As of February 1, 2026, the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) is moving into the final stages of the second-round admission cycle. Candidates who received an allotment in the merit list published on January 22 are now in the middle of the decision-making window. To secure their position, students must log in to their CLAT 2026 portal and select one of the three available responses: Freeze, Float, or Exit.

• Freeze: Chosen by candidates satisfied with their current allocation who wish to lock their seat and exit further rounds.
• Float: Selected by those who accept the current seat but hope for an upgrade to a higher-preference NLU in the third-round or later.
• Exit: A final choice for those who wish to withdraw from the entire 2026 counselling process.

Failure to exercise one of these responses before the specified cut-off will result in the automatic forfeiture of the allotted seat.

Mandatory Fees and Submission Deadlines

To formalize the "Freeze" or "Float" status, a non-refundable confirmation-fee of ₹20,000 must be paid online. This amount serves as a security deposit and will eventually be adjusted against the total university fees at the time of final admission. The consortium has emphasized that payments must be made strictly through the integrated payment gateway on the official website to ensure real-time verification.

The consortium has alerted candidates that the window for the second-round confirmation typically closes exactly one week after the list release. For the current session, while the primary payment window ended on January 29, many NLUs are now conducting internal document verification for those who successfully paid the confirmation-fee.

Conclusion

With the third-round allotment scheduled for February 5, the current week is vital for administrative finalization at the participating law schools. Candidates who have opted for the "Float" option are advised to keep their original documents ready, as an upgrade in the next list will require a fresh round of online verification. It is also important to note that the consortium will not allow any changes to the NLU preference list at this stage. Stay tuned to the official notification page for the upcoming release of the third-round cut-off ranks and further instructions on university-specific reporting.