Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU) was established in 2016 under the Himachal Pradesh National Law University Act (Act 16 of 2016), functioning from 5 October 2016. It secured UGC Section 12(B) recognition, reported by independent news coverage in February 2025, making it eligible for UGC Central financial assistance. Its campus is at Ghandal, on the Shimla-Mandi National Highway (NH-205), roughly 22 km from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, reported at roughly 10 acres.
The university holds no valid NAAC accreditation, confirmed directly against NAAC's own published dataset; secondary sources report it is preparing for its first assessment cycle, though no confirmed date could be verified on the university's own site. It ranked 34th in NIRF 2025 Law category (score 53.49), confirmed directly against nirfindia.org.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Established | 2016 (Himachal Pradesh National Law University Act, Act 16 of 2016), functioning from 5 October 2016 |
| Type | State national law university, Himachal Pradesh |
| UGC status | Section 12(B) recognition secured, reported February 2025 |
| NAAC | Not accredited; first assessment cycle reportedly in preparation, no confirmed date |
| NIRF 2025 Law | Rank 34 (score 53.49) |
| Campus | Ghandal, NH-205, roughly 22 km from Shimla, roughly 10 acres |
| Programmes | BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM, MBA, PhD (Law) |
| Admission | CLAT |
HPNLU offers BA LLB (Hons) and BBA LLB (Hons), both 5-year integrated undergraduate programmes, alongside LLM, MBA, and PhD (Law), a broader range than some comparable National Law Universities that offer only BA LLB and LLM.
Admission to HPNLU's programmes runs through CLAT (Common Law Admission Test), with university-level counselling following the national CLAT process.
| Route | Programmes |
|---|---|
| CLAT | BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), LLM |
For the 2026-27 cycle, CLAT counselling registration ran 17-27 December 2025, with the first allotment list and fee-confirmation window running 7-15 January 2026. As of this writing, roughly seven months after that window closed, the main counselling round for HPNLU has closed, and this page does not describe a confirmed currently open spot or vacant-seat round.
Himachal Pradesh National Law University ranked 34th in NIRF 2025 Law category (score 53.49), confirmed directly against nirfindia.org. It holds no valid NAAC accreditation, confirmed directly against NAAC's own published dataset; secondary sources report it is preparing for its first assessment cycle, though no confirmed date could be verified on the university's own site.
HPNLU's campus is at Ghandal, on the Shimla-Mandi National Highway (NH-205), roughly 22 km from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, reported at roughly 10 acres, though this acreage figure came from secondary sources rather than a page read directly on the university's own site during this research.
Rank 34 nationally (score 53.49), verified directly against nirfindia.org
Section 12(B) status secured, reported February 2025
Offering BBA LLB (Hons) and MBA alongside the standard BA LLB (Hons) and LLM
Roughly 22 km from Shimla, on the Shimla-Mandi National Highway
Established 2016, with UGC recognition and NIRF participation both advancing in recent years
No independently verifiable, individually sourced notable alumni could be confirmed for this institution at the time of writing. This section is left out rather than populated with unconfirmed names.
3 courses offered. Fees in INR lakhs.
| Course | Specialization | Duration | Total seats | Total fee | Avg package |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LLB (Bachelor of Laws) | — | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| LLB (Bachelor of Laws) | BA LLB | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| LLM (Master of Laws) | — | 24 months | — | ₹1.6L | — |
3 cutoff records across exams, courses, and categories.
| Year | R | Exam | Course | Category | Gender | Quota | Opening | Closing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | CLAT | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | — | 2102 |
| 2024 | 1 | CLAT | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) | SC | Gender-Neutral | AI | — | 12158 |
| 2024 | 1 | CLAT | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) | ST | Gender-Neutral | AI | — | 20412 |
Campus size, faculty strength, hostel facilities, and academic infrastructure.
