Missed the CLAT 2027 Deadline? Your Options

The CLAT UG 2027 application window ran from 3 August to 31 October 2026, according to the Consortium of NLUs press release of 22 July 2026. As of 1 November we could not find any official extension, so assume the window has closed unless consortiumofnlus.ac.in says otherwise. Your realistic options are AILET (applications to 10 November), other law entrances with later deadlines, CUET UG-based law admissions, or preparing for CLAT 2028.

First, check the official site yourself

Some coaching sites note that in earlier years the Consortium extended the application deadline by about a week. That is a past pattern as reported by third parties, and it does not mean there will be an extension this year. we could not confirm any extension for CLAT 2027. One site said a correction window might open on 2 November, but it also stated the Consortium had not confirmed this. Correction windows are for those who already submitted a form, and do not reopen registration. Check the notices on consortiumofnlus.ac.in before deciding; it takes two minutes.

Option 1: AILET 2027 (NLU Delhi)

AILET 2027 applications run to 10 November 2026, the admit card is reported around 30 November, and the exam is on 13 December 2026, 2 to 4 pm, as reported. The BA LLB paper has 150 questions (English 50, General Knowledge 30, Logical Reasoning 70), +1 and minus 0.25, in 120 minutes. NLU Delhi does not take CLAT scores for its undergraduate seats, so AILET is a separate route to a national law university. Confirm all of this on the NLU Delhi admission site, because the dates above come from the official-notice summaries on education news sites and not from our reading the official brochure.

Preparation overlaps with CLAT, but the pattern is different: AILET has no separate Legal Reasoning or Quantitative Techniques section, and Logical Reasoning carries the largest weight. If you want practice papers, Lexfolio sells AILET 2027 mock tests; read the product page before purchasing.

Option 2: Other law entrance tests

• SLAT (Symbiosis): reported registration last date 4 December 2026 and exams on 19 December 2026. This is for Symbiosis law schools and is reported by Careers360. Verify on the Symbiosis admission website.
• State and university entrances: MH CET Law (5-year), AP LAWCET and TS LAWCET are reported by coaching sites for April, May and June 2027 respectively as tentative. Their eligibility rules are often state-specific, so check each state’s site.
• LSAT India: accepted by several private law schools. we could not verify its 2027 schedule, so check lsatindia.in.

Many private universities also run their own tests or accept CLAT or CUET scores. If you have a shortlist, look at each institution’s admission page, because policies change from year to year.

Option 3: CUET UG and law courses at universities

Some central and state universities admit to their five-year integrated LLB programmes through CUET UG scores. For 2027, a news site reports CUET UG registration may open in January 2027 with the exam in May 2027, but these dates are tentative and not officially announced. Course eligibility and subject combinations vary, so look at the specific university’s admission notice. This route has a different syllabus (typically domain subjects and a general test), so do not assume your CLAT preparation transfers fully.

Option 4: Prepare for CLAT 2028

If you have a strong preference for NLUs specifically, the cleanest route is to take a drop year or begin a first-year degree and prepare for the next cycle. Dates for CLAT 2028 had not been announced as of 1 November 2026. Waiting is a real cost, so weigh it honestly against a good alternative this year.

How to decide

1. List the institutions you would genuinely attend, not only the best-known.
2. For each, write the entrance accepted, the deadline, and the exam date.
3. Apply to whichever you can reach before its deadline. AILET is the nearest.
4. If you apply to AILET, you now have about six weeks to the exam. Our 5-week study plan was written for CLAT but can be adapted.

What not to do

• Do not pay anyone who claims to be able to register you after the deadline.
• Do not rely on a WhatsApp forward for dates.
• Do not stop preparing for reasoning and reading skills: they transfer across almost every law entrance.

All dates in this guide should be confirmed on official sites. They were collected on 1 November 2026 and can change.

Questions students ask in this situation

Can I still write CLAT 2027 as a private candidate or at a late fee? We found no sign of this. The Consortium’s registration process is online and tied to a window, so treat late entry as unavailable unless an official notice says otherwise.

Will my CLAT preparation be wasted if I write AILET? No. Reading comprehension, logical reasoning, general knowledge and timed practice carry across. You will need to shift the balance: AILET gives 70 of its 150 questions to Logical Reasoning, 50 to English and 30 to General Knowledge, as reported.

Should I wait for CLAT 2028? Only if the NLUs are clearly your goal and you can use the year well. A year of repetition without a new plan rarely changes much. If you wait, begin early, take regular timed mocks, and read daily.

Admission with other documents in mind

Whatever entrance you choose, collect your Class 12 details, category certificates (if applicable), photographs and a working email and phone number now. Application forms usually need them and servers get slow near deadlines. Do not wait for the last day this time.