AILET 2027: Apply by 10 Nov, Exam on 13 December

AILET 2027: the only way into NLU Delhi — and why it is not CLAT

If you want to study law at the National Law University Delhi, there is exactly one door: the All India Law Entrance Test, or AILET. NLU Delhi does not admit through CLAT — it runs its own test, its own counselling and its own merit lists, and that confusion costs people seats every year. AILET and CLAT are separate exams with separate forms, dates and syllabi. Filling a CLAT form does not apply you to NLU Delhi.

For the 2027 admissions cycle the timeline is already official: NLU Delhi released the AILET 2027 notification on 23 July 2026, opened online applications on 7 August 2026, and will close them on 10 November 2026. The exam is on Sunday, 13 December 2026, in a single shift from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM — an offline, pen-and-paper OMR test of exactly two hours.

AILET 2027 covers admission to three levels: the five-year BA LLB (Hons.), the one-year LLM, and PhD programmes. The BA LLB is the flagship — around 120 seats — and the LLM has roughly 81 seats. These are small numbers against tens of thousands of applicants, which is why the test rewards speed and accuracy under pressure rather than deep legal knowledge. You do not need to have studied law to attempt the BA LLB paper.

Who can apply: eligibility without the fine print

For the BA LLB (Hons.), you must have passed Class 12 (or an equivalent examination) from a recognised board, or be appearing for it in the current academic year. The minimum aggregate marks are 45% for General-category candidates, 40% for SC, ST and PwD candidates, and — on most portals — 42% for OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates. There is a genuine discrepancy here: some official-sourced portals group OBC with General at 45%, while others state 42%. This is exactly the kind of number you should confirm in the official information brochure before you pay the fee, because eligibility disputes are not reopened later. Foreign nationals applying under the separate category need 65% in Class 12 and are admitted on marks without sitting the test.

For the LLM, you need an LLB (three-year or five-year) with at least 50% marks for General candidates and 45% for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Final-year LLB students can apply and sit the exam provisionally, subject to meeting the mark requirement at the time of admission. There is no upper age limit for any AILET programme, and there is no cap on the number of attempts — you can reappear in later cycles.

One eligibility trap: "appearing" candidates must watch the brochure's cut-off dates for document submission — counselling will not wait for a delayed Class 12 result.

The fee: who pays what

The application fee is category-based and paid online only — net banking, debit card, credit card or UPI:

• General, OBC, EWS and foreign nationals: ₹3,000
• SC, ST and PwD: ₹1,000
• BPL candidates who are SC, ST or women: exempt (no fee)

The fee is non-refundable, so double-check your programme choice (BA LLB vs LLM) and category before paying. If you claim SC/ST/OBC/PwD status, make sure the certificate is in the exact format NLU Delhi asks for — a state certificate in the wrong format has derailed admissions before.

Exam pattern: what the two hours actually test

The BA LLB paper has 150 multiple-choice questions for 150 marks: +1 for a correct answer and −0.25 for a wrong one. The sections are English, Current Affairs & General Knowledge, and Logical Reasoning (including legal reasoning). Notice what is missing versus CLAT: no separate quantitative-techniques section, and the paper leans harder on reading speed. With 150 questions in 120 minutes — 48 seconds per question — this is a paper you win by skipping fast, not by solving everything.

The LLM paper has 100 MCQs for 100 marks with the same +1/−0.25 marking, testing core law subjects. Both papers are in English only.

The negative marking is the strategic core of AILET. At −0.25, blind guessing is mildly negative, but educated elimination is strongly positive. Most toppers attempt nearly the whole paper; the skill is knowing which questions to abandon in under 30 seconds.

How to apply, step by step

• Go to nationallawuniversitydelhi.in and find the AILET 2027 registration link. Do not use third-party "apply" links — the form lives only on the university site.
• Register with your name, a valid email ID and mobile number, and select your applicant type.
• Choose your programme — BA LLB (Hons.) or LLM. You cannot switch after submission.
• Fill in personal, contact and academic details exactly as they appear on your certificates. Name spellings must match your Class 10 certificate.
• Upload a recent passport-size photograph and your scanned signature in the specified format and size. A blurry or oversized upload is the most common reason forms get flagged.
• Pay the fee online and wait for the payment confirmation. Do not close the window mid-transaction.
• Submit before 10 November 2026 — and treat the last two days as already closed. Portal congestion on deadline day is a tradition, not an exception.
• Download and save the confirmation page and the fee receipt. You will need the application number for the admit card.

The admit card is expected around 30 November 2026 on the same portal. Download it early, verify your name, photograph and exam-city details, and read the exam-day instructions printed on it — reporting time, permitted items and ID requirements.

After the exam: what comes next

NLU Delhi publishes a provisional answer key, opens a short objection window, then releases the final key and result. Counselling is online, in multiple merit lists, with seats allotted strictly by AILET rank within each category. Keep every document ready in advance: Class 10 and 12 marksheets, category certificate, PwD certificate if applicable, photo ID, and the AILET admit card and scorecard. A missing certificate at reporting time means the seat goes to the next candidate on the list.

Common mistakes that cost applicants

• Confusing AILET with CLAT — one form never covers NLU Delhi.
• Applying on 10 November and hitting a crashed payment gateway.
• Wrong category selection without a matching certificate in the prescribed format.
• Name mismatches between the form and board certificates.
• Preparing with the CLAT syllabus instead of AILET's three-section structure.

AILET 2027 is one of the few major entrance exams this cycle with its timeline already official. If NLU Delhi is your target, apply now — the only real deadline is 10 November 2026.

Related guides on StudyDesk