With the countdown to CLAT 2026 underway, students from 15 out of the 26 National Law Universities (NLUs), including Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), have launched an online petition demanding changes to what they describe as an “exorbitant and exclusionary” fee structure for the CLAT counselling process.
CLAT is the entrance exam for undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes at NLUs across India. However, students say the high cost of applying and confirming seats is shutting out many deserving candidates, especially from low-income backgrounds.
The petition criticises the current counselling process, introduced in 2023 and 2024, which requires:
- ₹30,000 counselling fee (₹20,000 for SC, ST, PWD, EWS, and OBC categories)
- An additional ₹20,000 non-refundable fee to confirm (or “freeze”) a seat
- ₹4,000 CLAT application fee
Students are demanding the scrapping of the counselling fee, a major reduction in the seat confirmation fee, and that all fees follow the UGC Fee Refund Policy for 2024–25. They’re also calling for a review of the steep application fee. Every year, nearly 60,000 candidates appear for CLAT to compete for just 5,000 seats at the 26 NLUs.
The campaign follows earlier representations made in 2023 by student bodies and legal aid groups. With no official response, this year’s petition has gained stronger support, particularly from students and aspirants in Gujarat, including GNLU’s Gandhinagar and Silvassa campuses.
Achal, a CLAT 2026 aspirant, shared his struggles: “My father runs a small shop, and my mother is a homemaker. Paying ₹30,000 for counselling and another ₹20,000 as a non-refundable fee is equal to two months of our household income. Even if I qualify, I can’t afford to participate. It’s heartbreaking.”
Before CLAT 2023, candidates were required to pay a one-time ₹50,000 fee for counselling. While still high, it didn’t include separate non-refundable charges.
The petition also compares CLAT to other national entrance exams like JEE and NEET, which charge lower and fully refundable seat acceptance fees—₹34,000 for general and ₹17,500 for reserved category candidates—through JoSAA.
Abhijeet Gautam, a student at NALSAR Hyderabad and one of the petition’s lead organisers, said over 2,000 people—including students, faculty, and legal professionals—have already signed. “We will submit the petition to the CLAT Consortium, Bar Council of India, and UGC to make sure this issue is addressed,” he said.
GNLU Vice-Chancellor S. Shanthakumar, who currently heads the CLAT Consortium, has not responded to requests for comment.