National Law University (NLU), Delhi decides the AILET eligibility criteria for admission to its B.A. LL.B, LL.M and Ph.D programmes. Candidates need to check the eligibility criteria for AILET 2020 before filling the application form. Fulfilling the AILET eligibility conditions is essential as ineligible candidates are rejected in further stages of the admission process. All the three programmes offered by NLU Delhi have their own set of eligibility conditions.
As per the AILET eligibility criteria 2020, candidates qualifying the 10+2 level education are eligible for the B.A. LL.B course at NLU Delhi. Likewise, the candidates having a bachelor’s degree in law (LLB) and master’s degree in Law (LLM) are eligible to pursue LLM and PhD courses from NLU Delhi, respectively.
As per the guidelines issued by the Bar Council of India (BCI), candidates from any age group can apply for any law programme at NLU Delhi or any other law college/university. For more information on AILET eligibility criteria 2020, read this article further.
Important Updates:
- As per the recent notification issued by NLU Delhi, the domicile based reservation policy has been removed. Hence, the 50% seat reservation for students from Delhi, 22% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Delhi region, and the 10% reservation for Economically Backward Sections (EWS) has been scrapped for this year.
- AILET 2020 will be held as a Remote Proctored Test (RPT) by the NTA on August 18, 2020.
- Due to the modifications in the reservation criteria, NLU Delhi has provided the option to withdraw AILET 2020 application forms from 1st to 7th July 2020.
- AILET 2020 admit cards will be available from July 27, 2020
AILET 2020 – Courses offered by NLU Delhi
NLU Delhi offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral level courses in the area of Law. Candidates aspiring to pursue any of the courses from NLU Delhi must appear for AILET 2020. NLU Delhi offers the following courses at all the three levels.
Courses at NLU Delhi for admission through AILET
| Type of Course | Name of Course |
| Integrated Degree Course | B.A. LL.B |
| Master’s Degree Course | LL.M |
| Doctoral Degree Course | Ph.D |
Read More : AILET Exam Dates – Final and Tentative Dates, Highlights
AILET Eligibility Criteria – B.A.LL.B.
NLU Delhi prescribes a set of eligibility criteria for admission to all the courses. NLU Delhi is offering a total of 80 + 3 (additional supernumerary)seats for the B.A. LL. B programme. The eligibility criteria for admission in B.A. LL.B. course at NLU Delhi is as follows.
AILET Eligibility Criteria – Nationality for B.A.LL.B.
Candidates belonging to India are eligible to apply for AILET 2020. Foreign nationals are also eligible for admission. However, they are exempted from taking All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) for admission at NLU Delhi.
Candidates who belong to the OCI/PIO category are eligible to apply either as a foreign national or as an Indian national. If an OCI/PIO applies as a foreign national, he/she will have to abide by any additional eligibility criterion (stated-below) for the category.
OCI/PIO candidates applying as an Indian national have to appear for AILET 2020 on the examination date set by NLU Delhi, i.e. August 18,2020
Candidates must note that there will be no separate application form for Indian and Foreign nationals. The same AILET application form shall be applicable for candidates of all nationalities.
Who are Foreign Nationals?
The candidates possessing citizenship of any country other than India along with a passport of that particular country are known as the foreign nationals as per NLU Delhi.
NLU Delhi is reserving 10 seats for foreign nationals and OCI/PIO (5 for foreign nationals, 5 for OCI/ PIO) for admission through AILET 2020.
AILET Eligibility Criteria – Educational Qualification for B.A.LL.B.
Candidates who have completed the 10+2 level of education, irrespective of their nationality are eligible to apply for AILET 2020. However, only passing the 10+2 will not make the aspirant eligible if he/she does not attain minimum marks in the qualifying degree.
Candidates can check the table below to know the category-wise minimum score requirement in the qualifying exam.
AILET Eligibility Criteria 2020 – Nationality-wise Minimum Qualifying Score
| Nationality | Minimum Score in 10+2 level |
| Indian National | 50% |
| Foreign National | 65% |
- Candidates waiting for the result of class 12th are also eligible to apply. However, they must fulfil the eligibility criteria and documental needs (along with 12th passing certificate) within the NLU admission deadlines
- Candidates with a compartment in the year of admission will be ineligible for admission in that particular admission year
AILET Eligibility Criteria – Domicile for B.A.LL.B.
As per a recent notification, 50% seat reservation for Delhi-based candidates has been scrapped for the year 2020.
AILET Eligibility Criteria – LL.M.
NLU Delhi prescribes a set of eligibility criteria for admission to all the courses including LL.M degree course. NLU Delhi is offering a total of 80 + 1 (supernumerary) seats for the LL.M programme. The eligibility criteria for admission in LL.M course at NLU Delhi is as follows.
AILET Eligibility Criteria – Nationality for LL.M Admission
The nationality norms as per the AILET eligibility criteria 2020 for LL.M remains the same as of B.A. LL.B programme. Both Indian, as well as foreign nationals, are eligible for admission to the LL.M programme at NLU Delhi. Similar to the eligibility criteria of B.A. LL.B, candidates belonging to the OCI/PIO category will have an option to apply either as a foreign national or as an Indian national.
Candidates with Indian nationality must qualify the AILET 2020 and further selection process for admission. However, foreign nationals need not appear for the AILET. Only an LLM degree will make a foreign national eligible for admission at NLU, Delhi. Additionally, NLU Delhi will assess the foreign nationals on their communication skills in written and verbal English and their performance at the interview.
AILET Eligibility Criteria – Educational Qualification for LL.M Admission
All the candidates holding a bachelor’s degree of Law i.e. LL.B (or an equivalent degree) are educationally fit to pursue LL.M at NLU Delhi.
NLU Delhi offers relaxation in minimum score requirement on the basis of the category of the candidate. Candidates will require the following score in the qualifying exam on the basis of their category.
Category-wise Score Requirement
| Category | Minimum Score in LLB or an equivalent degree |
| Unreserved category candidates (including foreign nationals) | 55% |
| SC/ST/PwD category candidates | 50% |
- Candidates applying for admission as a foreign national will have to produce their academic record of LL.B. from an international law college listed in the University Grants Commission (UGC)/Association of Indian Universities (AIU) records
- Candidates appearing in the final year/awaiting results of LLB are also provisionally eligible for LLM admission at NLU, Delhi
- NLU Delhi will mark such candidates ineligible, who fail to meet the minimum score requirement
AILET Eligibility Criteria – Domicile for LL.M Admission
As per the recent notification issued by NLU Delhi, the domicile based reservation policy has been removed. Therefore, the 50% seat reservation for students from Delhi, 22% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Delhi region, and the 10% reservation for Economically Backward Sections (EWS) has been scrapped for this year.
AILET Eligibility Criteria – PhD
NLU Delhi will permit admission to candidates in the PhD programme only if they meet the AILET eligibility criteria 2020 for PhD. The number of seats shall be notified by the conducting authority with an information bulletin of AILET 2020.
AILET Eligibility Criteria – Nationality for PhD Admission
Both Indian nationals and foreign candidates are eligible for PhD admission at NLU Delhi. Candidates who are applying as foreign nationals are exempted from taking AILET 2020. However, foreign nationals have to submit the research proposals.
For the PhD admission at NLU Delhi out to the total intake of 10 seats, 2 seats are reserved for the foreign nationals.
Eligibility of candidates from foreign universities/institutions having an MoU with NLU Delhi
Candidates currently studying in a foreign university/Institute are eligible for pursuing PhD from NLU Delhi if the parent university has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with NLUD. In such a case, one of the supervisors will be from NLU Delhi and one from the parent institution. The Vice-Chancellor of NLU Delhi has the discretionary power to allow admission to such candidates.
AILET Eligibility Criteria – Educational Qualification for PhD
Candidates holding a master’s degree in law (LLM) are eligible for NLU Delhi PhD admission. Candidates must attain a minimum score of 55% in the qualifying exam or its equivalent in the UGC 7-point scale (50% for SC/ST /PwD candidates).
OR
Candidates holding a bachelor’s in the area of Law and master’s degree in Social Science or Humanities recognised as per the UGC Regulations. 55% marks or equivalent remains the same (50% for SC/ ST / PwD candidates) as minimum marks requirement for PhD. However, such candidates will be eligible for admission into the programme if the research they wish to pursue requires a special focus on Public Policy Law
OR
Candidates holding a bachelor’s degree in law and have passed the Company Secretary (CS) Examination are eligible if they wish to pursue interfaces with any discipline of law.
OR
Aspirants having a bachelor’s degree in law and have qualified the final examination of ICAI are eligible for PhD admission, only if their further research interfaces with any discipline of Law.
OR
Judge of any State High Court in India with an experience of three years. Also, Judges of the Supreme Court of India are eligible to apply.
Faculty members of NLU Delhi are also eligible for PhD admission at the University. However, such candidates are only eligible if the teaching and other responsibilities at NLU Delhi are coordinated along with the programme.
AILET 2020 – Course-wise Seat Intake Capacity
NLU Delhi reserves its seats for different categories under the Indian nationality. Also, some seats for foreign nationals in each course are reserved. Foreign nationals can only avail the admission to the seats reserved for them.
Check the table below to know the course-wise over and above seats available at NLU Delhi.
Seat Intake through AILET 2020
| Category | Seats intake for B.A. LL.B | Seats intake for LL.M | Seats intake for PhD* |
| Indian Nationals | 70 | 70 | 8 |
| Foreign nationals | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| Residents of J & K | 2 (supernumerary) | – | – |
| Kashmiri Migrants | 1 (supernumerary) | 1 | – |
*Candidates must note that the seat intake capacity (10 seats) for the PhD programmes may increase up to 25% if the faculty members of NLU Delhi are willing to apply for the programme.
AILET 2020 – Reservation Policy
Reservation policy at NLU Delhi for B.A. LL.B as well as LL.M admission are as follows.
- Candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) will have a reservation of 15% for B.A. LL.B as well as LL.M admission
- 7.5% of the intake capacity is subject to reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST)
- There is a reservation of 5% for Persons with Disability (PwD)
- The unfilled seats reserved for SC candidates shall be assigned to ST candidates and vice-versa. If enough number of eligible SC and ST candidates are not available to fill such seats, they shall be filled by General candidates.
Important Note: The 50% reservation for students belonging to Delhi, 22% reservation for OBC category candidates and 10% seat reservation for the candidates belonging to EwS category has been removed this year. This decision is in line with the recent Supreme Court judgement.
Some of the seats are reserved over and above the normal intake. The seat reservation policy over and above the usual intake is as follows:
- NLU Delhi reserves a total of 1 additional supernumerary seat for the Kashmiri Migrants in both B.A. LL.B. and LL.M programme
- Residents of Jammu and Kashmir will have a reservation to a total of 2 additional supernumerary seats in the B.A. LL.B programme
- NLU Delhi reserves 5+5 seats for the foreign nationals and OCI/PIO card holders respectively in both B.A. LL.B. and LL.M programmes.
- For admission to PhD programmes, NLU Delhi reserves a total of 2 seats for foreign nationals.
Candidates must note that if they intend to get reservation against any of the categories, they have to produce relevant documents to claim the same.
AILET 2020 – Course-wise Entrance Exam Fee
The below table comprises the category-wise AILET 2020 entrance exam fee for different available courses:
Entrance Exam Fee for AILET 2020
| Programmes | Unreserved Category | PwD | SC/ST |
| BA LLB | Rs. 3050 | Rs. 1050 | Rs. 1050 |
| LLM | Rs. 3050 | Rs. 1050 | Rs. 1050 |
| PhD | Rs. 3050 | Rs. 1050 | Rs. 1050 |
Note- No fee shall be charged from SC/ST candidates who come under Below Poverty Line (BPL) section.
AILET Eligibility Criteria – FAQs
✔️ Is there any minimum age defined for B.A. LL.B admission at NLU Delhi?
No. There are no minimum or maximum age criteria set by the NLU Delhi for B.A.LL.B admission. However, as per the AILET eligibility criteria 2020, candidates must attain a minimum qualification of 10+2 level. In 2017, Bar Council of India (BCI) removed all the age restrictions for the students willing to pursue law education in India.
✔️ My 12th result is awaited. Am I eligible to apply for BA LLB as per AILET eligibility criteria 2020?
Yes, candidates whose 12th results are yet to be declared are eligible to apply. However, such candidates will get provisional admission first, and after that they have to present the 12th pass certificate before the last date of BA LLB admissions for final admission at NLU, Delhi.
✔️ I belong to the OBC category but I don’t have relevant documents for the same. Can I claim reservation benefits for OBCs at NLU Delhi?
No. Candidates who fail to produce relevant documents for their category/caste will be ineligible to claim any reservation against the same. Such candidates will have to apply under the open category seats (unreserved seats).
✔️ I belong to Delhi. However, my centre for study was outside the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Am I eligible for the 50% Delhi region seats?
As per the latest notification of AILET 2020, the conducting authority has decided to scrap the 50% reservation for Delhi-based candidates.
✔️ How many times can I appear for AILET?
As per the AILET eligibility criteria, NLU Delhi has set no limitation on the number of attempts to take AILET. Thus, candidates can appear for AILET as many times as they wish to.
✔️ I am an OCI/PIO cardholder. Am I eligible for AILET as an Indian national or do I need to apply as a foreign national?
OCI/PIO candidates are eligible under both Indian as well as foreign nationals category. Such candidates will have an option to choose between both of the categories. OCI/PIO candidates choosing Indian nationality will have to appear for AILET. On the other hand, candidates choosing foreign nationality will be exempted from AILET 2020.
