CLAT PG LLM Counselling – How does it work

Authentic Feedback from previous LawMint users :

I got AIR 21 in CLAT PG. Thank you so much. Your mocks helped me a lot in my preparation 🙂 - Ayushi Jain

I have subscribed to your CLAT PG program and got AIR 36 in this year CLAT PG. I have also secured AIR 54 in AILET PG exam. I would like to thank you. Your mock paper really helps a lot - Shrashank Tripathi

I would like to thank you for the CLAT PG LLM COURSE. Practising mock tests there helped me in getting confidence and hence I was able to get AIR 45 in CLAT PG LLM - Akshay Awasthi

A year back, I relied on the IIT Kharagpur RGSOIPL mock test series by LawMint to prepare for my RGSOIPL entrance test. Few months back, I relied on your UGC NET Law series to prepare for UGC NET. I was the topper of the RGSOIPL entrance, and have cracked JRF in UGC NET. All thanks to LawMint - Anshuman Sahoo

"I got AIR 18 in CLAT PG and General Category rank 28 in AILET PG. I want to thank you for helping me practice well in controlled conditions from any place. It gave me a lot of confidence and I took the tests while travelling too. I also made it to IIT Kharagpur." - Vinodharani

"Lawmint has been of great help to me in securing AIR 25 in AILET PG and AIR 29 in CLAT PG examinations. The subjective and objective approach of the test series kept me up to date with the latest exam pattern." - Bhawna Nanda

"I, Nimmy Saira Zachariah joined you clat test series. I cleared AILET PG with 30th rank. Your test series were of immense help as it gave me clear idea of where my preparations stand thank you once again law mint." - Nimmy S Z

"Hey guys. Where do I start? If I thought that getting AIR 59 in Clat PG was it, then how wrong I was. With Lawmint now I have cracked UGC NET as well." - Joyanta Chakraborty

---

The NLU organizing Committee which conducts the CLAT PG, published a document detailing how the ‘Counselling’ process for CLAT PG works. We expanded on that notification, with more details to explain and clarify on this crucial step in the CLAT LLM admissions process.

Why is it called CLAT LLM Counselling ?

‘Counselling’ is the popular name for the seat selection and allotment process.

Once upon a time, when students got their ranks in the Engineering Entrance Exams, they would be called in for a ‘Counselling’ session, where they would be given details about the various branches they could opt for and the students (and parents) would make their decision based on the information provided by the Counselors.

But eventually counselling became a process where you had to go to a counter, submit your forms, ensure that the computer operator recorded the details accurately and you would deposit the fees to confirm the seat.

In the ‘Online’ era, the counselling session is more of – logging into a website, selecting your options and paying the fees.

Guidelines issued for the CLAT PG counselling

The admission to UG and PG programs in the participating National Law Universities under CLAT are done through a centralized counselling conducted by CLAT PG office.

The basis of allotment of seats shall be ‘merit-cum-preference’, i.e., the CLAT PG score (i.e. Ranking) and the order of preference given by the candidate in the CLAT PG application form will be considered to create the allotment list.

The entire procedure shall be Online and completed as per the CLAT PG admissions calendar, which is published on the official CLAT website.

The step-wise procedure, adopted by CLAT PG office, for admission to various NLUs centrally

Step 1 – Publication of first indicative list based on merit-cum preference list.

The National Law University-wise first indicative list based on merit-cum preference will be published in the CLAT PG website a few days after the results are announced.

Step 2 – Payment of the ‘counselling fee’ and exercise of option by the provisionally selected candidates

(1) A specified number of candidates from various categories based on merit-cum-preference will be allowed to participate in the CLAT PG counselling process against actual number of seats available with participating NLUs.

(2) The provisionally selected candidates must deposit the requisite counselling fee (as specified in the official notification) and select any one of the following two options:

i) Lock – Candidates choosing ‘Lock’ option confirms his or her choice of the allotted NLU. Such candidate shall not be considered for further shifting to any other NLU of his or her higher choice in case of any vacancy arising at the subsequent stage during counselling process.

I.e. If you have been allotted the NLU which you had indicated as your first choice while filling up the CLAT PG application form, you can ‘lock’ down your preference and pay the fees to confirm.

If you have been allotted a seat in the NLU indicated as your second choice, you can still decide to ‘lock’ it and confirm the seat. Even if there is a vacancy in the NLU of your first choice, you will not be considered for it if you have chosen the ‘lock’ option.

A question that we often receive is “If I don’t lock down on the allotted seat; and if there is no subsequent vacancy in the NLU of my higher preference, will I lose my allotted seat also ?” – The answer is No. If you pay the fees and confirm on your allotted choice, that seat is guaranteed, even of there is no subsequent vacancy in the NLU of your first choice. When you pay the fees, you will have to select either ‘lock’ or ‘upgrade’.

 

For example, if you had selected NLSIU as your first choice and NLU Jodhpur as your second choice; and you have been allotted a seat in NLU Jodhpur, you can opt to lock down on the allotted seat while paying the fees. This may be because you may have changed your mind about the original preference or even reasons like proximity of NLU Jodhpur to your home town etc.

 

Remember : You will lose your seat of you don’t pay the counselling fees – irrespective of whether you choose to lock or upgrade.

ii) Upgrade – The candidates choosing ‘Upgrade’ option shall be considered against any subsequent vacancy arising in the NLUs of his or her higher choice in the next allotment list. (This referred to as ‘Upward shifting’).

As explained earlier,  there shall ONLY be upward shifting in the order of the candidates’ preferences provided in the application form depending on the availability of vacancies. There shall be no downward shifting at any stage of the counselling procedure by the CLAT PG office.

To illustrate with an example, while filling up the form, a candidate has chosen NLSIU as the first option and NALSAR as the second option; and is allotted a seat in NALSAR, the student can either choose to ‘Lock’ and confirm on NALSAR or opt for ‘Upgrade’ in case there is a drop-out in NLSIU and wants to be considered for the vacant seat. As long as the counselling fees is paid and one of the option is exercised, at least the NALSAR seat is confirmed.

(3) The candidates failing to deposit the requisite counselling fee through the CLAT PG website by the specified date will lose their right to be considered for admission under CLAT PG and their names will be dropped from the CLAT 2018 counselling and admission process.

(4) The counselling fee (as specified in the official notification of the year) deposited with the CLAT PG office will be transferred to the respective participating NLU where the candidate has finally taken admission after the completion of the entire counselling process. The  counselling fee will be set off against the annual fee payable at the NLU where the candidate finally takes admission.

The counselling fee is part of the overall fees payable to the NLU and not an additional expense.

Step 3 – Publication of the second allotment list having the names of finalized candidates after payment of counselling fee and additional wait-listed candidates.

i) The CLAT PG office shall publish a second list of eligible candidates who have paid their counselling fee and confirmed and locked/opted for upgrade of their seat in the participating NLUs.

ii) A list of wait-listed candidates will also be released in the second list – which will consist of candidates who are provisionally selected against the dropped out candidates, if any.

iii) The additional candidates provisionally selected against dropped candidates are required to pay the requisite counselling fee as specified in the notification and exercise their option of ‘lock’ or ‘upgrade’

iv) The provisionally selected candidates can withdraw from the admission process up to a date – However, a penalty fee will be deducted from the deposited counselling fee.

v) Any withdrawal after the stipulated period will result in forfeiture of entire amount of counselling fee.

The dates for all the above steps will be mentioned in the official notifications of the year.

Step 4 – Publication of the third list allotting seats to candidates

1. The CLAT PG office shall publish a comprehensive third allotment list of candidates who have paid their counselling fee and reserved their seat in the participating NLUs.

2. The comprehensive list shall include the names of candidates who have paid the counselling fee against the first and second indicative list.

3. A list of wait-listed candidates will also be released along with the third allotment list who are provisionally selected against the dropped out candidates.

4. These candidates whose names appear for the first time in the third allotment list will have to pay the full fees at the allotted NLU at the time of admission.

Step 5 Completion of admission formalities at the allotted NLUs against third allotment list

1. The candidates whose names appear in the third allotment list will be required to approach the allotted NLU with the balance amount towards the admission and other fees. The shifted (upgraded) candidates have to report and fulfill the admission formalities in NLU allotted to them against the third allotment list.

2. The candidates will also have to carry relevant certificates/documents in original issued by the competent authority in support of the various claims made by the candidates along with their admit cards and counselling fee receipts and complete their admission formalities.

3. The certificates in original will be checked by the respective Universities at the time of their admission.

4. The candidates not possessing the required certificates/documents in original or failing to meet the eligibility requirements will not be allowed to seek admission in the participating NLUs.

5. The candidates seeking admission under various categories specially those belonging to the reserved categories such as SC/ST/OBC/Specially Abled Person/DFF/NRI and the unreserved category candidates seeking admission under state domicile category, will be required to obtain the relevant and authentic certificates/documents from the competent authorities and produce the same at the time of admission in the concerned NLU.

6. Those candidates who fail to report at the allotted NLU after the publication of CLAT PG merit list and fail to complete the admission formalities as per the CLAT PG calendar will automatically lose their claim for admission and their entire amount of counselling fee will be forfeited.

Disclaimer : The details in this article are for general information purpose only and may not be accurate, up-to-date, usable or reliable for any purpose. Readers should confirm all the details from the official notifications. Check the official CLAT Consortium website for the latest information.

Authentic Feedback from previous LawMint users :

I got AIR 21 in CLAT PG. Thank you so much. Your mocks helped me a lot in my preparation 🙂 - Ayushi Jain

I have subscribed to your CLAT PG program and got AIR 36 in this year CLAT PG. I have also secured AIR 54 in AILET PG exam. I would like to thank you. Your mock paper really helps a lot - Shrashank Tripathi

I would like to thank you for the CLAT PG LLM COURSE. Practising mock tests there helped me in getting confidence and hence I was able to get AIR 45 in CLAT PG LLM - Akshay Awasthi

A year back, I relied on the IIT Kharagpur RGSOIPL mock test series by LawMint to prepare for my RGSOIPL entrance test. Few months back, I relied on your UGC NET Law series to prepare for UGC NET. I was the topper of the RGSOIPL entrance, and have cracked JRF in UGC NET. All thanks to LawMint - Anshuman Sahoo

"I got AIR 18 in CLAT PG and General Category rank 28 in AILET PG. I want to thank you for helping me practice well in controlled conditions from any place. It gave me a lot of confidence and I took the tests while travelling too. I also made it to IIT Kharagpur." - Vinodharani

"Lawmint has been of great help to me in securing AIR 25 in AILET PG and AIR 29 in CLAT PG examinations. The subjective and objective approach of the test series kept me up to date with the latest exam pattern." - Bhawna Nanda

"I, Nimmy Saira Zachariah joined you clat test series. I cleared AILET PG with 30th rank. Your test series were of immense help as it gave me clear idea of where my preparations stand thank you once again law mint." - Nimmy S Z

"Hey guys. Where do I start? If I thought that getting AIR 59 in Clat PG was it, then how wrong I was. With Lawmint now I have cracked UGC NET as well." - Joyanta Chakraborty

---