Kerala, the state with the highest literacy rate, has 38 colleges that offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in law. There are 22 private and 16 public law colleges in Kerala
- The list of top law colleges in Kerala includes the Cochin Institute of Science and Technology, Mahatma Gandhi University and the Central University of Kerala.
- Two law colleges in Kerala provide part-time degrees.
- Some of the colleges in Kerala are among the best law colleges in India.
Top Law Colleges in Kerala: Rankings
There are various agencies in India that rank colleges and universities of India in terms of their infrastructure, faculty, placements, and curriculum, etc. Some of the most reputed and trustworthy agencies are NIRF, Outlook India, The Week, QS Ranking, JagranJosh etc.
Top Law Colleges in Kerala: NIRF Ranking
National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a ranking agency approved by MHRD and hence is one of the most trustworthy ranking agencies of India. NIRF Ranking are based on these 5 major parameters:

NIRF has released 2020 rankings and following are the top law colleges in Kerala listed in the overall list.
Name of the institute | NIRF Ranking 2020 | NIRF Ranking 2019 | Change | Average Annual Fees |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mahatma Gandhi University | 49 | 49 | 0 | - |
Cochin University of Science and Technology | 89 | 94 | +5 | INR 26,815 |
Central University of Kerala | 101-150 | 101-150 | 0 | INR 18,720 |
As per NIRF rankings, there are 3 law colleges in Kerala that appear in the topmost colleges of India.
- Mahatma Gandhi University is the best law college in Kerala providing a bachelor's and masters in law. This institute is ranked at number 49 among all the top colleges in India
- Other top law colleges in Kerala are CUSAT and Central University of Kerala.
- The Central University of Kerala has shown the greatest improvement as compared to last year's rankings.
Top Law Colleges in Kerala: QS Ranking
QS World University ranking is an annual publication that comprises overall, subject wise and location wise rankings of top universities. Following are the QS rankings for top law colleges in Kerala:
Name of the institute | All India Rank 2019 | All India Rank 2018 | Change | Average Annual Fees |
---|---|---|---|---|
University of Kerala | 47 | 51-55 | +4 | INR 4,720 |
Cochin University of Science and Technology | 51-55 | 75-100 | +20 | INR 26,815 |
There are two colleges in Kerala that appear in the QS world ranking.
- Best law college in Kerala, according to QS ranking, is University of Kerala having rank 47 among all colleges in India
- Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is also among the top law colleges in Kerala.
Top Law Colleges in Kerala: Jagran Josh Ranking
Name of the institute | State Rank 2019 | Average Annual Fees |
---|---|---|
Cochin University of Science and Technology | 1 | INR 26,815 |
Government Law College, Kozhikode | 2 | INR 20,000 |
Central University of Kerala | 3 | INR 18,720 |
Jagran Josh ranks colleges all over India and also provides a state-wise ranking of the colleges.
- According to Jagran Josh Ranking, CUSAT is the best law college in Kerala.
- It is followed by Government Law College and the Central University of Kerala.
Top Law Colleges in Kerala: Admission Process
There are 38 law colleges in Kerala that provide degrees like LLB, LLM, BALLB, etc. Among these 22 are private colleges and 16 are public colleges.

A total of 37 colleges provide full-time undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in law in Kerala. One of the institutes provides both full time as well as a part-time degree and one institute provides only a part-time law degree.
Cochin University, School of Legal Studies
School of legal studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology is among the best law colleges of Kerala as ranked by various ranking agencies. This institute provides 5 law courses consisting of bachelor's, masters and integrated courses. Following are the courses offered by School of Legal Studies, CUSAT:
- LLB
- BCom LLB
- BBA LLB
- LLM
- PhD in Law
Eligibility to take admission in integrated courses is minimum 60% marks in class 10+2
- To take admission in LLM, one needs to get the LLB degree first.
- The CUSAT CAT is going to be conducted on July 27-28 in 2020 for admission in all courses.
- The average annual fee for law courses in CUSAT is INR 26,815.
Government Law College, Kozhikode
As the name suggests, the college is a public institution providing only law degrees. This top law college in Kerala is affiliated by Calicut University. Government Law College (GLC), Kozhikode provide 3 law courses and they are:
- LLB 3 Years
- LLB 5 Years
- LLM
The LLB 5 years is an integrated degree consisting of two degrees i.e. BA (Bachelors of Arts) and LLB (Bachelors of Law).
- LLM is the 2 years postgraduate degree in law and LLB is a 3-year graduate degree in law.
- For all the three courses offered by GLC, there are 50 seats.
- The admission in GLC is carried out through a common admission process carried out by the Office of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE).
- The fee for graduate degree courses is INR 20,000 per annum and the fee for LLM is INR 3,000 per semester.
National University of Advanced Legal Studies
National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) is the only national law university in the state of Kerala.
- NUALS provides a 5-year integrated degree, L.L.M., and Ph.D. in Law. Moreover, it provides some certificate courses as well.
- Any student who needs to take admission in this university has to first register and appear for the CLAT examination after completing 10+2.
- The 5-year B.A.L.L.B. has 60 seats among which 31 seats are for all India category and remaining are Kerala state category.
- Further, it is pertinent to mention that all the reservations (SC, ST, and SEBC) are for students of Kerala only.
- In addition to these 60 seats, 6 seats are reserved for NRI students and 2 seats are reserved for international students.
- The fee for the B.A.L.L.B. The course in NUALS is INR 2,02,800 per annum.
- The L.L.M. course offered by NUALS is a one-year course only and the admission to this course is also subject to the merit obtained in the CLAT exam.
- Similar to B.A.L.L.B. the proportion of seats reserved is the same; however, the number of seats for L.L.M. is 40 only.
- To attend L.L.M. in NUALS, the annual fee is INR 1,25,000.
Central University of Kerala
Central University of Kerala (CUK) is another top law college in Kerala offering masters in Law. The department of Law of the Central University of Kerala is committed to serving quality education to the law aspirants.
- CUK offers LLM program is 4 specializations and they are Constitutional law, Administrative law, Commercial law, and Criminal law.
- In each semester, students have to study 5 subjects consisting of two compulsory, one elective and two specialization wise subjects to complete these 72 credits.
- The fee for the LLM course at the Central University of Kerala is INR 18,720.
Top Law Colleges in Kerala: Entrance Exam Wise
Various law entrance exams are conducted every year on the national level like CLAT (Common Law Admission Test), LSAT India (Law School Admission Test), AIBE (All India Bar Exam), etc. Moreover, the Kerala government also conducts a state level entrance exam for admission in public law colleges in Kerala.
Top Law Colleges in Kerala Accepting KLEE Score
KLEE (Kerala Law Entrance Exam) is a state-level entrance exam conducted by the Office of CEE (Commission of Entrance Examination) for admissions in five years integrated L.L.B., Three Year L.L.B. and L.L.M. programs offered by public and private law colleges in Kerala.
Some of the top law colleges of Kerala accepting KLEE scores are:
- Government law college, Kozhikode
- Kerala Law Academy
- Government law college, Tiruchirapalli
- KMCT law college
- Government law college, Ernakulam
The KLEE cut-off rank 2019 (for five years BA LLB) for some of the top law colleges in Kerala are:
Name of the college | General Cutoff | SC Cutoff | ST Cutoff | BH Cutoff | DV Cutoff |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Government law college, Kozhikode | 296 | 1397 | 6033 | 448 | 940 |
Government Law College, Ernakulam | 141 | 1612 | 5489 | 261 | 178 |
Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram | 160 | 1424 | 5807 | 432 | 216 |
KMCT Law College | 1588 | 3447 | - | 3148 | 3480 |
Government Law College, Ernakulam is the top law college in Kerala that has the lowest acceptance rate and has a great competition for admission in a five year integrated course.
Top Law Colleges in Kerala Accepting CLAT Score
CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is a national level entrance exam conducted by National law schools for admission in various law courses. CLAT is conducted to grant admission to students in LLB and LLM programs offered by 21 NLUs, 53 private colleges and other participating colleges.
- There is no age limit to apply for the exam. Candidates appearing or having qualified class 12 with 45% marks (40% for SC, ST) satisfy CLAT 2020 Eligibility for LLB program.
- The consortium of NLUs has changed CLAT 2020 Exam Pattern. The number of questions will be reduced from 200 to 150.
- Yes, from 2020 onwards, the examination will be conducted in pen-paper mode, i.e. offline mode. Earlier, the examination was conducted in computer-based mode.
Following are some of the top law colleges in Kerala accepting CLAT scores:
- Cochin University of Science and Technology
- National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi
Top Law Colleges in Kerala: Course Wise
Students may wish to pursue Undergraduate or Postgraduate courses from top law colleges in Kerala. Here is the list of course-wise law colleges
Top Law Colleges in Kerala Providing L.L.B.
L.L.B. is a 3- year law degree provided by most of the law colleges in India. The minimum qualification required to take admission in the L.L.B. The course is a graduate degree. Below are some of the top law colleges in Kerala providing L.L.B degree:
- Cochin University of Science and Technology
- Government Law College
- National University of Advanced Legal Studies
Top Law Colleges in Kerala Providing B.A. L.L.B.
B.A. L.L.B. is an integrated program scheduled in 10 semesters for providing two degrees i.e. BA and L.L.B. This is a 5-year course in which admission can be secured after completing 10+2. Following colleges provide the B.A. L.L.B. degree in Kerala:
- National University of Advanced Legal Studies
- Mahatma Gandhi University
- Government Law College
In addition to B.A. L.L.B., there are few other integrated degrees like B.Com L.L.B., BBA L.L.B., B.A. L.L.B. (Hons.), etc. Some of the law colleges in Kerala providing dual degree course are:
- Cochin University of Science and Technology
- Mahatma Gandhi University
Most of the top law colleges in Kerala provide admission in an integrated degree course by securing a minimum of 45% in 10+2 examination and clearing the entrance exam accepted by the institute.
Top Law Colleges in Kerala Providing L.L.M.
L.L.M. is a master’s degree in the field of law. To take admission to L.L.M., one needs to qualify the L.L.B. degree and appear in the entrance exam (usually CLAT). The L.L.M. programs can vary from a period of 1 year to 2 years. Most of the colleges provide 2-years L.L.M. degrees. Here are some of the top law colleges in Kerala providing L.L.M. degree:
- National University of Advanced Legal Studies
- Central University of Kerala
- University of Kerala
- Cochin University of Science and Technology
- Government Law College
Also, Check
- Top Law Colleges in Tamil Nadu
- Top Law Colleges in Andhra Pradesh
- Top Law Colleges in Odisha
- Top Law Colleges in Karnataka
Top Law Colleges in Kerala: FAQs
Ques. How many colleges are there in Kerala providing law degrees?
Ans. There are 38 colleges in Kerala providing various law degrees.
Ques. Which is the best college in Kerala for pursuing an L.L.B. degree?
Ans. Based on various factors, Cochin University of Science and Technology can be considered as the best college in Kerala
Ques. Which entrance exam should we appear to take admission in CUSAT?
Ans. CUSAT conducts its entrance exam, named as CUSAT CAT, every year to admit students in all courses.
Ques. Can one take admission L.L.B. after completing the 12th?
Ans. No, L.L.B. is a graduate degree that can be completed after completing any undergraduate degrees like BA, BBA, and B.Com, etc.
Ques. Can I take admission to NUALS directly after the 12th?
Ans. No, NUALS is a national university that offers admission in BA LLB based on the CLAT score. In addition to 12th scores, one needs to clear CLAT as well.
Ques. Is appearing in KLEE necessary to take admission in Government Law College?
Ans. Yes, KLEE is necessary to take admission in top public law colleges in Kerala. Every government law college in Kerala provides admission based on the KLEE score.
Ques. Do NUALS accept KLEE scores?
Ans. No, NUALS only accepts the CLAT score for admissions.
Ques. Is there any law college in Kerala providing an integrated BA LLB degree?
Ans. Yes, many top law colleges in Kerala provide a 5-year integrated course of BA LLB. Some of the colleges are:
- Cochin University of Science and Technology
- National University of Advanced Legal Studies
- Government Law College