5-Year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.)

The five-year integrated undergraduate B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) degree programme is the flagship degree at NLSIU that offers students training in a range of legal and non-legal subjects. NLSIU pioneered this five-year programme in India with an intention to provide a strong foundation upon which students can choose to pursue professional options or further academic opportunities. The first cohort of this programme was admitted in 1988.

Admission to the B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) degree programme is purely on the basis of merit as assessed through a Common Law Admission Test conducted for the purpose. Classes usually begin on 1st July every year.

Teaching Methodology

The teaching methods adopted for the Degree programme are such as to promote multi-disciplinary inquiry and practical appreciation of problems. This involves lectures, discussions, case studies, Moot Courts and project work. An innovative feature of the teaching method followed by the NLSIU is co-operative teaching where two or more teachers jointly offer a course and interact with the students in the same class.

This is particularly useful for the multidisciplinary analysis of socio-legal problems. There is a high degree of interaction between the students and the teachers in the classroom. This is largely facilitated by the fact that at the commencement of the Trimester, each student is given a set of reading materials containing the course outline, teaching plan, reading lists and a fairly large volume of study materials in respect of each course. They consist of case studies, judicial decisions, articles and excerpts from reports. With this material, the students are expected to come prepared for the classes and actively participate in classroom discussions.

Beyond exchanges between students and faculty in the classroom, there are more formal means of communication aimed at improving the class experience and student life. At the end of each Trimester, students are expected to complete an evaluation of the courses undertaken by them in that Trimester. Projects are another component of each course that requires both literature survey and field investigations. These methods are designed to improve research skills, analytical abilities as well as communication skills of students.

NLSIU accepts students from the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for admission to its undergraduate B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) programme. Admission to this 5-year programme is purely on the basis of merit as assessed through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) administered by the Consortium of NLUs.

Admission Notification AY 2024-25

• View admission notification (Fifth Allotment List) for AY 2024-25 here.
• View admission notification (Fourth Allotment List) for AY 2024-25 here.
• View admission notification for AY 2024-25 here.
• View admission notification (Second Allotment List) for AY 2024-25 here.
• View admission notifications (Third Allotment List) for AY 2024-25 here.

Eligibility

• A Pass in 10+2 or an equivalent examination with a minimum of:
  (i) Forty Five percent (45%) of marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General/OBC/PWD categories and
  (ii) Forty percent (40%) of marks or equivalent in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.
• The candidate will have to appear for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) to secure admission to the programme
• Candidates appearing for the qualifying examination in the year of admission are also permitted to take the Admission Test, but their admission to the course shall be subject to their fulfilling the conditions stipulated in the Regulations and producing supporting documentary evidence at the time of admission.
• There is no upper age limit for the UG Programme.
• The University reserves the right to cancel the admission of any candidate in accordance with the Rules.

International Students

Candidates can apply for the NLSAT – International Examination for “international student” category, if they fulfil the following conditions:

• They should be a citizen of a country other than India; AND
• They should have completed a minimum of ten years of their education in a school/college/university outside India.

For more details, click here.

Intake and Reservation for AY 2024-25

The total intake capacity shall be 300 (Three Hundred) students for AY 2024-25. Seats shall be reserved as follows:

• Scheduled Castes – 15%
• Scheduled Tribes – 7.5%
• Other Backward Classes (Non-creamy layer) – 27%
• Economically Weaker Sections – 10%
• Persons with Disabilities – (Horizontal reservation) – 5%
• Women (Horizontal reservation) – 30%
• Karnataka Students* (Compartmentalised Horizontal reservation) – 25%

* Karnataka Students Category:

(i) Candidates who have studied for not less than 10 years in a recognized educational institution in Karnataka shall be eligible to be considered as ‘Karnataka Students.’

(ii) Candidates who have not completed ten years of study in Karnataka shall be eligible to apply under the Karnataka Students category if they fall under any of the below categories:

1. Children of defence personnel/ex-servicemen, who at the time of joining service, have declared their hometown to be in the State of Karnataka, and who have served or are serving outside Karnataka, corresponding to the candidate’s years of study outside Karnataka.

2. Children of employees of the Karnataka State Government who have served or are serving outside Karnataka corresponding to the candidate’s years of study outside Karnataka.

3. Children of serving or retired employees belonging to the Karnataka cadre of the All India Services (IAS/IFS/IPS), who have served or are serving outside Karnataka corresponding to the candidate’s years of study outside Karnataka.

4. Children of working or retired employees in the Central Armed Police Force service, who upon joining service declared their hometown to be in the State of Karnataka, and who have served or are serving outside Karnataka, corresponding to the candidate’s years of study outside Karnataka.

Illustration: If the candidate has studied in Karnataka for three (3) years, they must prove that their parent/s were serving outside Karnataka for at least seven (7) years corresponding to their own period of study outside Karnataka.

If the candidate has not studied in Karnataka continuously for at least one (1) year, they must prove that their parent/s were serving outside Karnataka for at least ten (10) years corresponding to their own period of study outside Karnataka.

(iii) Eligible candidates must keep their Study Certificates issued by their School/s and other relevant documents ready to be submitted at the time of counselling/admission.

For further queries related to NLSIU’s BA LLB (Hons) programme, write to

The duration of the programme shall be for a period of five academic years. Each academic year is divided into three “Trimesters” with an average of not less than 70 working days for each. The academic terms will be announced in advance each year and will ordinarily be between July-September, November-January and March-June.

The University has revised the academic curriculum for the B.A., LL.B (Hons.) Programme keeping in mind the following objectives:

• Introduction of a dissertation allowing for advanced legal research and writing in an area of a student’s interest for 5th Year class;
• Increase in the number of elective courses for students of 3rd and 4th year;
• Updating the curriculum in tune with the requirements of current legal practice.
• Increasing the number of clinical courses in the programme.

Course Curriculum | Batch of 2022-2027

Note: Please note, there may be variations in the course curriculum for the previous batches.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Academic Calendar for A.Y. 2024-25 | Trimester II (Nov 2024 – Jan 2025)

*This date is subject to change depending on final holiday list from the University

Fee Structure for the Academic Year 2024-25 (First Year Students): 

Admission fee (one time) – 12,000/-
Tuition and Facilities fee – 2,69,000/-
Hostel residential charges – 45,000/-
Mess charges – 67,500/-
Total fee per annum – 3,93,500/-

One Time Refundable Deposit:
Refundable deposit for SC/ST category students – Rs. 15,500/-
Refundable deposit for other students – Rs. 20,000/-

The total amount payable by SC/ST category students is Rs. 4,09,000.
The total amount payable by other students is Rs. 4,13,500.

NOTE:
1. Fees mentioned above are provisional and subject to ratification by the University Governing Bodies.
2. Mess fee includes meal plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner and an evening snack.

Financial Aid

The University offers means-based scholarships. To know more about NLSIU’s financial aid options for students, click here. 

Fee Structure for International Students for the Academic Year 2024-25

• Admission fee (one time) – Rs. 36,000/-
• Tuition and facilities fee – Rs. 8,07,000/-
• Hostel residential charges – Rs. 45,000/-
• Mess charges – Rs. 67,500/-
  Total fee per annum – Rs. 9,55,500/-

One Time Refundable Deposit
Refundable deposits – Rs. 60,000/-
The total amount payable at the time of admission, by foreign students is Rs. 10,15,500/- 

* Fees mentioned above are provisional and subject to ratification by the University Governing Bodies.
* Mess fee includes meal plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner and an evening snack.