Top LLM Entrance Exams in India 2025 - Eligibility, Syllabus

If you are a person who loves to know about the law whether it's India Law or International Law, then you must think about pursuing an LLM program in whatever subject you are interested in. A total of 15,000 candidates registered for CLAT PG 2025 out of which 13,500 appeared in the exam. If we see the success rate for the CLAT PG 2025 exam then it is just 11.78%. This means only 1591 students get seats. Students whose age lies between 26 and 40 are the ones that are choosing LLM and and apply for exams. You can easily see the stats discussed above.

About LLM

If you are a law enthusiast, then you have come to the right place to learn more about the LLM program and the exams that you should take before enrolling in any university offering an LLM program. Before we start to learn about the entrance exams, let’s discuss a little bit about the LLM program. 

An LLM is a 2-year program that stands for a Master in Laws. After completing an LLB program, you should pursue an LLM program. Pursuing an LLM program has multiple advantages over starting work after graduation. LLM opens a wide gateway of opportunities, like you can become a legal associate, judicial service aspirant, legal journalist, and more. Let’s discuss about the eligibility criteria to enroll in an LLM program.

Eligibility criteria for the LLM program

Aspirants who wish to pursue an LLM degree must first ensure the specialization in which they want to pursue their law degree. After this, they should find out the college which is offering that particular specialization you decided to choose. After confirming that you would go with any particular university/college, then check its eligibility criteria. Almost every university has almost similar set of eligibility criteria.

Let’s discuss the general eligibility criteria for an LLM program:

• There is a fixed percentage that you should score in your last qualification and that is generally 55% marks.
• Also, some universities offer a 5 % concession to students belonging to the reserved category in India.
• The university from which you have done your graduation degree must be a recognized university.
• Need good marks in the entrance exam as required by the university.

Top LLM entrance exams 

Multiple universities are there that are offering LLM programs and ask for the various entrance exams. These exams may include CLAT, LSAT, AILET, CUET LLM, DU LLM, and more. Well, it is necessary to take any entrance exam to get admission to one of the top universities in India that are offering LLM programs. However, apart from regular LLM programs, many universities are offering part-time LLM, 1-year LLM, online LLM, and LLM for working professionals. For most of these LLMs too, an entrance exam is a must. Let’s discuss about top LLM entrance exams in India.

1) CLAT

Every year, NLU conducts CLAT exams for admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate law programs. This exam is generally conducted for admission to the 24 National Law Universities in India. Apart from the NLUs, other universities also consider the marks obtained in the CLAT exam for admission purposes. Additionally, for the integrated programs as well, NLU considers the CLAT exam.

Let’s get into more detail about the CLAT exam:

Description
Name of Exam	Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)
Conducting Body	Consortium of National Law Universities
Total Questions	120
Duration of the Exam	2 hours
Question Type	Multiple-choice questions (MCQs)
Marking Scheme	1 mark for each correct answer
Negative Marking	0.25 marks were deducted for every wrong answer

Eligibility Criteria

Every exam has its eligibility criteria; here we are discussing the eligibility criteria for the CLAT exam. Let’s get started.

• LLB must be completed or some equivalent degree with at least 50% marks for the students who belongs to GEneral/OBC/NRI categories and 45% marks for the students of reserved categories (SC/ST/PWD).
• No upper limit to sit in the CLAT examination candidates who are appearing for the qualifying exams

For more clarity, you can visit their official website by CLICKING HERE . This will direct you to the official website of the Consortium of NLUS.

Fee

Every standardized exam has its registration fee, and so does the CLAT exam. Let’s see the application fee for the CLAT exam:

• Application fee for the applicants who are from General/OBC/NRI categories - INR 4,000/-
• Application fee for the applicants who belong to the reserved category (SC/ST/BPL/PWD) - INR 3,500/-
• The price of the previous year is INR 500/- (additional charges than that of the application fee)
• The application fee is non-refundable

Exam Pattern 

There will be 5 sections in the CLAT exam. A total number of questions will be 120 and each question carries one mark each. Also, there will be a negative marking of 0.25 mark. So, students need to be sure before marking the answer of the question. Below given table is for the exam pattern as of now. 

Total marks - 120

Pattern	No. of questions	Weightage (100%)
English language	22-26	20%
Qualitative Techniques	10-14	10%
Legal Reasoning	28-32	25%
Logical reasoning	22-26	20%
GK and current affair	28-32	25%

Syllabus

The applicant must understand the syllabus that is specified by every exam whether it's for a Law field, medical, technical, or any other field. Let's see what you need to focus on for the CLAT exam. Below given is the table with the exam pattern (Sections) along with their syllabus.

Pattern	Syllabus
English language	Vocabulary Words Correcting Incorrect Grammar Sentences Synonyms & Antonyms Tenses Fill in the Blanks Spotting Grammatical Errors Active & Passive Voice
Qualitative Techniques	Algebra Basic algebra Mensuration Statistical estimation Ratios and proportions
LegalReasoningg	Indian Constitution including Fundamental Duties, Judiciary, Fundamental Rights, Parliament, Local governments, Directive Principles of State Policy Important judgments Important amendments and provisions Law of Torts, Constitutional Laws, IPR Law, Laws of Contract, Family Laws Current legal affairs
Logical reasoning	Series Analogies Syllogisms Blood relations Calendars and clocks Seating arrangement Logical sequences and matching
GK and current affair	National & International Affairs Summits & Conferences Arts & Culture Awards & Honors Schemes Science & Technology Sports Important Historical Events

2) LSAT - Discontinued from the 2025 cycle

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is one of those standardized exams which universities or institutions ask students to qualify for. You need to study hard to crack this exam. The LSAT exam is administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Let’s have a look at the table to get the general idea about the exam, and then we will discuss them all in detail.

Section	Description
Name of Exam	Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
Conducting Body	Pearson VUE on behalf of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC)
Exam Mode	Computer-based proctored online exam
Total Questions	92
Duration of the Exam	2 hours and 20 minutes
Question Type	Multiple Choice Questions
Marking Scheme	On a scale of 420-480 score band and percentile
Negative Marking	No negative marking

Eligibility Criteria

Let’s check the eligibility criteria set by the authorities. The below listed criteria are needed to be fulfill.

• Candidates must have completed their bachelor's degree in law.
• The university or college must be recognized.
• The minimum marks required to apply for this exam is 55% but for the students who belong to the reserved categories, they get 5% relaxation, so, they need to attain 50% marks in their LLB program.

Fee

LSAC decided to not conduct this exam anymore from the 2025 cycle. 

Exam pattern

The LSAT exam is conducted in an online mode, as this is a computer-based test (CBT). The duration of this exam is 2 hours and 20 minutes where you need to do a total of 92 questions. Here, in this exam, you get to see 4 sections: analytical reasoning (1 section), Logical reasoning (2 sections), and reasoning comprehension (1 section). There will be only multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Below is the exam pattern along with the number of questions each section contains and the allotted time for each section.

Sections	No. of questions	Allotted time for each
Analytical Reasoning	23	35 minutes
1st Logical Reasoning	22	35 minutes
2nd Logical Reasoning	23	35 minutes
Reading Comprehension	24	35 minutes

*There will be no negative marking in this LSAT exam, so you can easily mark any answer for the questions you don’t know the exact answer.

Syllabus

The syllabus for this exam is given below but there is no point looking for its syllabus anymore. This exam was one of the most important exams that students used to prepare but now you need to look for alternative exams. Still below is the table for the LSAT exam syllabus.

Pattern	Syllabus
Analytical reasoning	Seating Arrangements Matching and Distribution Grouping and Selection Ordering and Ranking Hybrid Games Inferences and Deductions Conditional Statements Diagrams and Visual Representations
Logical reasoning	Argument Structure Flawed Reasoning Assumptions Strengthening and Weakening Arguments  Inference and Conclusion Parallel Reasoning Counterarguments Conditional Reasoning Causation and Correlation Identifying Assumptions Analogies Argument Evaluation Quantitative Reasoning
Reading comprehension	Humanities Social Sciences Natural Sciences Legal and Ethical Issues Comparative Reading Main Idea and Tone  Inference and Implication Author's Argument and Structure Detail-Oriented Questions Strengthen and Weaken Purpose and Function Analogies Vocabulary and Context Organization and Structure In-Context Reference Logical Inference

3) AILET

The All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) is conducted by the National Law University Delhi (NLU, Delhi). This exam is conducted for law students who wish to get a higher education in a certain subject or topic. Generally, this Exam is conducted for both UG and PG programs. Let’s see more details about this exam, like eligibility criteria, fee structure, exam pattern, and syllabus.

Section	Description
Name of Exam	All India Law Entrance Test (AILET)
Conducting Body	National Law University, Delhi (NLU Delhi)
Total Questions	150
Duration of the Exam	120 minutes
Question Type	Multiple-choice questions (MCQs)
Marking Scheme	1 mark for each correct answer
Negative Marking	0.25 marks will be deducted for every wrong answer

Eligibility Criteria

All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) has some eligibility criteria to fulfill before applying for this entrance exam. Below are a few eligibility criteria:

• Students who have completed their LLB at any accredited university are eligible to apply for this AILET test.
• Students must receive at least 55% of the possible points, while SC/ST applicants and individuals with disabilities must receive at least 50%.
• Candidates may also apply for this entrance exam if they are already taking or are awaiting the results of their qualifying examinations.

Fee

The fee structure for the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) is given below.

• Aspirants belonging to the General/OBC/EWS/Foreign Nationals/Kashmiri Migrants - INR 3,500/-
• Aspirants from reserved categories (SC/ST/Persons with Disability PwD) - INR 1,500/-
• BPL aspirants of SC/ST category - INR 1,500/-

Syllabus

Before preparing for any exam, the syllabus is a must to look for. Every standardized exam has its syllabus developed by the authorities. The syllabus for any AILET is decided by the suggestions of the law professionals and professors. Let’s have a look at the syllabus for the AILET exam.

Pattern	Syllabus
English Section	Vocabulary Words Correcting Incorrect Grammar Sentences Synonyms & Antonyms Tenses Fill in the Blanks Spotting Grammatical Errors Active & Passive Voice
GK & Current Affairs	International Affairs Political Affairs National and State Affairs Supreme Court Judgments Important Awards Science and Technology Contemporary Events Arts and Culture Historical Events of Continuing Significance
Logical Reasoning	Understanding and analyzing statements and assumptions. Evaluating statements and arguments. Concluding statements. Differentiating between assertion and reason. Identifying and assessing arguments. Strengthening or weakening an argument. Answering inference-based questions. Analyzing cause and effect relationships. Solving syllogisms. Engaging in analogy-based questions. Addressing direction and distance problems. Decoding coding and decoding puzzles. Understanding blood relations. Planning and strategizing sitting arrangements.
Legal Topics	Constitution of India (Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles, Executive, Judiciary, Legislature, Center-State Relations, Emergency provisions) Law of Torts (Schools of Jurisprudence, Sources of Law, Rights and Duties, Legal Concepts, Family Law) Law of Contract (General Principles, Standard form contracts, Contract of Agency, Contract of Guarantee, Contract of Indemnity) Criminal Law Property Law International Law

4) CUET LLM

The Common University Entrance Test for postgraduate Master of Laws is an entrance exam for law graduates. This exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency. This exam helps the students to gain admission into one of the good institutions. In this exam, there are 75 Multiple-choice questions and each correct answer will get you +4 marks and an incorrect answer will deduct -1 marks out of the total marks.

Section	Description
Name of Exam	Common University Entrance Test for Postgraduate Master of Laws
Conducting Body	NTA (National Testing Agency)
Total Questions	75
Mode of examination	Online
Duration of the Exam	105 minutes
Question Type	Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Marking Scheme	4marksk for each correct answer
Negative Marking	1 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer

Eligibility Criteria

• If you want to apply for CUET, you must have an LLB degree.
• Any accredited university in India or abroad must award a bachelor's degree.
• 50% in LLB for general categories and 45% for reserved categories are the minimum scores needed to apply for CUET.

Fee

• Fee for applicant of General category - INR 1,400/-
• Fee for the applicant of OBC-NCL/GenEWS - INR 1,200/-
• Fee for the applicant of SC/ST/Third gender - INR 1,100/-
• Fee for the applicant of PwBD - INR 1,000/-

The above fee is applicable for choosing at least two papers.

The below-listed fee is applicable for choosing additional subjects

• Fee per subject for the applicant of General category - INR 700/-
• Fee per subject for the applicant of OBC-NCL/GenEWS - INR 600/-
• Fee per subject for applicant of SC/ST/Third gender - INR 600/-
• Fee per subject for the applicant of PwBD - INR 600/-

Syllabus

Before starting to prepare for the CUET LLM exam, you must take an overview of the syllabus that they will be going to ask in the exam. Every topic listed in given table below has its sub-topics that you need to focus on to clear this CUET LLM exam. The syllabus for every subject varies. To learn more about the syllabus, take a look at the below-given table:

Important topics
Contract: General Principle of Contracts	Constitution
Law of Torts	Family Law: Hindu Law
Criminal Law: Indian Penal Code	Contract - II
Company Law	Property Law
Administrative Law	Family Law - II; Mohammedan Law and Indian Succession Act
Environmental Law	Labour Law
Criminal Law - II: Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, Juvenile Justice	Jurisprudence
Clinical Course - I: Professional Ethics and Professional Accounting System	Public International Law
Human Rights Law and Practice	Right to information
Banking law	Insurance law
Alternative dispute resolution system	Civil procedure code and limitation act
Intellectual property rights - I	Penology & victimology
Integration of Statutes & Principles of Legislation	Competition law
Law of evidence	taxation
Intellectual property rights - II	White-collar crimes (Privileged class deviance)
Women and Criminal Law & law relating to child	Law relating to international trade

Overview of the fee structure for various entrance exams:

Entrance exam	Registration fee for the general category (INR)	Registration fee for reserved category (INR)
CLAT	4,000	3,500
LSAT- Discontinued	3,999	3,999
AILET	3,500	1,500
CUET LLM	1,400	1100

Top universities offering LLM programs

Based on the recent  NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) ranking list, below is a list of universities that are offering the LLM. The following universities are quite reputable and offer the best educational experience to their students. Let’s have a look at these universities:

NIRF Ranking	University	Fee
1.	National Law School of India University, Bangalore	Admission fee (one time) – Rs. 12,000/- Tuition and Facilities fee – Rs. 2,69,000/- Off-campus housing fee (optional) – 1,12,500/- Total fee per annum – Rs. 3,93,500/-
2.	National Law University, Delhi	Tuition fee (Indian students): INR 1,25,000 Tuition fee (Foreign students): USD 3,500
3.	Nalsar University of Law	Tuition fee for 1 semester - INR 5,50,000 Refundable fee - INR 20,000 Application Fee (non-refundable): INR 5,000/- (INR 4,000/- for OBC / PWD; INR 3,500/- for SC/ST/EWS)
4.	NLU Kolkata - The West Bengal National University of Judicial Sciences	Fee for 1-year LL.M. program - INR 2,08,200 Fee for 2-year LL.M. program (for first year) -  INR 1,67,000
5.	Symbiosis Law School, Pune	First installment (including 10,000 refundable institute deposit) - INR 1,35,000 Second installment - INR 1,25,000
6.	Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia	The fee ranges between INR 1 Lakhs - 10 Lakhs
7.	IIT Kharagpur - Indian Institute of Technology	Course fee - INR 2.5 Lakhs to INR 3 Lakhs
8.	Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar	Course fee - INR 1.2 Lakhs to INR 6 Lakhs
9.	Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University - SOA National School of Law	Course fee - INR 1.5 Lakhs
10.	Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow	Tuition fee for LL.M. (Law) 2-year program and Human rights - INR 1,500 per semester Tuition fee for paid seats - INR 45,000 per semester Tuition fee for 1-year LL.M. program - INR 55,000 per semester

*The above-listed fee for each of the Universities was written based on the data available in December 2024. The actual tuition fee may vary, so kindly visit the official websites and check out there.

OP Jindal Global Law School 

Jindal Global Law School offers an LLM program in a blended learning mode (a Hybrid Mode). The institution provides access to its Learning Management System where students can learn through various types of study material including online sessions, e-books, case studies, live lectures, recorded lectures, assessments, and more. Let’s learn more about the specializations offered, the fee structure, and the syllabus provided.

Fee structure: Course fee - INR 3,50,000

Eligibility Criteria:

• Aspirants must have completed a 3-year or a 5-year Law degree with a minimum 55% marks from some recognized university or institution.
• To get admission to Jindal Global Law School, the students must qualify for the online admission entrance test conducted by the Jindal Global Law School itself, or a few other exams can be considered (including LSAT, CLAT PG, or DU LLM ).
• If a student has qualified International LSAT entrance examination, then the SAT exam is not necessary to attempt.

Specialization offered:

• Corporate & Financial Law Online
• AI and Emerging Technologies Online
• Intellectual Property & Technology Law Online
• Dispute Resolution Online
• Taxation Law, Policy, and Regulation

Syllabus at Jindal Global Law School (Blended Learning Program)
Specializations	Syllabus/Subjects
Corporate & Financial Law	Legal Research Methodology Law and Justice in a Globalizing World Comparative Public Law Advanced Company Law A Practitioner’s Approach to Competition Law in India Commercial Contract Drafting M&A and Private Equity Corporate Insolvency Law Dissertation
AI and Emerging Technologies	Legal Research Methodology Law and Justice in a Globalizing World Comparative Public Law Advanced IPR and IT Law Intellectual Property and New Technology, AI GDPR: A European Example of Data Protection Law, AI Introduction to GDPR Regulating AI Ethica, Law, and AI Comparative AI Regulation Dissertation
Intellectual Property & Technology Law	Legal Research Methodology Law and Justice in a Globalizing World Comparative Public Law Advanced IPR and IT Law Intellectual Property and New Technology, AI Music and Copyrights TRIPS and Public Health GDPR: A European Example of Data Protection Law
Dispute Resolution	Legal Research Methodology Law and Justice in a Globalizing World Comparative Public Law International Commercial Arbitration Principles and Practice of Arbitration in India Investment Arbitration Negotiation and Meditation Recognition, Enforcement, and Execution of Arbitral Awards Ethical Issues in Alternative Dispute Resolution Dissertation
Taxation Law, Policy and Regulation	Structure and implementation of GST Registration, compliance, valuation, and input credit mechanisms Audit and appeals processes under indirect tax laws Legal and procedural aspects of Customs regulations Import-export duties and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) Enforcement mechanisms and recent legal developments Use of technology in tax administration - theory and practical insights

*Syllabus may get vast if compared semester-wise.

Conclusion

LLM is a postgraduate program for law professionals. This is a 2–year course. To secure a good university, institute, or college so that you can get what you want, in terms of knowledge. To be eligible for an LLM program, some standardized exams are asked by some top universities of Law. In this blog, you learned about the main entrance exams that will help you to get into a good law institute. Getting a higher education will help you to enhance your knowledge in a certain discipline or subject. You get to learn about their eligibility criteria, fee structure, exam pattern, and syllabus.