CLAT 2026 Exam Date Announced: Applications Open from August 1, 2025

The Consortium of National Law Universities has confirmed that the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026 will be held on Sunday, December 7, 2025, from 2 PM to 4 PM, following decisions made by its Executive Committee and Governing Body on July 20, 2025.

Prospective candidates can begin registering from August 1, 2025, via the CLAT portal, which will stay open until the October 31, 2025 deadline.

Further details on the syllabus, application steps, and counselling process are expected to be published soon.

The CLAT 2025 examination, conducted in December 2024, was marred by controversies that significantly impacted the admission cycle.

While the exam itself saw strong attendance from law aspirants across the country, the initial results, declared in early December 2024, quickly came under scrutiny due to alleged errors in the answer key.

Shortly after the initial results were announced, a series of objections were raised concerning discrepancies in the answer key. This led to legal challenges, with the matter reaching both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.

Following these developments, the Consortium reviewed the disputed questions and released a revised set of results in May 2025.

The updated merit lists caused notable rank shifts, particularly impacting candidates on the cutoff margins for admission to premier law universities. The final merit list and counselling process were concluded by June 2025, providing clarity to candidates ahead of the upcoming admission cycle.

The uncertainty surrounding CLAT 2025 left many aspirants stressed, particularly those targeting the top five NLUs, where even minor rank changes can make or break admission prospects.

Many experts and educators have called for more robust systems to ensure that answer key errors are minimized and disputes are handled efficiently to prevent delays in admissions.