Best Law Colleges in India

Traditionally, a degree in law meant courtroom practice, but with the growth of some of the best law colleges in India, there is a multitude of opportunities that have come about in the field of law. Today, graduates from some of the best law colleges in India are joining the Civil Services, startups, policy institutions, apart from building a litigation practice and defending the common folk.

Every year, numerous students opt for Law courses in India to delve deeper into this field of study and understand its essential attributes of this field. Amongst the multitude of Law subjects, you get to learn about the legal structure of different countries. There are several private and national law colleges shaping the future lawyers of tomorrow, but we have put together a list of the best law colleges in India, only for you. So read on! 

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”- Martin Luther King Jr

Starting a Career in Law

Before discussing the best law colleges in India, it is pertinent to understand that a Bachelor of Laws is a professional degree which can be pursued only after graduation in a 3 year course. However, a combined 5 year program of graduation and law was introduced initially by National Law School, which is now offered by most law colleges in India, offering an array of specializations such as Cyber Law, Environmental Law as well as Human Rights courses. These are some popular courses to make a career in Law.

List of Best Law Colleges in India

There are numerous academic institutions in the country that offer a multitude of law degrees for those wanting to build a career in this field. Below we have curated a list of best law colleges in India according to the recent National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings 2021:

Law Colleges in India	Location	NIRF 2021 Rankings
National Law School of India University	Bangalore	1
National Law University	Delhi	2
Nalsar University of Law	Telangana	3
IIT Kharagpur	West Bengal	4
National Law University	Rajasthan	5
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences	West Bengal	6
Gujarat National Law University	Gujrat	7
Symbiosis Law School	Maharashtra	8
Jamia Millia Islamia	Delhi	9
The Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law	Punjab	10

National Law School of India University Banglore

Founded in the year 1987 and situated in the beautiful city of Banglore, NLSIU was established by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and aims to provide various undergraduate and graduate-level degrees in Law including LLB, LLM, and MPhil degrees. It is amongst the best law colleges in India and the competition is quite fierce for those wanting to get admission here. Moreover, to attain your entry ticket into NLSIU, candidates need to qualify the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT exam).

National Law University (Delhi)

Founded by the Government of NCT Delhi in the year 2008, National Law University is another notable mention in our list of best law colleges in India. NLU is a public university which offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate level courses along with some leading bridge courses like BA LLB, LLM, PGDUEML, etc. One needs to clear the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) in order to apply for any degree offered at the university.

NALSAR University of Law

By the Statute of the State of Andhra Pradesh, the National Academy of Legal Study and Research University of Law was founded in the year 1998. Attracting students from across the globe, the NALSAR has been consistently ranked amongst the best law colleges in India and is also one of the earliest National Law universities in the country. Situated in Telangana, the institution believes in imparting legal education in an interdisciplinary way. The courses provided at NALSAR are curated with the convergence of varied streams of Law, Social Sciences, Management and Humanities and one must qualify the CLAT exam to get admission to the university.

Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur)

Being the leading institute of national importance, IIT Kharagpur was established in the year 1951 as a public institution. The institution’s Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law offers popular legal degrees like LLB, LLM, and integrated programs. As one of the leading institutes in the list of IITs, it conducts research in Geographical Indication, Labour and Industrial Law, Environmental Governance, International Human Rights Law, etc. The application process for the law courses in IIT Kharagpur starts around January every year and it conducts its own entrance exam.

National Law University (Rajasthan)

Nestled amidst the heritage city of Jodhpur and established in the year 1999, the university is famous for its fusion degrees like B.Sc L.L.B along with a variety of graduate and masters levels courses like BA LLB, LLM, LLD, MBA in Bachelor of Law (Hons.), Ph.D., etc. Another crucial mention amongst the best Law colleges in India, the institution has incorporated honors programs in several law specialisations including, Trade Law, Intellectual Property Rights Law, Constitutional Law, International Law, amongst others.

The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences

Located in the city of palaces, the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) was founded as an autonomous university in the year 1999. Striving to inculcate innovative approaches towards imparting legal studies, the NUJS aims to transform budding law professionals into future leaders. It is another significant one in our list of best law colleges in India and provides multiple diplomas and degrees in Law and CLAT is the central eligibility prerequisite that one needs to qualify in order to apply for any of these programs. 

Symbiosis Law School (Pune)

Symbiosis Law School was established in the patronage of S.B Mujumdar in the year 1977 by the Symbiosis Society. It is located in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, and is recognized as one of the best law colleges in India for its multitude of diploma courses along with graduate, postgraduate programs like LLB, BA LLB,  LLM, etc. For the ones wanting to get enrolled under these courses have to qualify the Symbiosis Law Admission Test (SLAT Exam) or CLAT. 

Jamia Milia Islamia

Jamia Milia Islamia was originally founded at Aligarh in the United Province and in 1920, it became a Central University. In Urdu, ‘Jamia’ stands for “university” and ‘Milia’ means “national”. One of the commonly chosen and best law colleges in India, this prestigious university offers a plethora of courses to choose from, namely, LLB, BA LLB, LLM, PG Diplomas, MPhil, Ph.D., etc. To acquire admissions under these popular courses, students have to qualify for the JMI law entrance exam.

National Law School of India University, Bangalore

Established in the year 1986, National Law School of India University, Bangalore is one of the best law colleges in India. It was ranked 1st by the National Institutional Ranking Framework and also by India Today in 2021. The university offers law programs at all levels in various specializations such as public policy, civil law, corporate law, criminal law, business law etc. The university takes pride in being the top law university in India. They help their students to work in this dynamic world by helping them develop the skills needed for it. They do not just limit their students to the studies but offer different internship programmes, student exchange programmes as well as moot court competitions which help them in developing as an efficient lawyer along with helping in the growth of themselves as an individual.

National Law Institute University, Bhopal

Next on our list of best law colleges in India, we have the National Law Institute University which was established back in 1997 by the state government of Madhya Pradesh. The University was ranked 17th by the NIRF in 2021 for law colleges in India. They believe in applying the theoretical knowledge into practice and are really appreciative of all the modern teaching methods and techniques. They originally only offered undergraduate courses in law but now they also offer postgraduate courses in law along with amazing research opportunities as well. Their LLB course details are elaborate. Just like NLU, they also follow a blended teaching approach between theoretical knowledge and imparting knowledge though internships, moot courts, use of audio and visual equipment and thus provides education of an international level. 

Must Read: A Detailed Guide to Start a Career in Law

National Law University, Hyderabad

Next on our list of best law colleges in India, is NLU, Hyderabad which is also commonly known as NALSAR Hyderabad which is situated in Hyderabad and was established in 1998. It got the 2nd rank by The Week in its list of top law colleges in India in 2019. It was also ranked 3rd by the National Institutional Ranking Framework in 2021. They offer both undergraduate as wella s postgraduate degrees to their students, the admission to which is based on the entrance examination called Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). The law school was among the first few NLU’s to start offering five year integrated law degrees. Recently, they also started offering PhD and MBA programmes. 

Also Read: Law Courses

National law University, Jodhpur

NLU, Jodhpur was established in 1999. The university was ranked 5th by the NIRF in 2021 for law colleges in India. The university offers five year integrated undergraduate law programmes in a varied group of specializations. The law subjects include corporate law, constitutional law, business law, labour law, criminal law, international law etc. the university has been funded by some of the renowned advocates as well and has all the facilities available on the campus.

Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar

Next on our list of best law colleges in India, we have the Gujarat National Law University. It was set up in 2003 and is located in Gandhinagar. The university offers both UG and PG level courses in different specializations. NIRF ranked them as 7th in the list of top law colleges in India in 2021.They have 13 research centres present on the campus itself, thus great opportunities for students with keen interest in research work. The students community is also really active and hosts a lot of events which help the students get their minds off from studies as well as help in their individual growth.

National Law University, Patiala

The final colleges on our list of best law colleges in India is National Law University(NLU), Patiala. NLU, Patiala is also called as Rajiv Gandhi National university of Law which was established in 2006. NIRF ranked them as 10th in the list of top law colleges in India in 2021. They offer UG and PG level programs in various specializations such as corporate law, international law etc. 

The placement cell of the university is really active which extensively helps in internship and placement opportunities. The students community is really strong and they conduct moot court competitions from time to time.

Explore: A Detailed Guide to Start a Career in Law

Top Law Colleges in India with Best ROI (Return on Investment)

College	Annual Fees (INR)	Placement Package (INR)
NLU Delhi	4.28 L	16 L
Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi	52 K	4.40 L
NALSAR Hyderabad	8.55 L	16.50 L
NLU Patiala	1.81 L	6.50 L
GNLU Gandhinagar	8.29 L	10 L
NLU Jodhpur	12.29 L	14.50 L
NLSIU Bangalore	14.44 L	12 L
SIU Pune	12.50 L	12 L

Top Law Colleges Fees-wise 

Here is a list of the top law schools in terms of tuition.

College Name	UG Fees(INR)	PG Fees(INR)
National Law School of India University, Bangalore	1,73,250	1,89,500
National Law University, Delhi	1,75,000	1,85,000
National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, Hyderabad	1,35,000	65,000
National Law University, Jodhpur	1,45,000	1,10,000
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences	1,46,400	68,000
Gujarat National Law University	1,20,000	Rs. 80,000
Symbiosis Law School	1,50,000	1,40,000
Faculty of Law – BHU	60,000	30,000
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law	1,19,000	79,000

Best Law Colleges in India Eligibility Criteria

The qualifying requirements for Law programs differ based on the course level. The fundamental qualifying requirements that candidates must meet in order to be admitted to UG and PG Law studies are listed below.

UG Law Courses Eligibility (Integrated-LLB)

• Candidates must have completed Class 12 in any subject with a minimum grade point average of 45 percent.
• There is no upper age limit.

UG Law Courses Eligibility (LLB)

• Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in any field with a minimum GPA of 45-50 percent.
• There is no upper age limit.

PG Law Courses Eligibility (LLM)

• Candidates must have an LLB degree.
• There is no upper age limit.

Top Law Colleges in India: Admission Process 

The best law institutions in India use the following admission process for UG degrees.

• The first stage in the admissions procedure is to apply for the desired course at the preferred university.
• Undergraduate law admissions are conducted in a number of ways.
• Some colleges choose students depending on how well they performed in their qualifying degree.
• Some law schools administer their own admission examinations to screen applicants.
• When choosing students, several institutes accept national-level legal entrance tests.
• Additional rounds of Group Discussions or Personal Interviews may be included in the selection process.

The admission procedure for PG programs at the best legal institutions in India is outlined here.

• For admission to the chosen program, candidates must first apply to their selected college.
• Admission to law postgraduate programmes is often based on an entrance test.
• Before shortlisting students, several universities conduct their own admission tests to check their knowledge and skills.
• For entrance to law postgraduate schools, many national-level assessments are administered. These assessments are used to select students at several law schools.
• Candidates who pass the admissions exam are often invited to interviews.

Top Law Entrance Exams in India 

As a consequence of increased demand and promising employment opportunities, law students must pass a variety of national, state, and university level entrance tests in order to obtain admission to premier universities across India. CLAT, AILET, LSAT, SLAT, MH CET Legal, AP LAWCET, DU LLB, BHU UET Law, and KLEE are some of India’s most prominent law entrance examinations.

Top Law Specialization in India

Law schools in India provides a diverse variety of courses and specialties.

• These top law schools in India provide undergraduate, graduate, doctorate, certificate, and diploma programs.
• For legal students, the best law universities in India provide a variety of specialties.
• International / International Trade Law, Intellectual Property Law, Constitutional Law, Cyber Law, Labor and Employment Law, Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, Corporate Law, Criminal Law, Cyber Security, and Environmental Law are some of the popular specializations chosen by law students for a rewarding legal career.

Thus, we hope that this blog has helped you narrow down the best law colleges in India to pursue your degree from. However, opting for a degree in law abroad can equip you with an immense exposure as well as a plethora of career prospects. Let our Leverage Edu experts assist you in selecting a suitable program and university that can equip you with the necessary knowledge and exposure to build a rewarding career in the field of Law.