exempt.
What is the last date for AILET 2027?
10 November 2026 for Indian candidates; 30 April 2027 for foreign nationals and OCI/PIO.
Is AILET harder than CLAT?
It is faster: 150 questions in 120 minutes against CLAT's 120. It has no quant and no separate legal section, but a 70-question logical reasoning section.
Sources
- official — NLU Delhi — AILET 2027 notification (23 Jul 2026)
- official — NLU Delhi — Admission Announcement 2027-28 (7 Aug 2026)
- official — NLU Delhi — B.A.LL.B.(Hons.) exam details, AILET 2027
- official — NLU Delhi — B.A.LL.B.(Hons.) seat matrix and reservation, AILET 2027
- official — NLU Delhi — B.A.LL.B.(Hons.) fee details
- official — NLU Delhi — B.A.LL.B.(Hons.) eligibility
- official — NLU Delhi — AILET 2027 FAQs
- official — Consortium of NLUs — CLAT 2027 press release (22 Jul 2026)
- official — Consortium of NLUs — CLAT 2027 UG instructions
- official — Consortium of NLUs — CLAT 2027 UG eligibility
- official — Consortium of NLUs — CLAT 2027 UG question paper format
- official — Consortium of NLUs — CLAT 2027 participating universities and e-brochures
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
