AP LAWCET 2026 ST Category Expected Cutoff: Marks and Closing Rank

AP LAWCET 2026 expected cutoff for the ST category is 30 to 40 marks out of 120, with closing ranks at top government law colleges projected between 50 and 300 based on 2024 and 2025 trends.

AP LAWCET 2026, conducted by the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), determines admission to 3-year LLB programmes across law colleges in Andhra Pradesh. Scheduled Tribe students benefit from reserved seats and a relaxed qualifying threshold, which means the competition pool is narrower than for open category students. Understanding the expected cutoff marks and college-wise closing ranks helps ST students make informed college choices before counselling opens.

• AP LAWCET total marks: 120 (one mark per question, no negative marking).
• Minimum qualifying marks for ST category: 30 marks (25% of 120).
• Expected marks range for admission at government colleges: 35 to 55 marks for ST students.
• Expected closing rank at top government law colleges for ST: 50 to 300.
• Official rank cards and counselling schedule are available at cets.apsche.ap.gov.in.

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About AP LAWCET 2026 ST Category Cutoff

AP LAWCET 2026 is a 120-mark objective test with no negative marking. Seats across all participating law colleges in Andhra Pradesh are distributed under Open Category (OC), Backward Classes (BC), Scheduled Caste (SC), and Scheduled Tribe (ST) quotas as per state reservation norms. ST students compete within their reserved pool, not against the full candidate base.

For ST students in AP LAWCET 2026, the cutoff works at two distinct levels: a qualifying marks threshold to enter counselling, and an admission closing rank which reflects the last rank at which a seat was allotted in a specific college during seat allotment. Meeting the qualifying marks does not guarantee a seat at a preferred college — the closing rank for that college must also be met.

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Qualifying Marks vs Admission Cutoff for ST Category

The table below shows the minimum qualifying marks required by each category in AP LAWCET 2026 to be eligible for counselling. These are fixed thresholds set by APSCHE and are separate from college-level admission closing ranks.

Scoring 30 marks qualifies an ST student for AP LAWCET 2026 counselling. However, students aiming for top government law colleges should target 40 marks or above to secure a competitive rank within the ST category pool.

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Previous Year ST Category Cutoff Data (2023–2025)

The table below presents AP LAWCET qualifying cutoff marks for the ST category over three recent years. The qualifying threshold has held steady, though admission closing ranks have shifted slightly year to year based on participation and seat availability.

The ST qualifying cutoff has remained at 30 marks across all three years. The admission-level closing rank — the rank at which the last ST seat is filled at a given college — is a separate figure that changes each counselling cycle and is published by APSCHE after each round.

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Expected Cutoff 2026 for ST Category

The projected marks range and closing rank estimates below are based on AP LAWCET 2024 and 2025 counselling data. These are expected figures; confirmed cutoffs will be released on the official APSCHE portal after each counselling round.

ST students who score between 40 and 60 marks in AP LAWCET 2026 are expected to have strong admission prospects at government law colleges in Andhra Pradesh. Students who score near the qualifying minimum of 30 marks are likely to find seats at private law colleges through the ST reserved quota, based on recent year trends.

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College-wise Expected Closing Rank for ST Students

The table below shows projected closing ranks for the ST category at major government law colleges in Andhra Pradesh. All figures are expected estimates derived from AP LAWCET 2024 and 2025 counselling data and will vary in 2026.

ST students with a rank below 200 in AP LAWCET 2026 are expected to have strong prospects at their first-choice government law college. Students with ST ranks between 200 and 700 should widen their college preference list to include additional government colleges and private aided institutions with available ST seats.

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Factors Affecting AP LAWCET 2026 Cutoff for ST Category

The final AP LAWCET 2026 ST cutoff is shaped by several variables that shift from one year to the next:

• Total number of ST applicants — higher ST participation increases competition for reserved seats and tightens closing ranks at popular colleges.
• ST seat intake per college — any change in sanctioned intake directly affects how many ST students each college can admit through counselling.
• Difficulty of AP LAWCET 2026 — an easier paper pushes more students into higher score bands, raising the admission cutoff; a tougher paper has the opposite effect.
• Number of counselling rounds — closing ranks for ST often ease in later rounds as unfilled seats are carried forward and more students get a chance.
• College preference patterns — when top-ranked ST students concentrate demand on a few colleges, those colleges see lower (tighter) closing ranks while less-preferred colleges remain more accessible.