National Law School of India University

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, is India's first and top-ranked National Law University, established under the Karnataka Act 22 of 1986 with the first batch admitted in 1987. NLSIU ranked #1 in the NIRF 2025 Law category with a score of 82.97, maintaining that position for six or more consecutive years. The Chief Justice of India serves as Chancellor of the University.

NLSIU operates on a 23-acre fully residential campus at Nagarabhavi, Bengaluru, with 1,734 enrolled students across BA LLB, LLM, 3-year LLB, BA Hons, and PhD programmes. Fourteen active research centres span environmental law, child rights, intellectual property, labour studies, cyber law, and emerging areas like law and technology.

NLSIU Bangalore Snapshot

Courses and Fees

BA LLB (Hons) (5 years, flagship programme)

310 total seats for the 2025-26 intake. Admitted through CLAT conducted by the Consortium of NLUs.

Fee structure (AY 2026-27):

One-time admission fee Rs 13,900; refundable security deposit Rs 18,800-23,700.

LLM (1 year)

120 seats. 3 trimesters. Admitted through CLAT-PG conducted by the Consortium of NLUs. Specializations introduced in 2024-25: Public Law, Criminal Law, Commercial Laws, and Law and Technology.

Fee per year (= total, 1-year programme): Rs 5,06,400. Eligibility: LLB degree with minimum 50% marks (45% for SC/ST).

3-Year LLB (Hons)

120 seats. 9 trimesters. Admitted through NLSIU's own entrance test (NLSAT-LLB), not via CLAT. Fee: Rs 5,06,400 per year; 3-year total approximately Rs 15,19,200. Eligibility: any Bachelor's degree with 50% aggregate.

BA Hons (3 years)

60 seats. Disciplines: History, Sociology and Anthropology, Economics, and Politics. Admitted through NLSAT-BA. Fee: Rs 4,51,000 per year. An optional 4th-year research track is available.

PhD in Law / Social Sciences

4 seats (AY 2026-27 intake). Duration 3 to 6 years. Admission via NLSAT-PhD (written exam followed by research proposal review). Fellowship: Rs 50,000 per month for up to 3 years. Tuition fee approximately Rs 85,000 (registration and coursework) plus Rs 25,000 per year.

PACE (Professional And Continuing Education)

Online and hybrid master's degrees and 7 diploma programmes for working professionals. Details at pace.nls.ac.in.

Admissions

BA LLB (5-year) is admitted through CLAT conducted annually by the Consortium of NLUs. NLSIU receives candidates in order of CLAT merit, subject to category-wise seat allocation (OBC-NCL 27%, SC 15%, EWS 10%, ST 7.5%). A 25% Karnataka domicile horizontal reservation is applied within each vertical category. Up to 15 seats are additionally available to international students via NLSAT-International.

LLM is admitted through CLAT-PG. Candidates must hold an LLB degree with a minimum of 50% (45% for SC/ST). Category-wise seats mirror the BA LLB allocation.

3-year LLB, BA Hons, and PhD programmes use NLSIU's own entrance test, NLSAT, conducted separately from CLAT. NLSAT is typically held in January-February for admission in the academic year beginning June. Apply at nls.ac.in/admissions.

Fees

BA LLB annual fee is Rs 4,51,000 (Rs 3,18,200 tuition and facilities + Rs 1,32,800 housing including meals); 5-year total approximately Rs 22,55,000. The LLM annual fee (and 1-year total) is Rs 5,06,400. All fees include on-campus residential charges; NLSIU is fully residential and no day-scholar option exists for regular degree programmes.

NLSIU offers a structured financial aid system for students with gross annual family income below Rs 8 lakh. Aid tiers range from T1 (25% tuition waiver) through T4 (100% tuition waiver) to TRS (full waiver plus maintenance stipend). Loan interest support of Rs 30,000-60,000 per year is available for those who take education loans.

Scholarships

NLSIU Financial Aid (income-based, applying to all regular programmes):

External scholarships (facilitated by NLSIU):

• Aditya Birla Scholarship: Up to Rs 1,80,000 per year; for top 20 CLAT rankers at NLSIU
• ARRA Scholarship (Rosy Blue Foundation): Full fee (tuition + hostel + maintenance); 2 awards per year for BA LLB
• Lexygen Scholarship: Full annual fee for all 5 years; 2 awards per year for BA LLB
• Kotak Kanya Scholarship: Rs 1,50,000 per year for meritorious girl students with family income below Rs 6 lakh
• Foundation for Excellence (FFE): Full coverage; merit-and-means; income below Rs 3 lakh
• Reliance Foundation: Full tuition; merit-based UG and PG

Government scholarships (via National Scholarship Portal, scholarships.gov.in): Top Class Education Scheme (SC), National Fellowship for ST, PM YASASVI (OBC/EBC/DNT), Post-Matric Scholarship for PwD and Minorities, Central Sector Scheme (80%+ board score), NEC Merit Scholarship (Northeast residents). Education loans via PM Vidyalaxmi (up to Rs 30 lakh, 3% interest subvention for family income below Rs 8 lakh); NDFDC (up to Rs 50 lakh for PwD students at 4%).

Campus

NLSIU's 23-acre residential campus is at Nagarabhavi, Bengaluru 560072, adjacent to the NAAC headquarters on Gnana Bharathi Main Road. All students are required to live on campus.

Hostels: Five boys' hostels (Ganga, Cauvery, Himalaya, Hoogly, Brahmaputra) and six girls' hostels/wings (Nilgiris, Narmada, Yamuna, Gangotri, Vindhyas Annexe, Annapurna). Housing charges of Rs 1,32,800 per year are included in the BA LLB annual fee; LLM students have equivalent off-campus housing support (Rs 1,88,200/year equivalent included in fee).

Campus facilities: FIFA-standard football field, gymnasium, state-of-the-art library, health centre, canteens, and faculty quarters. Two major academic blocks are under redevelopment in 2025-27 (Old Academic Block: June-December 2025; New Academic Block: August 2025-January 2027). New OAB will include 15 classrooms (up to 120 seats each) and 86 faculty rooms; new NAB will include 20 classrooms, 55 faculty rooms, and an auditorium.

Research centres (14 active): Centre for Child and the Law (1996), CEERA (environmental law, 1997), Centre for Women and the Law (1988), CIPRA (intellectual property), Centre for Health Law, Centre for Labour Studies, Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion, Advanced Centre for Cyber Laws and Forensics, JSW Centre for the Future of Law (2024), Commons Cell, Environmental Law Clinic, and others. Research concentrates on five grand challenge areas: Labour and Work; Climate Justice; State Capacity and Reform; Access to Justice; Law, Technology and Society.