NLSIU Inclusion and Expansion Plan 2021-25
June 30, 2021
The Governing Bodies of the University have reviewed and adopted the ‘NLSIU Inclusion and Expansion Plan 2021-25’(hereafter ‘Plan’) in April-May 2021. This Plan anticipates and responds to two key developments:
- Increasing student diversity by admitting students from various marginalized and disadvantaged sections of Indian society while expanding the University student intake in a phased manner;
- The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 encourages larger multi-disciplinary higher education institutions that enroll significantly higher numbers of students.
The University has developed a Strategic Plan to ensure that NLSIU consolidates and builds on its status as India’s No 1 Law University. The Strategic Plan rests on three key dimensions: Student Inclusion & Expansion, Faculty & Research, and Finance & Infrastructure.
Student Admissions – Inclusion and Expansion
NLS currently has 660 students enrolled in our on-campus programmes. By 2028-29, we aim to reach a projected size of over 2,200 students. Student intake will increase in existing academic programmes:
5-year BA LLB. – 1500 students
LL.M. – 120 students
MPP – 240 students
The University aims to reinvent the 3-year LLB programme using NLSIU’s unique curricular and pedagogical approach to legal education. This programme will commence with an intake of 120 students.
Further, the University is rapidly developing technology platforms for online and hybrid educational content in order to introduce several courses for pre-law, law students and professionals.
Simultaneously, the University will implement a new inclusion policy that provides for reservations for the following categories in a phased manner over the next four Academic Years.
Vertical Categories:
Scheduled Castes (15%)
Schedules Tribes (7.5%)
Other Backward Classes (27%)
Economically Weaker Section (10%)
Horizontal Categories:
Persons with Disability (5%)
Women (30%)
Karnataka Students (25% Compartmentalized)
In addition to these reservations, the University will develop a stronger Financial Aid policy and Academic Support programmes to ensure all students benefit from a transformative education at NLSIU.
2. Intellectual Leadership: Faculty and Research
In order to ensure that NLS maintains the highest academic standards of teaching and research we must recruit and retain the best faculty in various fields. We will strive to maintain a 1:15 faculty-student ratio across all programmes.
It also aims to develop a research faculty structure to engage scholars in research projects, and reorganise research publications to achieve and sustain internationally peer recognized scholarly output.
Further, the University will recruit a cadre of researchers to support and build on faculty research. The University will reorganize its journals and incentivize research on critical public issues. The University has identified five research clusters that are currently being developed:
1. Law, Technology and Society
2. Labour and Work
3. State Capacity and Reform
4. Justice and Legal System Reform
5. Climate Justice
3. Finance and Infrastructure
In order to remain a residential campus the University will need to expand academic and residential facilities. The Plan will utilize fee revenues from on-campus and off-campus academic programmes and research grants to provide for annual revenue expenditure. Further, the University will need to raise capital grants from the government, philanthropists, alumni and businesses to successfully implement this Plan.
In AY 2021-22 the University will move from the planning phase and take the first steps towards the implementation of this Plan. Simultaneously, we are reaching out to diverse stakeholders for further conversations, guidance and contributions to this Plan. Further updates will be available on the University website.
View official Press Release.