Both NLS Bangalore and NLU Delhi have their share of advantages and disadvantages. Here I will be listing some of them, to give you a better picture overall.

Advantages of studying at NLS Bangalore –

• Located in Bangalore, it gets all the advantages of being surrounded by opportunities.
• NLS Bangalore was the first law school with a five-year course in the country. They have a top-notch alumni network.
• It is the most recognized law school in the country.

Disadvantages

• Admission to NLS Bangalore is very difficult.
• Bangalore is not the center of law in India, unlike Delhi. You may have less opportunity to make your mark, as you might get overshadowed by others.

Advantages of studying at NLU Delhi –

• It is a new and more dynamic law school.
• Delhi is the best location for a law school. You have the Supreme Court, the High Court well as the District Courts. It is the seat of government and the parliament is situated there.
• You have all the law firms and best lawyers to intern under. Most of your seminars and conferences would be held nearby.

Disadvantages –

• NLU Delhi was established in 2008 and hardly has any legacy to boast of.
• Delhi is not exactly known for its professional culture, whereas law as a profession is very professional and demanding.

One thing you should keep in mind is that while your institute of education makes some difference, the difference is never so big that you cannot overcome it with your hard work. 

CLAT cutoff for the NLSIU basically depends on various factors, one of which is the difficulty level of the paper. Yet, for being on the safe side, you should expect nothing less than 155+ in case the paper is easy and no less than 140+ in case the paper is difficult.

The recent cutoff trend for CLAT is:

However, you should not go by the expected score to get into NLSIU. Work hard no matter whatever the difficulty level of the paper is.

Over the years, the cut-off varies a great deal between 115 to 160. It depends on the difficulty level of the paper set. Moreover, your focus should be on the rank rather than the score. 

You should be able to obtain a higher rank than others in order to secure admission to the top 3 law schools. The cut-off for CLAT (2015) was 125 whereas for CLAT (2020) was 153. Start working in the right direction and you shall achieve it. Try scoring a 140+, as it will keep you on the safer side.

For the students of the first year who are studying in NLSIU, it is compulsory for them to stay in hostels. However, the option of going home on weekends will always be open for them. Just fill up a permission form and you are good to go. Someone I know used to be a student of NLSIU and she and her batchmates used to visit their families this way.

If you live in Bangalore, you can travel from your house to the institute without asking for permission.

After you have completed your first year you will be able to live off-campus. Knowing the busy traffic of Bangalore, it may get difficult to travel to and from the campus.

This is not allowed in NALSAR, though. You will have to spend the entirety of your course in the hostels.

NLSIU picks the crème-de la crème of the aspiring students and people put in a year or two just to prepare for CLAT to crack the top list. It is not possible for you to prepare just in a month and crack the top 75 in CLAT.

However, if you still do want to try, do the following things and add a little confidence in yourself and you might just win this one:

• Sign up for the test series.
• Take regular mock tests
• Analyze your results and work on areas that you are weak in
• DO NOT take up any crash course, they are not very helpful
• Study for not less than 14 hours in a day
• Focus on Logical and Legal questions
• Read explanations to all the answers where you go wrong
• Attempt more questions that are similar to the ones you get incorrect
• Revise difficult concepts daily and not-so-difficult concepts once a week
• Practice with a lot of mock tests and get guidance from someone who has recently appeared for the exam, get insights, and incorporate them in your prep strategy.

Work hard and you might just pull it off!

One of my friends studied at NLU. According to him, life at NLU was challenging. It was not difficult but challenging in a way that the beliefs he had changed gradually. It helped him learn things about himself and evolve. He learned that life in a hostel is what someone makes of it.

• The hostels of NLU Delhi feel more like a boarding school as there are restrictions galore, not only in the form of timings of entry and exit but for the hostels in entirety. 
• NLU suffers from the lack of sporting culture and sufficient facilities for sports. Other than for volleyball, basketball and to some extent for badminton also.
• Due to the attitude of the administration, it is difficult to play football and cricket.
• The library of NLU is very good and it allows a lot of subscriptions for students who have various interests. 
• The library also provides room for legal research and learning which is enviable.
• There are hardly any events in the institute. Students usually head out of campus for having fun.

Speaking about NALSAR and NLSIU, both their campus extra-curricular activities are much more vibrant than NLU Delhi. However, both institutes have a competitive environment for study and also have a lot to offer, unlike NLU Delhi.

Since your first preference was RMNLU, and if your scores match up to the criteria followed by the institute, then it is likely that you will secure a seat at RML. The seats at NLSIU also partially are considered important as well. 

The counseling (also known as the seat allotment process) is patterned in a way that students secure seats as per their preferred choice. NLSIU is a highly sought-after institute and it is the first preference for many students. 

Now, there are around 80 seats available at NLSIU including the seats for reserve category students. So, if your rank is within AIR 80~85, there is a good chance that you will secure a seat at NLSIU. 

However, if you have an AIR of around 65 and keep NLSIU as your 2nd preference then you will certainly get RMNLU and will be out of the race for NLSIU.