CLAT 2027 from the UAE: dates, pattern, NRI seats and AILET
In short
CLAT 2027 is on 6 December 2026, open to Indian nationals, NRIs and OCI or PIO card holders, but not to foreign nationals.
- The paper has 120 questions in two hours, with 0.25 marks off a wrong answer.
- NRI seats are applied for at each NLU directly, not through the Consortium.
- NLU Delhi uses its own test, AILET 2027, on 13 December 2026.
CLAT 2027, the Common Law Admission Test for the undergraduate law programmes of 26 National Law Universities (NLUs), is on Sunday 6 December 2026 from 2 pm to 4 pm India time. It is an offline test of 120 questions in two hours, sat at a test centre. Registration was extended to 11:59 pm on Saturday 7 November 2026, and test-centre choices could be changed until 11:59 pm on 10 November 2026.
For a family in Dubai or Sharjah, three questions matter beyond the date: can my child sit it on their passport, where will they sit it, and how do NRI seats work? NLU Delhi's separate test, AILET 2027, is covered too.
The facts come from the Consortium of NLUs' CLAT 2027 website and NLU Delhi's AILET 2027 admission portal, read on 6 November 2026. Details change during a cycle, so check the current notice before you act.
CLAT 2027 dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration opened | 3 August 2026 |
| Registration closes (extended) | 11:59 pm, Saturday 7 November 2026 |
| Last chance to change test-centre choices and correct details | 11:59 pm, 10 November 2026 |
| Online mock tests (practice, not official papers) | 10 and 20 November 2026 |
| CLAT 2027 | Sunday 6 December 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm (to 4:40 pm for eligible PwD candidates) |
| Counselling | December 2026 or January 2027 |
The press release of 22 July 2026 set the test date, subject to revision if necessary. A notice of 31 October moved the last date from 31 October to 7 November; the UG instructions page still shows the old date, so go by the notice. A notice of 3 November allows no changes after 10 November. Practice dates are in the mock tests notice and the counselling months in the CLAT 2027 FAQs.
These are India times; the UAE is an hour and a half behind, so 11:59 pm on 7 November in India is 10:29 pm in Dubai.
After the test
The Consortium has not yet published CLAT 2027's answer key, result or counselling dates. Last year's cycle shows the order and the pace: the provisional answer key came out on 10 December 2025 with objections until 12 December (₹500 each), the final answer key and results on 16 December, and counselling registration ran from 17 to 27 December, with the first allotment list on 7 January 2026. Expect a similar rhythm, and go by each notice as it appears.
Who may sit CLAT from the UAE
The UG instructions allow Indian nationals, NRIs, PIO card holders and OCI card holders to sit CLAT. Foreign nationals cannot: they must approach the NLUs directly.
The eligibility page sets three conditions.
- Marks: at least 45% in Class 12 or equivalent, or 40% for SC, ST and PwD candidates. No separate figure is given for OBC or EWS.
- Year: students sitting Class 12 in 2027 may apply, as long as they have passed by the time of admission.
- Age: there is no upper age limit.
NRI and NRI-sponsored seats
The Consortium runs CLAT and its counselling, but it does not fill NRI or NRI-sponsored seats. In its own words, "The Consortium will not allot seats for these categories." Applicants read each NLU's e-brochure and website and approach that NLU directly.
So treat NRI admission as separate applications: open the brochure of each NLU on your list from the Participating Universities page and note its NRI rules and deadlines. The Consortium counts 26 member NLUs; that page shows 27 entries because GNLU's Silvassa campus is listed apart from GNLU Gandhinagar.
The CLAT 2027 pattern and syllabus
The question paper format sets 120 multiple-choice questions of 1 mark each in 2 hours. A wrong answer costs 0.25 marks. The section sizes are approximate:
- English Language: 22 to 26 questions, roughly 20%
- Current Affairs, including General Knowledge: 28 to 32 questions, roughly 25%
- Legal Reasoning: 28 to 32 questions, roughly 25%
- Logical Reasoning: 22 to 26 questions, roughly 20%
- Quantitative Techniques: 10 to 14 questions, roughly 10%
There is no chapter list. The Guide to the UG-CLAT 2027, the official syllabus, builds the paper on passages of about 450 words, and Quantitative Techniques uses Class 10 level mathematics. Reading speed and accuracy under time pressure therefore matter as much as what a student knows.
Where UAE students sit CLAT
Applicants give three test-centre city preferences in the form. This cycle the Consortium has already removed Vellore and Tiruvarur as test cities, and it may cancel a city or centre and move applicants.
The Consortium's public pages and notifications, read on 6 November 2026, list no test centre outside India. The full city list appears only inside the application form, behind the login. If your child is registered, look at the city options in the form. If none is in the UAE, plan travel to an Indian city for Sunday 6 December, and settle the three choices before 11:59 pm on 10 November.
AILET 2027: NLU Delhi's own test
NLU Delhi does not admit through CLAT. Its AILET 2027 FAQs say anyone who wants a place there must sit AILET.
| CLAT 2027 | AILET 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Test date | 6 December 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm | 13 December 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm |
| Last date to apply | 7 November 2026 | 10 November 2026 (30 April 2027 for foreign national and OCI/PIO seats) |
| Paper | 120 questions, 2 hours, offline | 150 questions, 120 minutes, pen and paper (OMR) |
| Wrong answer | Minus 0.25 | Minus 0.25 |
| Class 12 marks | 45% (40% SC, ST, PwD) | 45% (42% OBC, 40% SC, ST) |
| NRI seats | Applied for at each NLU | None |
| Test cities | Shown in the application form | 32, all in India |
The exam details page gives three sections: English Language 50 questions, Current Affairs and General Knowledge 30, and Logical Reasoning 70, so there is no separate Legal Reasoning section. Admit cards come out on 30 November 2026. The admission announcement lets students sitting Class 12 in 2027 apply, and the FAQs set no age limit. A test city with fewer than 200 candidates gets no centre.
There are 110 B.A.LL.B. (Hons.) seats on AILET merit, plus 5 for foreign nationals and 5 for OCI/PIO candidates. The foreign national page exempts those two groups from AILET: they need 65% in the qualifying exam and are ranked on those marks. An OCI/PIO candidate may also apply in the Indian category on a second form, which means sitting AILET.
That matters in the UAE. A foreign national cannot sit CLAT, but can apply for NLU Delhi's foreign national seats without any test. An OCI or PIO card holder can sit CLAT and can also apply for NLU Delhi's OCI/PIO seats without AILET.
Which CLAT is your child preparing for?
CLAT 2027 is for students who finish Class 12 in 2027. A student in Class 11 this year, or starting Class 11 or 12 next April, is preparing for CLAT 2028 or later, and no dates are published for those years. This cycle's press release came on 22 July 2026, so watch the Consortium's site from the summer before Class 12 and go by the notice when it appears.
If your child is still choosing between law, management and central universities, see our guide to entrance exams for commerce students after Class 12.
Frequently asked questions
When is CLAT 2027?
CLAT 2027 is on Sunday 6 December 2026, from 2 pm to 4 pm India time. Registration was extended to 11:59 pm India time on 7 November 2026, and test-centre choices could be changed until 11:59 pm on 10 November 2026.
Can NRI and OCI students from the UAE sit CLAT?
Yes. The Consortium allows Indian nationals, NRIs, OCI card holders and PIO card holders to sit CLAT 2027. Foreign nationals are not eligible and must approach the NLUs directly.
How do NRI seats work in CLAT?
The Consortium does not allot NRI or NRI-sponsored seats. Applicants read each NLU's e-brochure and website and apply to that NLU directly.
Is there a CLAT exam centre in Dubai?
The Consortium's public pages and notifications, read on 6 November 2026, list no test centre outside India. The full city list appears only inside the application form, so a registered student should check the options there. If no UAE city is offered, plan travel to an Indian city for 6 December 2026.
What is the CLAT 2027 exam pattern?
CLAT 2027 has 120 multiple-choice questions of 1 mark each in 2 hours, with 0.25 marks deducted for a wrong answer. The approximate shares are English Language 20%, Current Affairs including General Knowledge 25%, Legal Reasoning 25%, Logical Reasoning 20% and Quantitative Techniques 10%.
What marks do I need for CLAT 2027?
At least 45% in Class 12 or equivalent, or 40% for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Students sitting Class 12 in 2027 may apply, and there is no upper age limit.
Does NLU Delhi accept CLAT scores?
No. NLU Delhi admits through its own test, AILET 2027, on 13 December 2026, and it has no NRI seats. Foreign nationals and OCI/PIO candidates can apply for 10 separate seats without sitting AILET, with at least 65% in the qualifying exam.
Career Launcher UAE prepares students for CLAT at our centres in Bur Dubai and Al Nahda 2 in Dubai and Al Qasimia in Sharjah, and in online classes, with mock tests set by our UAE team. You can read more on our CLAT coaching in Dubai and Sharjah page.
Related reading: Commerce students: choosing an entrance exam after Class 12, IPMAT from the UAE: IIM Indore, IIM Rohtak and JIPMAT compared and Choosing Grade 11 subjects around the degree you want.