AILET 2026 Reservation: Category Wise Seats, Fee Concession and Cutoff Relaxation

The AILET 2026 Reservation Policy is set and implemented exclusively by National Law University, Delhi (NLU Delhi) — the only institution AILET serves. Out of 110 Indian-national seats in the BA LLB (Hons.) programme, NLU Delhi reserves: SC – 15% (17 seats), ST – 7.5% (8 seats), OBC-NCL – 22% (24 seats), EWS – 10% (11 seats), and General/UR – ~45.5% (50 seats).

AILET 2026 Reservation Criteria

Unlike most law entrance exams that distribute seats across multiple universities (as CLAT does), AILET operates a single-institution reservation model — all reserved seats are at NLU Delhi only. The reservation framework follows constitutional mandates under Articles 15(4) and 16(4) of the Indian Constitution, supplemented by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and NLU Delhi’s own admissions policy for the 30% women’s horizontal reservation.

AILET 2026 does not have a State Quota. All 110 Indian-national BA LLB seats and approximately 71 LLM seats are part of the All India Quota at NLU Delhi — there is no domicile-based or state-specific reservation in this exam.

Unfilled reserved-category seats are transferred to the General/UR category and filled on merit if no eligible reserved-category student is available during the final counselling round.

How to Claim Reservation in AILET 2026

Claiming your reservation in AILET 2026 is a two-step process — you declare your category during the application, and you verify your documents in original only at the time of provisional admission.

• Step 1 – Select Your Category in the Application Form: While filling the AILET 2026 online application form on nationallawuniversitydelhi.in, select your correct reservation category (SC / ST / OBC-NCL / EWS / PwD / Kashmiri Migrant).
• Step 2 – Pay the Correct Application Fee: SC/ST/PwD students pay ₹1,500; SC/ST students from BPL families are fully exempt. General, OBC-NCL, and Kashmiri Migrant students pay ₹3,500.
• Step 3 – Upload BPL Certificate If Applicable: This is the only document to upload at the application stage — applicable only for SC/ST students claiming the full application fee exemption under BPL status. No other category certificate is uploaded at this stage.
• Step 4 – Appear for AILET and Check the Merit List: Your rank is generated within your declared category’s merit list after the exam and result declaration.
• Step 5 – Register for Counselling: If your rank falls within the category-wise cutoff, register for counselling on the official portal within the stipulated window.
• Step 6 – Produce Original Certificates at Provisional Admission: Bring original category certificates (caste / EWS / PwD certificate) to the NLU Delhi admissions office for in-person verification. No provisional admission is granted without the original certificate from the competent authority.

Warning: Selecting the wrong category in the application form can lead to disqualification. Your declared category cannot be changed after submission. Always verify the authenticity and validity of your certificate before applying.

AILET 2026 Reservation List

The table below lists all reservation categories recognised under AILET 2026, along with seat counts and applicable percentages in the BA LLB (Hons.) programme at NLU Delhi.

The total Indian-national seat intake for BA LLB (Hons.) is 110 seats. Including the 10 supernumerary seats for Foreign Nationals and OCI/PIO, the total programme intake is 120 seats in AILET 2026.

AILET 2026 Category-Wise Reservation

Here is a detailed breakdown of the reservation norms for each category under AILET 2026, including seat count, eligibility criteria, programme-wise distribution, and AILET 2026 closing ranks.

General / Unreserved (UR) Category

Economically Weaker Section (EWS)

EWS reservation applies to students from the General caste community not covered by any other reservation, whose family’s gross annual income is below ₹8 lakh and who do not own assets above the thresholds defined in the GoI circular on EWS reservation.

Other Backward Classes – Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL)

OBC students who fall within the creamy layer (annual family income above ₹8 lakh as per the GoI creamy-layer definition) are not eligible for OBC-NCL reservation and must apply under the General category.

Scheduled Caste (SC)

Scheduled Tribe (ST)

Persons with Disabilities (PwD)

A student applying as PwD within SC or ST benefits simultaneously from both vertical (SC/ST) and horizontal (PwD) reservation — her or his seat is counted within the SC or ST pool’s PwD sub-quota.

AILET 2026 Reservation for Girls

AILET 2026 implements a 30% horizontal reservation for women students across the entire seat intake at NLU Delhi — making it one of the few national law entrance exams with a statutory gender-based horizontal quota at the institution level.

This means at least 30% of all seats — including General/UR, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, and even Foreign Nationals/OCI/PIO seats — must be filled by female students in AILET 2026.

• The 30% women’s reservation is horizontal — it runs across all vertical categories, not as a separate category outside the main quota system.
• If women naturally secure more than 30% of seats through merit alone, the horizontal reservation does not reduce their intake — it only acts as a floor, not a ceiling.
• A female student from SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS is counted simultaneously under her vertical category AND within the women’s 30% horizontal floor.
• The 30% horizontal quota also extends to Foreign National and OCI/PIO seats, ensuring women make up at least 30% of those supernumerary intake spots as well.

There is no separate application or declaration process for the women’s reservation — your gender as declared in the AILET 2026 application form and supported by a valid identity proof at the time of admission is sufficient.

Note: The 30% women’s horizontal reservation at NLU Delhi applies uniformly — there is no state-wise distinction, no domicile requirement, and no income-based eligibility condition attached to it.

AILET 2026 Reservation for NRI / Foreign Nationals

AILET 2026 provides a separate supernumerary quota for Foreign Nationals, OCI (Overseas Citizen of India), and PIO (Person of Indian Origin) students — entirely outside the Indian-national reservation framework. These students are not required to appear for the AILET exam; their admission is based on merit in their qualifying examination (Class 12 or equivalent).

AILET does not have a traditional NRI quota (where Indian citizens studying abroad pay higher fees) — the NRI-equivalent provision is the Foreign National / OCI / PIO supernumerary quota described above.

Students who hold dual citizenship including Indian citizenship must apply as Indian nationals and appear for the AILET exam. Only those holding sole foreign-national citizenship are eligible for the Foreign National quota.

AILET 2026 Reservation Percentage

The following table gives a clean summary of category-wise reservation percentages applicable to Indian nationals at NLU Delhi under AILET 2026. These percentages are mandated by the Government of India’s constitutional reservation framework and, in the case of the women’s quota, by NLU Delhi’s own admissions policy.

AILET 2026 follows the standard GoI constitutional reservation mandate — SC 15%, ST 7.5%, OBC-NCL 22%, EWS 10% — with NLU Delhi’s additional institution-mandated 30% women’s horizontal reservation making it distinct from most other central university law admissions.

Documents Required for AILET 2026 Reservation

You do not need to upload your category certificate during the AILET 2026 online application. The only document you may need to upload at the application stage is the BPL (Below Poverty Line) certificate — applicable exclusively to SC/ST students claiming the full application fee exemption. All other category certificates are verified in original only at the time of provisional admission to NLU Delhi.

Important: No provisional admission will be granted if you fail to produce the original category certificate from the competent authority. The certificate must be in your own name — certificates in a parent’s, guardian’s, or spouse’s name are not accepted. It is entirely your responsibility to establish your eligibility for reservation at the time of admission.

Colleges Accepting AILET 2026

AILET 2026 scores and merit ranks are accepted exclusively at National Law University, Delhi (NLU Delhi). Unlike CLAT — which serves 24+ NLUs through a centralised counselling system — AILET is a proprietary entrance exam conducted solely by and for NLU Delhi. No other institution, private or government, participates in the AILET 2026 counselling or seat allotment process.

NLU Delhi was established in 2008 under the National Law University, Delhi Act, 2007, and is recognised as one of the premier national law universities in India. Admission to NLU Delhi’s BA LLB (Hons.) is among the most competitive law admissions in India — the General/UR category closing rank in Round 1 of AILET 2026 was just 61, meaning only the top 61 students in the all-India AILET merit list secured a seat in the General pool in the first round.

Students who do not secure admission to NLU Delhi through AILET but still wish to pursue law at a national law university should consider appearing for CLAT, which opens admissions to 24 other NLUs across India.

AILET Reservation 2026 – Important Points to Remember

• AILET is NLU Delhi-only: Unlike CLAT, AILET does not govern admissions at any other National Law University. Your reserved-category seat under AILET means a seat at NLU Delhi — not at any other NLU.
• Horizontal reservations are cumulative, not competing: A female SC/PwD student simultaneously benefits from SC vertical reservation, PwD horizontal reservation, and women’s horizontal reservation. Her seat is counted within the SC pool’s PwD sub-quota and simultaneously within the 30% women’s floor — she is not forced to "choose" one benefit.
• EWS certificate validity is financial-year-specific: Your EWS certificate must be issued on or after April 1, 2025 (covering FY 2025–26). A certificate from FY 2024–25 or earlier will not be accepted by NLU Delhi for AILET 2026 admissions — this catches many students off-guard.
• OBC-NCL certificate must be in your name: A parent’s or guardian’s OBC certificate does not suffice. The certificate must be in your own name and must explicitly state "Non-Creamy Layer." Creamy-layer OBC students are ineligible for the OBC-NCL category and must apply under General.
• No document upload at application stage (except BPL): Do not worry about getting your certificates ready before the AILET application deadline — except for the BPL certificate (for SC/ST fee-exempt students), all category certificates are verified in original at the time of provisional admission only.
• Seat conversion policy prevents wastage: Unfilled reserved-category seats (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS) after the final counselling round are converted to General/UR and filled by merit. This means a General student with a rank just above the initial General cutoff may still secure admission in a later round if reserved-category seats go unfilled.
• 30% women’s reservation is a floor, not a cap: Female students may occupy more than 30% of seats through open merit — the reservation ensures a minimum of 30% women across every category, not a ceiling on female admissions.
• AILET 2026 admissions cycle is complete: As of August 2026, all four counselling rounds are concluded and admissions for the 2026–27 batch at NLU Delhi are closed. For AILET 2027, the application window is expected to open around August 2026 — monitor nationallawuniversitydelhi.in for the official notification.