Student leaders from National Law Universities (NLUs) across India have yet again called on the Consortium of National Law Universities (CLAT Consortium) to act on their long-standing demands to change the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) fee structure.
These students have made many submissions over the past year, but claim that the Consortium has not acknowledged or responded in any formal way, fueling growing frustration among law students and aspirants.
The new petition, coordinated by the Cross-NLU Initiative, a collective platform uniting student associations from multiple NLUs, highlights growing concerns about the financial and administrative barriers faced by candidates, particularly those from economically disadvantaged families, India Today reports.
This is the third such submission made by the students.
Earlier submissions ignored
The first submission, dated November 16, 2024, highlighted the significant cost of participating in the counselling procedure.
It was highlighted that candidates will be required to pay a non-refundable confirmation fee of Rs 20,000 and a counselling charge of Rs 30,000 (Rs 20,000 for reserved category students), which may deter many applications.
On July 28, 2025, a second representation was delivered to the CLAT Consortium, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Bar Council of India (BCI), and the Ministry of Law and Justice.
It requested a review of the current application fee structure, which stands at Rs 4,000 for general category candidates and Rs 3,500 for those in reserved categories, and urged the implementation of need-based waivers.
The statement was supported by an online petition signed by over 1,800 stakeholders, including law students, teachers, and alumni.
On September 2, 2025, the student representatives made their third request for a virtual meeting with the Consortium's Executive Body.
They requested a discussion with student-nominated representatives from NLUs on the proposed improvements and potential alternatives to the current fee system.
However, no meeting or written response has been received so far.
Acknowledge our petitions, students demand
The Cross-NLU Initiative stated that the representations were made in good faith and supported by data and comparative models from other national-level admission examinations.
The students stated that their proposals aim to ensure that the CLAT examination and admission process remain transparent, equitable, and financially accessible to all aspirants.
They requested that the CLAT Consortium formally acknowledge the pending submissions and begin a consultative process to revise the fee structure.
