AILET Cut Off: Closing Ranks at NLU Delhi

How the AILET cut off is produced

Once results are declared, each test taker is placed on an all India ranking by marks in the paper, with ties broken by rules printed in the admission prospectus. NLU Delhi then issues merit lists, normally one after another, and offers seats in rank order within each category. Your rank either falls inside the list for your category or it does not.

• First list: the most competitive line, since every top ranker is still in the race.
• Later lists: seats that were declined, or not paid for in time, are offered further down the ranking, so the closing rank moves deeper with each round.
• Categories: general, EWS, OBC under the non creamy layer rule, SC, ST, disabled candidates and further notified groups such as Kashmiri migrants each get separate seats and separate closing ranks.

So when someone quotes an AILET cut off, ask two things: which category, and which round.

Rough closing rank bands from recent cycles

NLU Delhi publishes merit lists, not a single cut off table, and figures repeated in reports vary depending on which list they were taken from. The bands below summarise BA LLB closing ranks reported for recent cycles across first and later lists. They are a guide to scale, not exact numbers.

In marks, reported general category closing scores in recent cycles have mostly sat between about 70 and 90 out of 150. A tougher paper pulls that number down, but the closing rank barely moves, because the number of seats stays almost the same.

Why rank matters more than marks here

With about 150 marks on offer and negative marking, scores spread out unevenly from year to year. In a cycle where the logical reasoning section is long and tricky, a score in the low seventies may have been enough for a general seat; in an easier year, that same score could leave you hundreds of ranks short. Rank, on the other hand, tracks seats, and the BA LLB intake changes little.

Qualifying conditions versus the admission line

AILET does not admit by a pass mark. What you must satisfy first are the eligibility conditions in the prospectus: the Class 12 marks requirement, category certificates where you claim a reserved seat, and the document checks at admission. Once those are met, only your rank against the seat count decides the outcome.

The LLM programme has its own AILET paper and its own merit list, so a postgraduate closing rank cannot be compared with BA LLB numbers. Postgraduate applicants comparing options may find the CLAT PG syllabus guide useful.

What could shift the next AILET cut off

• Number of applicants. More candidates for a fixed intake push the general closing score up, even if the rank stays steady.
• Paper difficulty. The latest AILET, held on 14 December 2025, drew reviews calling it fairly demanding, with a lengthy logical reasoning section, which tends to compress scores.
• Overlap with CLAT. Many top rankers hold offers from both tests. How many choose NLU Delhi decides how far later lists travel down the ranking.
• Seat matrix. Any change in reserved or supernumerary seats in the prospectus changes each category's closing rank.

Using the AILET cut off to plan your attempt

Since the general line sits near the top 100 to 150 ranks, you need a high, accurate score more than a high attempt count. Every slip deducts 0.25, so ten careless guesses wipe out two and a half marks, which at the top of the list can mean dozens of ranks.

1. Take full mocks under 120 minutes and record both attempts and accuracy for English, current affairs and reasoning separately.
2. Aim for accuracy above 85 percent in reasoning, the section that carries the most questions.
3. Build current affairs notes month by month through the year leading up to AILET; this section rewards steady reading over last minute cramming.

The question types overlap heavily with the common law test, so the topic lists in the CLAT syllabus guide are a useful map for both papers.

Where to check the official AILET cut off

NLU Delhi posts the result, merit lists and counselling notices on its admissions portal, which is linked from the university website at nludelhi.ac.in. For each list, note the category, the last rank offered and the dates for fee payment. Download the PDFs when they appear, because older lists are sometimes moved or removed later, and keep your scorecard ready for document checks.

For other admission tests after Class 12, see the entrance exams list.