Checked 29 September 2026. From section 3 of the LLB 3-year and 5-year CET 2026 information brochures. Check the 2027 brochures when they are published.
The basic rule for both Maharashtra law CETs is the same: 45% in the qualifying exam — a bachelor's degree for the 3-year LLB, Class 12 for the 5-year LLB — with lower marks for reserved categories belonging to Maharashtra: 42% for OBC, VJNT and SBC, and 40% for SC and ST. There is no upper age limit at present. What trips candidates up are the details: marks are not rounded up, reserved candidates from other states count as Open, and the admission check happens at CAP, not at the CET. This guide goes through each rule from the 2026 brochures.
LLB 3-year and 5-year CET 2026 brochures, section 3.
Minimum marks by category
| Category | LLB 3-year (graduation) | LLB 5-year (Class 12) |
|---|---|---|
| Open, EWS, SEBC; all candidates from outside Maharashtra (OMS) | 45% | 45% |
| Maharashtra OBC, VJ/NT and SBC | 42% | 42% |
| Maharashtra SC and ST | 40% | 40% |
From section 3.1 of the 2026 brochures. Reserved-category candidates from other states apply as Open.
Same thresholds for both courses.
The rounding rule: 44.99% is not 45%
Both brochures are explicit: percentages are calculated to two decimal places, and the round-off does not apply at the threshold — "44.50% onwards till 44.99% cannot be round off to 45%". The 3-year brochure cites Bombay High Court orders in writ petitions 2719 and 2720 of 2019 for this. If your degree marksheet says 44.8%, you are not eligible on the Open list, however close it is. Where your university gives grades or a CGPA, the conversion to a percentage is the one your university prescribes, and producing it is your responsibility.
LLB 3-year: which degrees count
| Situation | Eligible? |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree in any discipline (10+2+3 or longer) | Yes, with the percentage above |
| Degree by distance or correspondence | Yes |
| Final-year student | May take the CET; admission only if the degree is passed with the required percentage by the CAP deadline |
| Degree obtained directly through an open university without basic qualification | No, per the brochure |
| Result declared but marksheet not yet issued (2026) | The CET Cell allowed an attested online result sheet during CAP (notice of 17 Jul 2026) |
From section 3 of the LLB 3-year brochure 2026 and the CAP notice of 17 July 2026.
LLB 5-year: which Class 12 routes count
| Situation | Eligible? |
|---|---|
| Class 12 (10+2) or equivalent from a recognised board, any stream | Yes, with the percentage above |
| Class 12 through NIOS or open schooling, with regular schooling up to Class 9 | Yes, on the brochure's conditions |
| Open schooling without schooling from Class 1 to 9 | Not eligible for admission, per the brochure |
| 3-year engineering diploma | Eligible with an equivalence certificate |
| Appearing in Class 12 this year | May take the CET; admission only if passed with the required percentage |
From section 3.1 of the LLB 5-year brochure 2026. Read the full clauses before applying on an open-schooling or diploma route.
Age limit: none now, with a caveat
Both brochures say there is no upper age limit at present. They add that admissions remain subject to the outcome of a case in the Supreme Court (WP (Civil) No. 1023/2016) and a Bombay High Court order (WP 3235/2016). If an age limit is ever applied, the brochures give it in advance, as on 1 July 2026:
| Course | Open and EWS | Maharashtra SC and ST |
|---|---|---|
| LLB 3-year | 30 years | 35 years |
| LLB 5-year | 20 years | 22 years |
From section 3 of each 2026 brochure. These limits were not applied in 2026.
Where other pages get this wrong
There is no upper age limit for MAH LLB CET 2026 admissions; the 30/20-year limits in the brochures would apply only if the courts' final orders require them.
Commonly published instead: "Maximum age 30 years for MAH LLB 3 year CET".
The 2026 brochures say "at present, there is no upper age limit" and give the limits only as what would apply "if age limit is made applicable".
Maharashtra candidature types (LLB 3-year)
| Type | Who (2026 brochure, summarised) |
|---|---|
| A | Passed graduation (or post-graduation) in Maharashtra or outside, and domiciled in and / or born in Maharashtra |
| B | Not type A, but the father or mother is domiciled in Maharashtra with a domicile certificate |
| C | Not A or B, but a parent is a Government of India (or GoI undertaking) employee posted and reporting in Maharashtra before the CAP application deadline |
| D | Not A, B or C, but a parent is an employee or retired employee of the Government of Maharashtra or its undertaking |
| E | Graduated from the disputed Maharashtra–Karnataka border area or Maharashtra, residing in the border area, with Marathi as mother tongue |
Summarised from section 3.4 of the LLB 3-year brochure 2026. The 5-year brochure has the parallel types for Class 12. Claim the type your documents prove; the category relaxation in marks applies only to Maharashtra candidature.
Two more candidature routes exist. Minority candidature is for Maharashtra-domiciled members of a notified linguistic or religious minority who completed their qualifying degree in Maharashtra; it opens the minority quota in minority colleges (which is why several Mumbai colleges show only open-list cut-offs). NRI candidates are exempt from the CET altogether and register for CAP as foreign candidates after the results.
Candidates from outside Maharashtra
You can take either CET from anywhere in India — but the test is held only at centres in Maharashtra. At CAP you compete on the OMS (Outside Maharashtra State) or All India list, as an Open candidate whatever your category at home. That list is much smaller: in 2026's first round, Government Law College, Mumbai filled its OMS open seat at the 99.42 percentile — OMS merit number 56. NRI, OCI, PIO and foreign-national applicants are exempt from the CET and apply through the CET Cell's separate portal.
Which MAH LLB CET can you take?
Before you register: a checklist
Keep these ready
- Degree or Class 12 marksheet (or proof that you are in the final year).
- Caste certificate, caste validity and a non-creamy-layer certificate valid to 31 March 2027 if you apply under a Maharashtra reserved category — the fee concession and the lower percentage depend on them.
- Domicile or candidature documents for your Maharashtra candidature type.
- An email address and mobile number that stay active until admissions end: the CET Cell does not send reminders.
APAAR ID, Aadhaar and UDID: new in 2026
Section 6.1 of the 2026 brochure made the APAAR ID mandatory for CET registration; a candidate without one creates it through DigiLocker before applying. The Aadhaar card should carry the correct name, date of birth, a recent photograph, address and father's name, because the CET Cell matches the application against it. Candidates with a disability need a valid, renewed UDID card. The same section asks candidates to start applying for caste validity, non-creamy-layer and EWS certificates at the time of the CET, using the CET application form and hall ticket as proof — the certificates take weeks, and CAP will not wait for them.
Candidates with disabilities: scribe and extra time
Per section 12 of the brochure, a visually impaired candidate, or one whose writing speed is permanently affected, may bring their own scribe at their own cost. The scribe cannot be a candidate in the same exam and cannot write for two candidates, and the need for a scribe must be declared in the online form — the 2026 brochure asks for details of two scribes at registration. A candidate using a scribe gets 20 minutes of compensatory time per hour. The same allowance applies to locomotor disability or cerebral palsy affecting the writing arm (at least 40% impairment), and to visually impaired candidates (at least 40%) who choose magnified fonts instead of a scribe. The extra time is system-based: a candidate who did not register for it cannot be given it on the day.
One more rule catches reserved-category candidates who studied outside the state. The fee table says that a candidate who completed the qualifying degree or diploma from a university or board outside Maharashtra should apply under the Open category. Read that clause against your own candidature type before choosing a category on the form.
When eligibility is actually checked
The CET registration form does not verify your marks — you certify them. The check happens at CAP, when your uploaded documents go through e-scrutiny before the merit list. That is where a 44.8% aggregate, a missing caste-validity certificate or a non-creamy-layer certificate that expired is caught, and it can move you from a reserved list to the Open list or out of CAP entirely. Settle documents before you register for the CET, not after the result.
Practise it, don't just read it
Eligibility settled? Start on the section that carries the most marks in your paper.
The ProSyllabus MAH LLB CET library has a quiz for each section of the paper — Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning, General Knowledge and Current Affairs, Logical and Analytical Reasoning, English and, for the 5-year paper, Basic Mathematics. The first one is free.
What is the eligibility for MAH LLB 3 year CET?
A bachelor's degree with 45% aggregate (42% for Maharashtra OBC, VJNT and SBC; 40% for Maharashtra SC and ST). Final-year students may apply.
What is the eligibility for MAH LLB 5 year CET?
Class 12 or equivalent with 45% aggregate (42% and 40% for Maharashtra reserved categories), in any stream.
Is there an age limit for MAH LLB CET?
Not at present. The brochures give 30 years (3-year) and 20 years (5-year) for Open candidates only if the courts' orders make an age limit applicable.
Is 44.5% eligible for MAH LLB CET?
Not on the 45% threshold. The brochures say 44.50% to 44.99% cannot be rounded up to 45%.
Can final-year students apply for MAH LLB 3 year CET?
Yes. Admission depends on passing the degree with the required percentage by the CAP deadline.
Can students from other states take MAH LLB CET?
Yes, as All India (OMS) candidates in the Open category, at centres in Maharashtra.
Is a distance-education degree valid for MAH LLB 3 year CET?
Yes, the brochure accepts degrees by distance or correspondence, except a degree obtained through an open university without basic qualification.
Can a commerce or arts student take MAH LLB 5 year CET?
Yes. No stream is specified; any Class 12 stream with the required percentage qualifies.
Sources
- official — CET Cell — Information Brochure, MAH-LL.B. 3 Years CET 2026
- official — CET Cell — Information Brochure, MAH-LL.B. 5 Years CET 2026
- official — CET Cell — LLB 3 Yrs CAP 2026-27: online result sheet and grievance period extension (17 Jul 2026, Marathi)
- official — LLB 3 Yrs CAP portal 2026-27 — round-wise cut-off, Round I
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.
