CLAT Counselling 2023 - 5th Provisional List (OUT)

🔎 Reader's Digest - Is CLAT counselling fee refundable? How many students are invited for CLAT counselling? Get answers to all these questions related the counselling from this blog post. 

The Consortium of NLUs listed the CLAT 2023 Counselling process instructions on the official website on December 28 2022. 

The CLAT Counselling 2023 process is conducted for the participating institutes' LLB and LLM programs. Those who will score above the cut-off in the CLAT 2023 must register for counselling by visiting the official website of NLU.

All qualified applicants will get an email invitation to participate in the Admissions Counselling Process at their registered email address.

This post takes you through all the detailed information about CLAT Counselling 2023.

Latest Update -

• The fifth provisional list was out on June 15, 2023, at 10:30 A.M. 
• The National Law University, Tripura (“NLU, Tripura”) has informed the Consortium of National Law Universities that it shall not participate in the CLAT Counselling Process 2023-24.
• Hence, all those participating in the CLAT Counselling Process 2023 must note that NLU, Tripura, shall be removed from the preferences indicated by them.

Download FREE Study Material for CLAT Exam by LegalEdge

CLAT Counselling Dates 2023

Check out the table below to know all the important events related to the CLAT Counselling process:

Event	Dates
CLAT Result Declaration 📋	December 23, 2022
CLAT Counselling Registration Start Date 📝	December 28, 2022, 6:00 P.M.
CLAT Counselling Registration End Date 📅	January 12, 2023, 6:00 P.M.
Last Date for Payment of the Counselling Fee ⏰	January 12, 2023, 6:00 P.M.
Publication of the 1st Allotment List 📜	January 18, 2023, 10:30 A.M.
Payment of Confirmation Fee by NLUs for the 1st Allotment List 💰	January 18, 2023, 10:30 A.M. to January 22, 2023, 10:30 P.M.
Publication of the 2nd Allotment List 📜	January 27, 2023, 10:30 A.M.
Payment of Confirmation Fee by NLUs for the 2nd Allotment List 💰	January 27, 2023, 10:30 A.M. to January 31, 2023, 10:30 P.M.
Payment of University Fee (Candidates Chosen the Freeze Option) 💸	May 20, 2023, 11:59 P.M.
Publication of 3rd Allotment List 📜	May 25, 2023, 10:30 A.M.
Payment of Confirmation Fee by NLUs for the 3rd Allotment List 💰	May 25, 2023, 10:30 A.M. to May 30, 2023, 10:30 P.M.
Publication of the 4th Allotment List 📜	June 05, 2023, 10:30 A.M.
Payment of Confirmation Fee by NLUs for the 4th Allotment List 💰	June 05, 2023, 10:30 A.M. to June 10, 2023, 10:30 P.M.
Publication of the 5th and Final List 📜	June 15, 2023, 10:30 A.M.
Payment of Balance University Fee for Freeze Option 💸	June 15, 2023, 10:30 A.M. to June 20, 2023, 10:30 P.M.

CLAT Counselling Remarks 2023

• You must pay Rs. 30,000/-to block the seat for the General category/ Rs. 20,000/- for ST/ SC/ OBC/ BC/ EWS/ PWD (Based on the All India Category) and other reservation candidates. 
• Filling up of preferences (Minimum of five preferences should be filled)
• Only students registered for counselling will be considered (All NLUs are to verify the documents and accept the candidate after receiving the fee at their end. Update the details online as 'Accepted' or 'Not Accepted' with reasons.)

Check: CLAT Result 2023

How to Register for CLAT 2023 Counselling?

There are TWO stages to the CLAT 2023 registration process: Filling in your NLU Preference and paying the counselling fee.

STEP 1: Fill out your NLU Preference

• Visit CLAT's official webpage.
• Use your registered cellphone number and password to log in.
• In your login account, go to Counselling Registration and Fee Payment.
• Give at least five choices for NLUs you want to be admitted to.

Important points to remember about CLAT NLU preference:

• You are encouraged to choose NLUs carefully after evaluating all alternatives, such as the number of seats available at each law school and their CLAT scores and rank.
• You will not be considered for admission to any other NLU than your chosen one.
• If you choose any five NLUs, they will be allowed to compete only in those five NLUs, not in the remaining NLUs, even if seats are available in the remaining NLUs, and the candidate may be able to earn a seat based on ranking. To be on the safe side, it is recommended that all 22 institutions be selected.
• You are asked to scrutinize all choices, grades, and ranks before submitting your preferences. After you've submitted your selections, you won't be able to change them. 
• You will only be considered for NLUs for which they have indicated a preference.
• To confirm and continue, click the 'Submit' button.

Check: CLAT Cut off 2023

Suggested Preference List

Mentioned below is the suggested preference list for the CLAT college as ranked by our experienced mentor-

1. NLSIU, Bangalore	12. DSNLU, Visakhapatnam
2. NALSAR, Hyderabad	13. NUSRL, Ranchi
3. WBNUJS, Kolkata	14. MNLU, Nagpur
4. NLIU, Bhopal	15. CNLU, Patna
5. NLU, Jodhpur	16. NUALS, Kochi
6. GNLU, Gandhinagar	17. DNLU, Jabalpur
7. RMLNLU, Lucknow	18.TNNLS, Tiruchirappalli
8. NLU, Orissa	19. NLUJAA, Guwahati
9. HNLU, Raipur	20. MNLU, Aurangabad
10. MLNU, Mumbai	21. HPNLU, Shimla
11. RGNUL, Patiala	22. DBRANLU, Haryana

STEP 2: Pay the CLAT Counselling fee

• You have to pay Rs. 30,000 (general) / INR 20,000 (reserved) category as a counselling fee online by choosing any of the following options.
• The fee payment can be made only online via debit/credit card or NEFT.
• If paying through a debit/credit card, be ready with the card details, such as the name of the cardholder, validity, and CCV. Fill in all the details in the payment gateway and make the payment.
• If paying through NEFT, you must log in to your registered Bank with your username and password. Select the 'Add' option and enter the beneficiary name, account number, address, and interbank transfer limit in the fields.
• You are advised to take a printout of the fee payment proof for security purposes, which might help during the refund.
• You should note that the application fee, once paid, will not be refunded under any circumstances.

Check CLAT Marks vs Rank

Important Points to Consider about CLAT Counselling Fee 

• Payments must be made solely over the Internet. You are encouraged not to wait until the last minute to make payments to minimise payment-related difficulties.
• Any payment-related difficulties will not be the responsibility of the Consortium. You must wait till you see the notification "Payment Successful."
• Payment requests received beyond the deadline due to transaction problems or other reasons will be ignored.
• Only those applicants who complete the counselling registration procedure will be considered for seat allocation.
• If you do not complete/participate in the counselling registration process will be excluded.
• If you are over and above the intake will be invited and registered for the Counselling Process; thus, simply registering for the Counselling Process will not guarantee you a place.
• If you did not get an invitation to the counselling process in the first round may be summoned in subsequent rounds if openings in that category occur.

CLAT Counselling Fee Refund Policy

• If you do not get a seat after the release of Five Lists by the Consortium, the total amount paid (30,000 or 20,000) will be refunded to you without any deduction.
• If you choose to exit the counselling process OR do not accept any of the seats offered in any of the first Four Lists notified by the Consortium, an amount of (30,000 or 20,000) will be refunded.
• After the fourth list, if you withdraw, the consortium will deduct Rs. 5,000/- (Rs. Five Thousand Only) from the Counselling fee as a penalty for blocking the seat and putting the awaiting candidates at a disadvantage.
• If you are found ineligible based on the documents/information they provided, an amount of Rs. 5,000/ will be deducted, and the balance will be refunded.

Check: Legal Reasoning Questions for CLAT 2024

Documents Required for CLAT Counselling

For the UG/LLB Programme: 

• 10th or equivalent marks statement 
• 12th or equivalent marks statement
• Admit Card 
• Character Certificate / Conduct Certificate
• Transfer / Migration Certificate
• Caste Certificate (SC/ST/OBC etc.) if applied and allotted under the Reserved Category
• PWD Certificate, if applied and allotted under the PWD category 
• Domicile / Residence Certificate, if applied and allotted under domicile/resident category seats
• Any other supporting document to claim your seat for the category you have applied (Ex: Wards of Serving/Retired Defence Personnel, EWS certificate, Sons/daughters of Ex-servicemen/Defence service personnel, etc.)

For the PG/LLM Program:

• 10th or equivalent marks statement 
• 12th or equivalent marks statement
• Admit Card
• Marks Statements of LL.B. / B.L. or equivalent Degree
• Character Certificate / Conduct Certificate 
• Transfer / Migration Certificate
• Caste Certificate (SC/ST/OBC etc.) if applied and allotted under the Reserved Category
• PWD Certificate, if applied and allotted under the PWD category
• Domicile / Residence Certificate, if applied and allotted under domicile/resident category seats
• Any other supporting document to claim your seat for the category you have applied (Ex: Wards of Serving/Retired Defence Personnel, EWS certificate, Sons/daughters of Ex-servicemen/Defence service personnel, etc.)

Check: CLAT Passage Solving Questions for Critical Reasoning

CLAT Seat Allotment List

The Consortium releases five counselling lists, one after the other. However, in the last year, Consortium has released only three counselling lists to fulfil their intake.

1 - First Provisional Seat Allotment List

The consortium will provide the first provisional seat allotment list, including only those applicants who have completed the counselling registration process as outlined above. If you are on the First List will have THREE options, as mentioned below:

a) Accept the Allotted Seat (Lock Seat) ✅ - In these options, you can lock the seat you have been offered, confirm the seat, and debar to shift your choice to any other NLU in the current counselling round. This option is activated every counselling round after the publication of the symptomatic seat allotment list.

b) Apply for Upgrade 🔁 - This option is made open to you in the second round of counselling. Also, this option applies to only those who have participated in the first round and have not yet locked their seats. The seats are given to you automatically in the event of a vacancy in your selected NLU. However, it is based on your selection from the following allotment list.

c) Exit from CLAT Admission Process 🚪 - If you opt to quit the admission process, you will forfeit your present seat. Also, you will not be considered for allocation in the following lists. There is an option to withdraw the fee in two ways, as mentioned below.  

2 - Second Provisional Seat Allotment List

Only those applicants who have completed the counselling procedure will be considered for the 2nd provisional seat allotment list, which Consortium will release. If you are given seats for the first time in the Second List, those who requested Upgrade in the prior list will have the options listed below.

• Accept the seat that has been assigned to you (Locking the Seat)
• Apply Upgrade Request
• Exiting the CLAT application procedure

3 - Third Provisional Seat Allotment List

Only those applicants who have completed the counselling procedure will be considered for the 3rd provisional seat allotment list, which Consortium will release. If you are given seats for the first time in the Third List, those who requested an upgrade in the prior list will have the options listed below.

• Accept the seat that has been assigned to you (Locking the Seat)
• Apply Upgrade Request
• Exiting the CLAT application procedure

4 - Fourth Provisional Seat Allotment List

Only those applicants who have completed the counselling procedure will be considered for the 4th provisional seat allotment list, which Consortium will release. If you are given seats for the first time in the Fourth List, those who requested for Upgrade in the prior list will have the options listed below.

• Accept the seat that has been assigned to you (Locking the Seat)
• Apply Upgrade Request
• Exiting the CLAT application procedure

5 - Fifth Provisional Seat Allotment List

Only those applicants who have completed the counselling procedure will be considered for the 5th provisional seat allotment list, which Consortium will release. If you are given seats for the first time in the Fifth List, those who requested Upgrade in the prior list will have the options listed below.

• Accept the seat that has been assigned to you (Locking the Seat)
• Exiting the CLAT application procedure

Note:

• Suppose you do not apply any of the choices mentioned above, i.e., (a), (b), or (c), within the given period. In that case, they will be deemed uninterested in the admission process, and their candidacy will be rejected. Such a candidate will lose their seat and be dropped from counselling.
• Upgrade requests from past years will be considered if the price has been paid and the procedures have been fulfilled at the designated NLU on the lists.
• Those who did not receive an allocation on this CLAT merit list will have to wait for the next one.

Closure of Admission by Consortium of NLUs 

1. You must visit the Consortium website regularly for updates.
2. You must also visit the websites of member NLUs for details about the fee to be paid and the documents to be submitted for acceptance of their candidature.
3. You must check the individual NLU websites for further vacancies after the closure of the fifth list by the Consortium. Admission against vacancies, if any, shall be made by individual NLUs strictly by the CLAT-2023 Merit List.

Note - Any such candidate who fails to pay their balance University Fees by this date will be deemed to have chosen the Exit option and will forfeit their seat and the Confirmation Fee, and will receive a refund of the Counselling Registration Fee after a deduction of Rs. 5,000/- (Rupee Five thousand only).

How to Raise Grievances Against CLAT 2023 Admissions Counselling Process?

The Consortium of National Law Universities constitutes a Grievance Redressal Committee to receive and respond to any grievances.

You may only file a grievance regarding the first two rounds of the CLAT 2023 Admissions Counselling Process.

Grievances against the Admissions Counselling Process may be raised ONLY by candidates who have completed the registration process and paid the Counselling Registration Fee for the CLAT 2023 Admissions Counselling Process conducted by the Consortium.

You can file the grievances between 5:00 P.M. on Saturday, March 18, 2023, and 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Here is the process of raising grievances:

1. Login to your CLAT account.
2. Click the ‘Submit Grievance’ button.
3. State the nature of your grievance.
4. Describe your grievance (max. 1,000 characters).
5. Upload supporting documents.
6. Click the Submit button.

Conclusion

In conclusion, CLAT Counselling 2023 is a crucial phase for aspiring law students, determining their admission to prestigious NLUs. Understanding the process and making informed decisions can greatly impact their future legal education. Here are the key takeaways:

• CLAT counselling involves seat allotment, choice locking, and upgrade options.
• Counselling fees may or may not be refundable, depending on the circumstances.
• Students are invited for counselling based on their CLAT ranks.
• The main options are accepting the allotted seat, applying for an upgrade, or exiting the admission process.
• Seat allocation is based on availability and preferences from the allotment list.

By keeping these key takeaways in mind, candidates can navigate CLAT counselling effectively, securing their desired seats and paving the way for a successful legal career. Good luck!