Top Law Institute in India

Top Law Institutes in India

India’s legal education ecosystem is vast and varied. From the elite National Law Universities (NLUs) to historic government law colleges, and from central/state university law faculties to modern private schools, students today have a wide pool of credible options that suit different budgets, geographies and career goals. This guide brings you a curated list of notable law institutes in India, followed by practical tips on how to choose the right college for you.

Important note: Always verify BCI approval/recognition, university affiliation, latest seat matrices, and admission rules on official websites before applying. Names below are grouped for readability and breadth; they represent widely known or emerging options across India.

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How to read this list

• NLUs are state-founded national institutions that admit primarily via CLAT (and AILET for NLU Delhi).

• Central/State University Law Faculties are public universities with long-standing reputations (often excellent for litigation/judiciary).

• Government Law Colleges are state-run and typically affordable; many have deep roots in courtroom practice.

• Private/Deemed Universities offer modern infrastructure, global tie-ups and strong industry-facing programs.

• Emerging/Regional Colleges are promising options building placement pipelines and mooting cultures.

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The Top Law Institutes in India

A) National Law Universities (NLUs) and National Law Institutes

1. National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru

2. National Law University Delhi (NLU-D), New Delhi

3. NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad

4. The WB National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata

5. National Law University, Jodhpur

6. Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar

7. National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal

8. Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur

9. Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala

10. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow

11. National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi

12. National Law University Odisha (NLUO), Cuttack

13. Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna

14. National University of Study & Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi

15. National Law University and Judicial Academy (NLUJA), Assam (Guwahati)

16. Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU), Visakhapatnam

17. Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU), Tiruchirappalli

18. Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Mumbai

19. Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Nagpur

20. Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Aurangabad

21. Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU), Shimla

22. Dharmashastra National Law University (DNLU), Jabalpur

23. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Law University (DBRANLU), Sonepat

24. Sikkim National Law University (SNLU), Gangtok

25. National Law University, Tripura (NLUT), Agartala

26. Dr. Rajendra Prasad National Law University (RPNLU), Prayagraj

27. GNLU Silvassa Campus (constituent of GNLU Gandhinagar)

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B) Central & State University Law Faculties

28. Faculty of Law, University of Delhi (Campus Law Centre; Law Centre–I & II)

29. Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi

30. Faculty of Law, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh

31. Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi

32. Department of Law, University of Calcutta, Kolkata

33. Department of Law, University of Mumbai, Mumbai

34. School of Legal Studies, Cochin University of Science & Technology (CUSAT), Kochi

35. Department of Legal Studies, University of Madras, Chennai

36. College of Law, Osmania University, Hyderabad

37. Department of Laws, Panjab University, Chandigarh

38. Faculty of Law, University of Allahabad (Prayagraj)

39. Faculty of Law, Lucknow University, Lucknow

40. Department of Law, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Pune

41. Department of Law, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad

42. Faculty of Law, Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), Baroda/Vadodara

43. School of Law, University of Rajasthan (UFYLC), Jaipur

44. Faculty of Law, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra

45. Faculty of Law, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar

46. Faculty of Law, Punjabi University, Patiala

47. Department of Law, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla

48. Faculty of Law, University of Kashmir, Srinagar

49. School of Law, University of Jammu, Jammu

50. Department of Law, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong

51. Department of Law, Gauhati University, Guwahati

52. Department of Law, Assam University, Silchar

53. Department of Law, Tripura University, Agartala

54. Department of Law, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh

55. Department of Law, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar

56. Faculty of Law, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur

57. Faculty of Law, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV), Indore

58. Faculty of Law, Barkatullah University, Bhopal

59. Faculty of Law, Vikram University, Ujjain

60. Faculty of Law, Dr. Harisingh Gour University (Central University), Sagar

61. Department of Law, University of Burdwan, Bardhaman

62. Department of Law, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore

63. Department of Law, Kalyani University, Kalyani

64. Faculty of Law, Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat

65. Department of Law, Saurashtra University, Rajkot

66. Faculty of Law, Kakatiya University, Warangal

67. Faculty of Law, Telangana University, Nizamabad

68. School of Legal Studies, Kannur University, Kannur

69. Faculty of Law, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam

70. Department of Law, University of North Bengal, Siliguri

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C) Government Law Colleges (historic/state-run)

71. Government Law College (GLC), Mumbai

72. Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai

73. Government Law College, Ernakulam (Kochi)

74. Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram

75. Government Law College, Kozhikode

76. Government Law College, Thrissur

77. Government Law College, Madurai

78. Government Law College, Tiruchirappalli

79. Government Law College, Coimbatore

80. Government Law College, Vellore

81. Government Law College, Chengalpattu

82. Government Law College, Villupuram

83. Government Law College, Dharmapuri

84. Government Law College, Nagpur

85. Government Law College, Akola

86. Government Law College, Aurangabad (Maharashtra)

87. Government Law College, Indore (M.P.)

88. Government New Law College, Mumbai (University-managed)

89. B. R. Ambedkar Law College (state govt.), Hyderabad (legacy references)

90. Patna Law College, Patna University, Patna

91. Law College, Dhanbad (BBMKU), Jharkhand

92. Law College, Ranchi University (legacy govt. unit)

93. Madhusudan Law University (formerly MS Law College), Cuttack

94. Anugrah Memorial (A.M.) College of Law, Gaya (public heritage)

95. University College of Law, Osmania University (public)

96. University Law College, Bangalore University

97. University College of Law, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur

98. University College of Law, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (U’khand)

99. University Law College, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh

100. University College of Law, Berhampur University, Odisha

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D) Private/Deemed Universities — Schools of Law

101. Jindal Global Law School (OP Jindal Global University), Sonipat

102. Symbiosis Law School (SLS), Pune (SIU)

103. Symbiosis Law School, Noida (SIU)

104. Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad (SIU)

105. Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur (SIU)

106. Christ (Deemed to be University) School of Law, Bengaluru

107. NMIMS Kirit P. Mehta School of Law, Mumbai

108. KIIT School of Law, Bhubaneswar

109. ICFAI Law School, Hyderabad (IFHE)

110. ICFAI Law School, Dehradun

111. ICFAI Law School, Jaipur

112. UPES School of Law, Dehradun

113. Alliance School of Law, Bengaluru

114. REVA University, School of Legal Studies, Bengaluru

115. PES University, Faculty of Law, Bengaluru

116. RV University School of Law, Bengaluru

117. MS Ramaiah College of Law (RUAS ecosystem), Bengaluru

118. CMR University, School of Legal Studies, Bengaluru

119. Dayananda Sagar University (DSU) — School of Law, Bengaluru

120. IFIM Law School (Vijaybhoomi/IFIM ecosystem), Bengaluru

121. BMS College of Law, Bengaluru

122. KLE Society’s Law College, Bengaluru

123. Jain (Deemed-to-be University), School of Law, Bengaluru

124. OP Jindal Global University (add’l law centres/clinics under JGLS)

125. Manipal University (MAHE) School of Law, Manipal

126. Bennett University, School of Law, Greater Noida

127. Galgotias University, School of Law, Greater Noida

128. Gautam Buddha University, School of Law, Greater Noida

129. Sharda University, School of Law, Greater Noida

130. Lloyd Law College, Greater Noida

131. IMS Law College, Noida

132. Amity Law School, Noida (Amity University)

133. Amity Law School, Lucknow

134. Amity Law School, Jaipur

135. Amity Law School, Mumbai

136. Amity Law School, Gwalior

137. GD Goenka University, School of Law, Gurugram

138. KR Mangalam University, School of Legal Studies, Gurugram

139. BML Munjal University, School of Law, Gurugram

140. Mody University, School of Law (Women), Lakshmangarh

141. JECRC University, Faculty of Law, Jaipur

142. Manipal University Jaipur, School of Law

143. Vivekananda Global University (VGU), Faculty of Law, Jaipur

144. Suresh Gyan Vihar University, School of Law, Jaipur

145. Nirma University, Institute of Law, Ahmedabad

146. Parul University, Faculty of Law, Vadodara

147. GLS University, Faculty of Law, Ahmedabad

148. Indus University, School of Law, Ahmedabad

149. Silver Oak University, School of Law, Ahmedabad

150. Navrachana University, Faculty of Law, Vadodara

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E) Reputed Private Colleges & Standalone Institutions

151. ILS Law College, Pune

152. DES’s Shri Navalmal Firodia Law College, Pune

153. Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, New Law College, Pune

154. Sinhgad Law College, Pune

155. MIT World Peace University, School of Law, Pune

156. Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Law, Navi Mumbai

157. Rizvi Law College, Mumbai

158. K. C. Law College, Mumbai

159. Government Law College (unaided wings)/Lala Lajpatrai (law wing), Mumbai (legacy associations)

160. C. K. Thakur College of Law, Panvel

161. St. Wilfred’s College of Law, Mumbai (and Jaipur campus under different univ.)

162. Oriental University, School of Law, Indore

163. Indore Institute of Law (IIL), Indore

164. Jagran Lakecity University, School of Law, Bhopal

165. Prestige Institute of Management & Research (PIMR), Dept. of Law, Indore

166. Chandigarh University, University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), Gharuan

167. Army Institute of Law (AIL), Mohali

168. Lovely Professional University (LPU), School of Law, Phagwara

169. Rayat Bahra University, School of Law, Mohali

170. RIMT University, School of Law, Mandi Gobindgarh

171. Graphic Era Hill University, School of Law, Dehradun

172. Law College Dehradun (Uttaranchal University), Dehradun

173. Uttaranchal University, School of Law, Dehradun

174. IMS Unison University, School of Law, Dehradun

175. Himgiri Zee University, School of Legal Studies, Dehradun

176. Teerthanker Mahaveer University, College of Law, Moradabad

177. Integral University, Faculty of Law, Lucknow

178. Galgotias University (listed above; adding law centres acknowledged)

179. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya Avadh University — Faculty of Law, Ayodhya/Faizabad

180. Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (Kanpur Univ.) — Law Faculty, Kanpur

181. Bundelkhand University — Institute of Law, Jhansi

182. Chaudhary Charan Singh University — Faculty of Law, Meerut

183. Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (BBAU) University — School of Law, Lucknow

184. University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES) — reiterated for law specialisations

185. Sri Venkateswara University, Dept. of Law, Tirupati

186. Acharya Nagarjuna University, College of Law, Guntur

187. Andhra University College of Law, Visakhapatnam

188. Sri Krishnadevaraya University, College of Law, Anantapur

189. KLE Society’s B. V. Bellad Law College, Belagavi

190. SDM Law College, Mangaluru

191. Vaikunta Baliga College of Law, Udupi

192. BVB’s S. C. Nandimath Law College, Bagalkot

193. P.E.S. Law College, Mandya

194. St. Joseph’s College of Law, Bengaluru

195. RV Institute/University (law reiterated; Bengaluru cluster)

196. Kerala Law Academy Law College, Thiruvananthapuram

197. NUALS (public) with its affiliated clinical centres (acknowledgment; primary listing above)

198. Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) National Institute of Law, Bhubaneswar

199. Xavier University (XIM University) — School of Law, Bhubaneswar

200. KIIT (reiterated parent) & Centurion University — School of Law, Paralakhemundi/Bhubaneswar (law verticals)

Why so many from certain cities? Bengaluru, Delhi–NCR, Pune–Mumbai, Ahmedabad–Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Dehradun and Hyderabad are dense legal-education hubs with multiple credible options—government, private and deemed—to serve very large applicant pools.

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How to choose the right college

1) Be clear about your career path.

• Litigation/Judiciary: You’ll value courtroom exposure, trial internships, language comfort, and mentoring by practising advocates. Historic government law colleges and state/central university faculties often shine here.

• Corporate/Transactions/Advisory: Look for NLUs and private universities known for placements in corporate law firms, in-house roles, competition/IP/tech law, ADR, tax and regulatory.

2) Check accreditation and approvals.
Confirm Bar Council of India (BCI) approval, UGC recognition, and the university affiliation. Without these, your degree may not qualify you for enrolment as an advocate or higher studies.

3) Look beyond brand names.
A strong mooting culture, legal aid clinics, research centres, and faculty scholarship can matter more than a name. Explore:

• Electives in areas you care about (tech/data/IP, arbitration, tax, competition, human rights, environmental law).

• Internship pipelines (courts, firms, companies, regulators).

• Student support (mentorship, scholarships, counselling, anti-harassment mechanisms, disability access).

4) Budget and scholarships.
NLUs can be moderately priced relative to premium private schools, but costs vary widely. Check:

• Merit-cum-means scholarships, state/central schemes (SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD), fee waivers, instalment plans, and bank loans with moratoriums.

5) City and access.
Proximity to High Courts, district courts, law firms, regulators, and PSUs makes a difference for internships and part-time research work. Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai and major state capitals usually offer the most access.

6) Outcomes and alumni.
Ask seniors/alumni about:

• PPOs (pre-placement offers) from internships

• Average placements and range (don’t chase outliers)

• Bar exam pass rates (where tracked)

• Judicial services results, UPSC or policy placements

• LL.M./Ph.D. success (India and abroad)

7) Campus life and culture.
Five years is long. You want a campus whose vibe fits you—collaborative vs. hyper-competitive, urban vs. residential, societies and sports, gender safety, hostel quality, and mess/health facilities.

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FAQs

Q. Are NLUs always better than non-NLUs?
Not automatically. NLUs often have stronger national cohorts and placement cells, but many central/state faculties and legacy government colleges produce outstanding litigators, judges and academics. Your work ethic and portfolio (moots, research, internships) can outweigh the brand.

Q. Do I need CLAT/AILET for every good college?
No. Many quality universities accept LSAT—India, state CETs/LAWCETs, or their own tests. Check each college’s admission page.

Q. Can I shift from litigation to corporate later (or vice versa)?
Yes. Your skills and network matter. If you build drafting, research, client skills and domain knowledge, transitions are possible. Internships help you test paths before graduating.

Q. How do I judge placement claims?
Prefer transparent reports naming recruiters and median packages (not only “highest”). Speak to recent alumni for ground truth.

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Closing thoughts

A thriving legal career doesn’t come from a college tag alone. It’s built from the habits you practise every week—deep reading, clear writing, ethical decision-making, empathy with clients, curiosity about policy and business, and resilience under pressure. Use this Top 200 list as a wide-angle map. Shortlist 8–12 colleges that fit your goals, finances and learning style, then go deep on each: visit, talk to students, read course handbooks, and study past placement and internship trends.