If you're in Class 11 or 12 and already know you want to study law, you don't have to wait for a graduation degree first. The 5-year integrated law course lets you start right after school.
This guide explains what the course is, who can apply, which entrance exams to prepare for, what you'll study, and where it can take you. It also covers the question most students get stuck on: 5-year or 3-year LLB?
For the full route from student to advocate, see our guide on how to become a lawyer in India.
What is a 5-year integrated law course?
It is a single programme that combines an undergraduate degree with an LLB. You earn both degrees in five years instead of the six it would take to do a 3-year graduation and then a 3-year LLB.
The course runs over ten semesters. The first two years mix law with your other discipline, and the later years focus mostly on law.
Types of integrated courses
| Course | The non-law side covers | Suits students interested in |
|---|---|---|
| BA LLB | Political science, history, sociology, economics | Litigation, constitutional law, judiciary, policy |
| BBA LLB | Management, accounting, marketing, finance | Corporate law, mergers, compliance |
| BCom LLB | Accounting, taxation, business law | Tax law, banking, corporate advisory |
| BSc LLB | Science subjects, depending on the college | Intellectual property, environmental law, technology law |
BA LLB is the most widely offered. If you aren't sure which area of law you want, it keeps the most doors open.
Eligibility
- Qualification: Class 12 pass, or appearing in the final exam, in any stream. Science, commerce and arts students are all eligible.
- Minimum marks: usually around 45% for the general category, with lower thresholds for reserved categories. CLAT, for example, asks for 45%, or 40% for SC and ST candidates. Individual colleges may set higher cutoffs.
- Age: CLAT has no upper age limit for its undergraduate programme. Other exams and colleges set their own rules, so check each notice.
Entrance exams
Most good colleges admit students through an entrance test. Some private universities also admit on Class 12 marks or their own interview.
| Exam | Conducted by | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| CLAT | Consortium of National Law Universities | Most National Law Universities and many private colleges |
| AILET | National Law University, Delhi | NLU Delhi only |
| MH CET Law (5-year) | Maharashtra State CET Cell | Government and private law colleges in Maharashtra |
| SLAT | Symbiosis International University | Symbiosis law schools |
Many universities run their own tests too. List your target colleges first, then work out which exams you need.
What CLAT tests
In recent cycles, CLAT has been a two-hour paper of 120 multiple-choice questions, with a quarter-mark deducted for each wrong answer. It has five sections:
- English language
- Current affairs, including general knowledge
- Legal reasoning
- Logical reasoning
- Quantitative techniques
Every section is built around reading passages, so reading speed and comprehension matter more than memorising facts. You don't need to know any law in advance: legal reasoning questions give you the principle and ask you to apply it.
The exam is usually held in December. Check the dates and the current pattern on the Consortium of NLUs website.
What you'll study
The law subjects are largely the same across colleges, because the Bar Council of India sets the core curriculum.
Core law subjects include:
- Constitutional law
- Law of contract and the law of torts
- Criminal law: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which replaced the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act in 2024
- Family law
- Property law and civil procedure
- Jurisprudence
- Administrative law
- Company law
- Labour and industrial law
- Environmental law
Practical training includes:
- Moot courts and drafting
- Pleadings and conveyancing
- Professional ethics
- Clinical legal education, such as legal aid work
In the final years you'll usually choose electives, such as intellectual property, tax, international law or competition law.
Internships
Internships are compulsory. Bar Council of India rules require a minimum internship period across the course, 20 weeks for the integrated programme. Students typically intern with advocates, law firms, courts, NGOs and companies.
Start early. Your internships shape your CV, your network, and often your first job. Our guide to staying productive during law internships has practical tips.
5-year vs 3-year LLB: which should you choose?
Both lead to the same LLB degree and the same right to practise. The difference is when you start and how you get there.
| 5-year integrated LLB | 3-year LLB | |
|---|---|---|
| When you join | After Class 12 | After any graduation degree |
| Total time after Class 12 | 5 years | 6 years (3 graduation + 3 LLB) |
| Main entrance exams | CLAT, AILET, MH CET Law, SLAT | University entrance tests, MH CET Law (3-year) |
| Campus experience | Five years of moots, internships and law-school networks | Shorter, often more focused on law alone |
| Best for | Students sure about law at 17 or 18 | Graduates who decide on law later, or want a different first degree |
Choose the 5-year course if you're confident about law and want the head start, especially if you're aiming for a National Law University.
Choose the 3-year route if you're unsure, or want to study engineering, commerce or another subject properly first. Many successful advocates came to law that way.
How to choose a college
Rankings are a starting point, not the answer. Check these before you accept a seat:
- Bar Council of India approval. Your degree must be from an approved institution for you to enrol as an advocate. Check the college against the list on the Bar Council of India website.
- Location. A college near a High Court or a commercial city makes internships far easier.
- Moot court and legal aid culture. These are where practical skills are built.
- Library and database access. Ask whether students get access to case law databases.
- Placements and alumni. Ask where recent graduates actually work, not just the highest package.
- Fees and scholarships. Fees range widely, from modest at government colleges to several lakh rupees a year at NLUs and private universities. Check the latest fee notice and the scholarships on offer.
After the course: becoming an advocate
An LLB alone doesn't let you appear in court. After graduating:
- Enrol with a State Bar Council under the Advocates Act, 1961.
- Pass the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) conducted by the Bar Council of India. In 2023, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the AIBE in Bar Council of India v. Bonnie Foi Law College, and allowed final-year students to sit for it.
- Receive your Certificate of Practice, which lets you practise as an advocate.
Career options
- Litigation: arguing cases in trial courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court, usually starting in a senior advocate's chamber.
- Corporate law firms: transactions, mergers, banking, capital markets and disputes.
- In-house legal teams: working as legal counsel inside companies.
- Judiciary: state judicial service exams. Since the Supreme Court's May 2025 ruling in All India Judges Association v. Union of India, entry-level civil judge posts again require at least three years of practice as an advocate. Check how your state applies this.
- Policy, academia and research: think tanks, law teaching (usually after an LLM) and legal research.
- Legal technology: a growing field combining law with product, data and AI.
For a closer look at the first big choice, read litigation vs corporate law and our guide to career options after LLB.
How Juniorlawyer helps law students
Five years of law school means a lot of reading: judgments, bare acts, research for moots and assignments.
Juniorlawyer helps with the heavy lifting. You can research Indian case law, summarise long judgments, and draft moot memorials and case briefs faster, then check every citation yourself before you submit.
Start with our guides on preparing a case brief from a judgment and moot court drafting with AI, or see everything for law students.
The short version
The 5-year integrated law course is the fastest route into law after Class 12. Pick the variant that matches your interests, prepare for the entrance exams your target colleges use, and check Bar Council of India approval before you join.
The degree is only the start. Internships, moots and the habits you build in those five years decide where you go next.