CLAT application, counselling fee ‘discriminatory’; NLU students launch e-petition for parity with JEE, NEET

Flagging the exorbitant and non-refundable CLAT application and counselling fee, student bar associations and marginalized communities empowerment clinics from the National Law Universities (NLUs) have launched an e-petition against the ‘unjust’ and ‘discriminatory’ fee currently charged by the consortium.

The move follows a formal representation made last year by several student organisations including the Savitribai Intersectional Study Circle (SISC) at NALSAR, NALSAR Student Bar Council, NLSIU’s Savitri Phule Ambedkar Caravan (SPAC), NLS Student Bar Association, DSNLU Student Bar Association, DNLU Student Council Association, and NLIU Bhopal SPAC.

The representation had called out the consortium of NLUs for its silence and inaction over the economic barrier imposed on CLAT applicants and selected candidates.

The two key demands of students are reduction of the CLAT application fee and revision of the counselling and seat confirmation fee structure. Currently, CLAT applicants must pay Rs 4,000 (Rs 3,500 for reserved categories) just to submit their application. In comparison, entrance exams like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main and the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) charge significantly less — around Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,700 respectively — despite being national level tests.

CLAT counselling fee

Moreover, students are charged Rs 30,000 (Rs 20,000 for reserved categories) as a first instalment to attend the counselling process. But if a candidate is then later allotted a seat, they are required to pay a further, entirely non-refundable Rs 20,000 confirmation fee.

The student group argued that not paying the fee in a rush results in the automatic loss of the seat, even if the first counselling fee was paid. Moreover, candidates who are not allotted a seat in an early round and wish to attend later rounds are required to pay this non-refundable confirmation fee anyway. If they are not allotted too, this massive sum is simply not refunded, unfairly putting a financial burden on the students.

Notably, a report by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), presented to the Supreme Court, had already criticized CLAT’s high application fees, stating that a fee of Rs 1,500 would be more appropriate. The MHRD termed it "egregious" that the Consortium was making profits of up to 90% on application forms.

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The organisations also pointed out that the counselling processes of other domains are also more student-friendly: Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and NEET counselling both employ refundable acceptance of seats or security deposits that are deducted against admission fees, with no upfront loss to the candidates.

“CLAT's non-refundable confirmation charge, coupled with stratospheric application fees and rigid payment schedules, adds up to a uniquely exclusionary system with no official system of fee waivers or financial aid,” they said.

Their e-petition calls for restructuring CLAT fees in line with other national entrance examinations, implementing fee waivers, and ending the practice of collecting non-refundable fees at early stages of the admission process.

CLAT exam is held for admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes offered in national law universities and other participating institutes.