Country edition: India
Student Journey Blueprint

How to become a Lawyer — your road, class by class

Class 8 to working life ·Last checked 25 Oct 2026

The one-line route: Class 12 with 45% (40% for SC/ST/PwD) → CLAT → 5-year LL.B. at an NLU (or a 3-year LL.B. after any degree) → enrol with a State Bar Council → pass the AIBE. [1]

Pick your class and the road below starts where you stand.

Full career guide Step-by-step roadmap Pick another career
01 Your road, stage by stage

What to do from your class onward

  1. You are here Class 8 · Class 9 · Class 10

    Read every day — CLAT is a reading test

    • CLAT is about 20% English, 25% current affairs, 25% legal reasoning, 20% logical reasoning and 10% quantitative techniques — all from passages. [2]
    • Build the habit now: a newspaper editorial a day, and your board's English and Social Science textbooks (NCERT for CBSE) read properly, not memorised.
  2. You are here Class 11 · Class 12

    Any stream works — protect your Class 12 percentage

    • CLAT UG needs Class 12 with at least 45% (40% for SC, ST and PwD). Students writing Class 12 in March/April can apply; there is no upper age limit. [1]
    • CLAT is written in December of your Class 12 year: CLAT 2027 is on 6 December 2026, for seats starting in 2027-28. [3]
  3. You are here In college · Graduated

    Already in college? Take the 3-year LL.B.

    • After any bachelor's degree you can do a 3-year LL.B. instead of the 5-year integrated course; both lead to the same right to practise. [4]
    • Final-year LL.B. students can register for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE). AIBE XXI was held on 7 June 2026. [5]

Your school board

Your state board Class 12 marks are used for the 45% rule; every stream is accepted. [1]

CBSE, CISCE and state-board certificates count the same for every national exam on this page. Notes for particular state boards are under State rules below.

02 Exam anatomy

The exam, stage by stage

CLAT UG 2027 · Consortium of National Law Universities

Exam date
Sun 6 Dec 2026, 2–4 PM [3]
Paper
120 MCQs · 120 marks · 2 hours, offline [2]
Fee
₹4,000 · ₹3,500 SC/ST/BPL/PwD [6]
Seats (examples)
NLSIU 310 · GNLU 176 · NALSAR 132 [6]
CLAT UG 2027 stages
StageWhat it isMarkingRule
CLAT UGOne offline paper of 120 one-mark MCQs+1 right · −0.25 wrongRank decides NLU seats; ties go to higher Legal Reasoning marks, then the older candidate
NLU counsellingSeat allotment by rank, category and domicile—Each NLU applies its own seat matrix
5-year LL.B.BA / BBA / B.Com / B.Sc / BSW LL.B. (Hons.) at the NLU—University exams
AIBEAll India Bar Examination after enrolment—Needed to practise as an advocate

Stage table source [2]

  • CLAT 2027 applications close on 31 October 2026, 11:59 PM. Fees are paid online only and are non-refundable. [6]
  • Pass or rank-cut-off percentages are not part of the official CLAT notice, so we do not print one.
Open the full exam guide
03 State rules

Rules for all of India — and your state

  • Most NLUs keep a home-state quota with their own definition — for example 25% for Karnataka Students at NLSIU Bengaluru and 25% for Telangana residents at NALSAR. [8]

State notes we have checked (4 states / UTs)

Gujarat4 notes
  • GNLU Gandhinagar keeps 25% of its 176 all-India UG seats (40 seats) for Gujarat domicile candidates, across every category except EWS. [7]
  • After your LL.B., you enrol as an advocate with the Bar Council of Gujarat before you can practise in the state. [4]
  • GSEB — Gujarat State Board: Your HSC marks are your Class 12 marks for the 45% rule — every stream (Science, Commerce, Arts) is accepted. [1]
  • CBSE — studying in Gujarat: Your CBSE Class XII marks are used for the 45% rule; every stream is accepted. [1]
Gujarat exam & career cockpit
Maharashtra1 note
  • MSBSHSE — Maharashtra State Board: Your HSC marks are your Class 12 marks for the 45% rule — every stream (Science, Commerce, Arts) is accepted. [1]
Maharashtra exam & career cockpit
Uttar Pradesh1 note
  • UPMSP — Uttar Pradesh Board: Your Intermediate marks are your Class 12 marks for the 45% rule — every stream is accepted. [1]
Uttar Pradesh exam & career cockpit
West Bengal1 note
  • WBBSE / WBCHSE — West Bengal boards: Your Higher Secondary (WBCHSE) marks are your Class 12 marks for the 45% rule — every stream is accepted. [1]
West Bengal exam & career cockpit

Not in this list? The national route above applies — we found nothing in this career's official rules that changes in your state.

04 Career multiverse

Where this path can take you next

Litigation

Practise in courts; income grows slowly in the first years while you build clients.

Explore →

Corporate law

Law firms and in-house legal teams; NLU graduates are hired most here.

Judicial services

State judicial service exams for civil judge posts.

Explore →

Niche legal careers

Patent agent, trademark agent, insolvency professional and data protection roles.

Explore →
05 Money help

Scholarships, stipends and fee help

Government schemes, professional-body scholarships and paid training on this path. Pick your class above and schemes you have already passed are hidden.

Scholarship Open to you now From Class 8

National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMSS)

Ministry of Education, through your state

₹1,000 a month, Class 9 to 12 [9]

Who
Class 8 students of government schools who passed Class 7 with 55% (50% SC/ST, as in Nagaland's notice) and clear the state's NMMSS test. Family income limit: see the scheme rules on the National Scholarship Portal.
How
Your state's SCERT announces the test in Class 8; renewals are on scholarships.gov.in.
Scholarship Open to you now From Class 11

Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships (PM-USP CSSS)

Ministry of Education

₹12,000 a year for the first 3 years of a degree; ₹20,000 a year in years 4–5 of a 5-year integrated course (and in PG) [10]

Who
Above the 80th percentile of your board's Class 12 pass-outs in your stream, in a regular degree course (not diploma or distance), family income up to ₹4.5 lakh, and not taking any other scholarship — including state schemes.
How
On the National Scholarship Portal after Class 12; renewal needs 50% marks and 75% attendance each year.
Scholarship Open to you now From Class 11

Post-Matric Scholarship for SC students

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, through your state

Compulsory non-refundable fees (tuition included) plus a yearly academic allowance — the college cannot ask you to pay the fee first [11]

Who
SC students after Class 10 (ITI, diploma, degree and CA/CMA/CS courses count), family income up to ₹2.5 lakh. Separate post-matric schemes exist for ST, OBC and minority students on the same portal.
How
Your state scholarship portal or scholarships.gov.in. The printed guidelines cover 2020-21 to 2025-26; check the 2026-27 rules on the portal.
Fee help Open to you now From Class 11

Lower CLAT fee

Consortium of National Law Universities

₹3,500 instead of ₹4,000 [6]

Who
SC, ST, BPL and PwD candidates, with the certificate uploaded in the form.
How
In the CLAT application (closes 31 Oct for the December exam).
State scheme Open to you now From Class 10Gujarat only

Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavalamban Yojana (MYSY)

Government of Gujarat

Who
Gujarat students joining a diploma or degree course on merit: it pays part of the tuition fee and, in some cases, a hostel grant for students who must study away from home. [12]
How
mysy.guj.nic.in. We could not open the official portal on 24 Oct 2026, so we print no amounts or cut-offs — read them in the current year's resolution on the portal.
06 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every number on this page comes from the official files below. Lines with no number are Margdarshan guidance. Rules change every year — open the current notice before you apply.

  1. Consortium of NLUs — CLAT 2027 UG Eligibility (opens in a new tab) 45% / 40% Class 12 rule, appearing candidates, no age limit · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
  2. Consortium of NLUs — CLAT 2027 UG Question Paper Format (opens in a new tab) 120 MCQs, 2 hours, −0.25, section weightage · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
  3. Consortium of NLUs — CLAT 2027 Press Release (22 Jul 2026) (opens in a new tab) exam date and time · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
  4. Bar Council of India (opens in a new tab) 3-year and 5-year LL.B. routes, State Bar Council enrolment · Last checked 8 Oct 2026
  5. All India Bar Examination — official website (opens in a new tab) AIBE XXI held 7 Jun 2026, final-year registration notification · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  6. Consortium of NLUs — CLAT 2027 UG Instructions (opens in a new tab) fees, offline mode, tie-break, NLU seat matrices via brochures · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
  7. GNLU Gandhinagar — CLAT 2027 brochure (opens in a new tab) 176 all-India UG seats, 25% Gujarat domicile (40 seats) · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
  8. NLSIU Bengaluru — CLAT 2027 brochure (opens in a new tab) 310 BA LLB seats, 25% Karnataka Students · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
  9. SCERT Nagaland — NMMSS Examination 2027 advertisement (27 Jul 2026) (opens in a new tab) Class 8 eligibility, 55% / 50% Class 7 marks, ₹1,000 a month from Class 9 to 12 (one state's notice of the central scheme) · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  10. Ministry of Education — PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships guidelines (2022-23 onwards), copy hosted by NIT Kurukshetra (opens in a new tab) 80th percentile, ₹4.5 lakh income, regular degree only, no other scholarship, ₹12,000 / ₹20,000 rates, renewal rules · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  11. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment — Post Matric Scholarship for SC students, guidelines 2020-21 to 2025-26 (copy hosted by Goa Social Welfare) (opens in a new tab) ₹2.5 lakh income limit, fees + academic allowance, no pre-payment of fees, CA/ICWA/CS students covered · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  12. Government of Gujarat — MYSY scholarship portal (opens in a new tab) scheme portal; could not be opened on 24 Oct 2026, so no amounts are printed here

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and we will update it.