Scoring 90 marks in CLAT 2026 is honestly a good score, especially with the rising competition every year. When we look at the latest CLAT marks vs rank 2026 trends and how students performed in the previous exam cycles, a score near 90 usually lands you somewhere around AIR 95 to AIR 875. This is actually considered a great position, especially if you’re aiming for top NLUs or at least the top 10-12 colleges, depending on your category.
Since CLAT is a 120-mark exam, getting 90 basically means you’re at roughly 75-78% accuracy, which aligns with the range where students generally start getting calls in the early counselling rounds. In previous years too, students with 90-95 marks in CLAT got ranks under 500-1,000, and many even got seats in NLUs like NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLU Jodhpur, and other top universities.
However, some institutions remain highly competitive every year. For example, NLSIU Bangalore, because its opening rank has been AIR 1 for the last two years. So, even with 90 marks in CLAT 2026 , NLSIU is usually accessible only to reserved categories, but confirmations depend entirely on the merit list released after the exam. When we check predicted cutoffs for CLAT 2026, the expected closing ranks look something like this:
- General: Around AIR 550
- OBC/EWS: Between AIR 550-2,000
- SC: Around AIR 1,500-4,000
- ST: Around AIR 4,000-6,000
All of this depends on CLAT difficulty, the number of test-takers, and how the normalization takes place. If you’re a general category aspirant scoring 90 marks in CLAT 2026, you’re in a good position to target the top 5 to top 10 NLUs, depending on your counselling preferences. For OBC/EWS candidates, the chances improve even further because the same score is equivalent to an even better rank. Reserved category candidates like SC/ST actually get better opportunities since their rank requirements are usually lower (even 70-85 marks can give similar rank ranges due to category-wise cutoffs).
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90 Marks in CLAT 2026: Expected Rank
Tabulated below is the detailed CLAT 2026 marks vs rank table showing the approximate AIR you get for marks around 90 and above:
CLAT 2026 Marks | CLAT 2026 Expected Rank |
|---|---|
99.5+ | Up to AIR 95 |
99+ | Up to AIR 125 |
98.5+ | Up to AIR 150 |
98+ | Up to AIR 175 |
97.5+ | Up to AIR 200 |
97+ | Up to AIR 225 |
96.5+ | Up to AIR 250 |
96+ | Up to AIR 280 |
95.5+ | Up to AIR 300 |
95+ | Up to AIR 325 |
94.5+ | Up to AIR 390 |
94+ | Up to AIR 455 |
93.5+ | Up to AIR 515 |
93+ | Up to AIR 575 |
92.5+ | Up to AIR 640 |
92+ | Up to AIR 705 |
91.5+ | Up to AIR 760 |
91+ | Up to AIR 815 |
90.5+ | Up to AIR 845 |
90+ | Up to AIR 875 |
Check: Can a candidate appear for SLAT and CLAT both in the same year?
90 Marks in CLAT 2026: NLU Admission Chances
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Below is a detailed table of NLU-wise chances for students scoring around 90 marks in CLAT. The admission chances are based on the CLAT 2026 marks vs rank analysis, conducted using the last two years’ ranks:
NLU Name | Admission Chances | Reason |
|---|---|---|
NLU Silvassa | Positive | Expected ranks are 590-780, which fall within the range. |
NLSIU Bangalore | Might Be Possible | Only possible for reserved categories (SC/ST/OBC/EWS), not general. |
NALSAR Hyderabad | Might Be Possible | Only for reserved categories (SC/ST/OBC/EWS), not general. |
NLU Bhopal | Positive | Expected ranks are 155-260, well within the range. |
NLU Kolkata | Might Be Possible | Although the opening rank was 57 in 2025 (Round 1), it was 140 in 2024 (Round 1), so admission is possible. |
NLU Jodhpur | Positive | Expected rank of 110-160, which falls within the range. |
NLU Raipur | Positive | Expected ranks are 410-485, within the required range. |
NLU Gandhinagar | Positive | Admissions might be possible for reserved categories only. But the opening rank for the General category was 236 in 2025 Round 1, which is within the range. So, all categories might be able to get admissions. |
NLU Lucknow | Positive | Expected rank of 350-470, fits the required rank range. |
NLU Punjab | Positive | Expected rank of 225-570, well within the range. |
NLU Patna | Might Be Possible | Expected opening rank is 320 to 890, although close to the upper end, admission might still be possible. |
NLU Kochi | Positive | Expected rank range is 230-350, well within the required rank. |
NLU Odisha | Positive | Expected rank range is 470-600, well within the required rank. |
NLU Ranchi | Might Be Possible |
Opening rank in 2024: 637 (within the range)
|
NLU Assam | Positive | Expected rank is 1163-1344, well within the required rank. |
NLU Visakhapatnam | Might Be Possible |
Opening rank in 2024: 656 (within the range)
|
NLU Trichy | Might Be Possible |
Opening rank in 2024: 806 (within the range)
|
NLU Mumbai | Positive | Expected ranks are 95-460, fully within the required range. |
NLU Nagpur | Positive | Expected rank is 485-730, which is well within the range. |
NLU Aurangabad | Positive | Expected rank range for admission is 945-1030; the given rank range is better than required. |
NLU Shimla | Might Be Possible |
Opening rank in 2024: 885 (within the range)
|
NLU Jabalpur | Positive | Expected ranks are 1060 to 1371, far beyond the given range. |
NLU Sonepat | Positive | Expected ranks are 503 to 626, well within the range. |
NLU Agartala | Positive | Expected rank required for admission is 1716-1964; the given rank range exceeds the required range. |
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So overall, scoring 90 marks in CLAT 2026 puts you in a quite decent position. Your expected rank usually stays somewhere between AIR 95 and AIR 875, which means you have a fair shot at many good NLUs, especially if you fall under OBC, EWS, SC, or ST categories. For general category students too, a 90 score keeps you in the game for several top 10 NLUs, depending on how the cutoffs move this year.
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