Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur (MNLU Nagpur) is one of three universities established under the Maharashtra National Law University Act, 2014 (Maharashtra Act No. VI of 2014), a single Act that also created Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai and Maharashtra National Law University Aurangabad, each with its own headquarters. The university describes itself as the nineteenth National Law University in the country. It holds UGC Section 12(B) recognition (2022), UGC Section 22 recognition (2018), and Association of Indian Universities membership (2018), and is affiliated to the Bar Council of India, per its own official documents.
MNLU Nagpur ranked 28th in NIRF 2025 Law (score 56.54), the only one of the three Maharashtra National Law Universities to appear in the published Law top 40 for that year. No official evidence supports a NAAC accreditation claim for this institution.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Established | 2014, Maharashtra National Law University Act, 2014 |
| Type | State-established National Law University, Maharashtra |
| NIRF 2025 Law | Rank 28 (score 56.54) |
| Recognition | UGC 12(B) (2022), UGC Section 22 (2018), AIU membership (2018), BCI-affiliated |
| Campus | 60 acres at Waranga, Dongargaon (Butibori), Nagpur, Phase-I complete |
| UG intake | 240 (B.A.LL.B. Hons 120, B.A.LL.B. Hons in Adjudication and Justicing 60, B.B.A.LL.B. Hons 60) |
| PG intake | 60 (LL.M.) |
| Admission | CLAT, via Consortium of NLUs centralised counselling |
MNLU Nagpur offers three undergraduate integrated law programmes, B.A.LL.B. (Hons), 120 seats; B.A.LL.B. (Hons in Adjudication and Justicing), a first-of-its-kind ten-semester programme with a Judicial Apprenticeship semester, 60 seats; and B.B.A.LL.B. (Hons), 60 seats, alongside a one-year LL.M. (60 seats, across five named specialisations plus a general track) and a Ph.D programme. Undergraduate programmes run on a 220-credit, five-year Choice Based Credit System with a ten-point grading scale.
Admission to the B.A.LL.B. (Hons) and B.B.A.LL.B. (Hons) programmes, and to the LL.M., runs on CLAT merit through the Consortium of NLUs' centralised counselling. The Adjudication and Justicing programme uses CLAT score only for shortlisting, followed by a Psychometric Test, Group Discussion, and Personal Interview, with an additional eligibility condition that applicants not be above 20 years of age on the application date. Ph.D admission runs through the university's own All India Entrance Test plus an interview.
| Programme | Duration | Intake | Admission basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.A.LL.B. (Hons) | 5-year integrated | 120 | CLAT merit |
| B.A.LL.B. (Hons in Adjudication and Justicing) | 5-year integrated, 10 semesters | 60 | CLAT shortlist, then psychometric test, GD, PI |
| B.B.A.LL.B. (Hons) | 5-year integrated | 60 | CLAT merit |
| LL.M. | 1 year | 60 | CLAT merit |
| Ph.D | n/a | Per AIET intake | University's own All India Entrance Test plus interview |
For the 2026-27 cycle, MNLU Nagpur's vacant-seat notification for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes was issued 11 June 2026, open to candidates who had appeared in CLAT-2026, with the B.A.LL.B. (Hons) route open to General-category candidates up to All India Rank 6,000 and B.B.A.LL.B. (Hons) up to AIR 7,000. Applications closed 16 June 2026, with provisional merit lists published on 18 June, 25 June, and a third and final list on 1 July 2026 (payment deadline 6 July).
The Adjudication and Justicing programme's notification was reissued 11 June 2026 specifically for Maharashtra-reserved categories, with a deadline of 18 June 2026. Fee amounts are not published by the university on any official page at the time of writing; its own brochure states fees "will be published on the University website," and this page does not state a figure.
MNLU Nagpur ranked 28th in NIRF 2025 Law (score 56.54), confirmed directly against nirfindia.org and cross-confirmed by the university's own NIRF submission document, which carries the institute ID IR-B-U-0880. It is the only one of the three Maharashtra National Law Universities to appear in the published Law top 40 for that year. No official evidence supports a NAAC accreditation for this institution.
MNLU Nagpur's permanent campus spans 60 acres at Waranga, Dongargaon (Butibori), Nagpur, developed through a national-level architectural design competition held in 2017 and built in three phases intended eventually to accommodate 3,500 students and faculty. Phase-I, comprising academic buildings, hostels, an amenities centre, an administrative wing, and residential quarters, is already complete. The academic building spans 11,000 square metres across four blocks with 42 lecture theatres. As of this writing, senior students are housed in on-campus Halls of Residence, while first-year students of every course are accommodated in rented extended hostel premises pending further hostel construction, per the university's own official brochure.
Ranked 28th in NIRF 2025 Law, the only one of the three Maharashtra NLUs to appear in that year's published Law top 40
B.A.LL.B. (Hons in Adjudication and Justicing), offered since 2020, conceived under founder Chancellor Justice S.A. Bobde, former Chief Justice of India, with a six-month Judicial Apprenticeship in its final semester
60 acres at Waranga, Nagpur, developed through a national architectural design competition, with Phase-I academic buildings, hostels, and administrative facilities already complete
Five named LL.M. specialisations, Corporate and Commercial Laws, Intellectual Property Laws, Constitutional Law, Personal Laws, and Criminal Law and Forensic Science, plus a general-track allocation
36 centres for advanced legal studies and research, a DPIIT-recognised IPR Chair, and subscriptions to 16 online legal databases including HeinOnline, Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Manupatra
| Framework | Category | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIRF | Law | 2025 | #28 |
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 | — |
1 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 | — | 1587 |
Campus size, faculty strength, hostel facilities, and academic infrastructure.
