A master's in law taken after an LL.B. It deepens one area — constitutional, corporate, criminal, IP, international or technology law — and is mainly for people heading into law teaching, research, policy and some specialist practice. At National Law Universities it is a one-year programme admitted through CLAT's PG paper; many other universities still run a two-year version.
Know this. The LL.M. is a teaching-and-research degree, not a practice degree. For litigation or law-firm work, three years of experience after the LL.B. usually does more for you than an LL.M. It pays off when you want to teach, research, work in policy, or specialise in a field like IP or tax — and when you do it at a strong institution.
Getting in
Master of Laws
Who can apply
An LL.B. (three-year or five-year integrated) or equivalent. Individual universities set minimum marks — for example NLSIU Bengaluru asks for 50% (45% for SC/ST) and has no upper age limit.
How admission works
The National Law Universities admit to their one-year LL.M. through the postgraduate paper of CLAT, run by the Consortium of National Law Universities; admission is on CLAT merit through the Consortium's counselling. National Law University Delhi uses its own AILET. Central universities such as DU and BHU and many state universities admit through CUET-PG or their own entrance tests. UGC's 2012 guidelines allow a one-year LL.M. only at universities that set up a Centre for Post-Graduate Legal Studies, with admission through an all-India admission test; both one-year and two-year LL.M. degrees remain valid. CLAT scores are also used by some PSUs to recruit legal officers. Most NLUs publish a short list of LL.M. specialisations each year; seats in each are few, so read the counselling brochure before ranking your choices.
What you study
- Three compulsory papers in the one-year format — typically research methods and legal writing, comparative public law / systems of governance, and law and justice in a globalising world
- Optional papers in your chosen specialisation
- A dissertation, which carries significant weight
- In the two-year format: more papers, a longer dissertation and sometimes teaching practice
Specialisations: Constitutional and Administrative Law · Corporate and Commercial Law · Criminal Law · Intellectual Property Law · International Law and Human Rights · Law and Technology · Environmental Law · Tax Law
Is it you?
A good fit if
- You want to teach law — UGC-NET and a master's are the entry route for assistant professors
- You enjoy research and writing more than courtroom practice
- You want a focused specialisation (IP, tax, tech policy) for in-house or policy work
- You can get into an NLU or strong university department
Think twice if
- You plan to practise litigation — courtroom experience usually counts for more than an LL.M.
- You expect an Indian LL.M. alone to raise your corporate-firm salary
- You dislike writing a long dissertation
- You are choosing a specialisation only because it sounds modern (tech law, IP) without any work or internship in it
The honest part
- CLAT-PG seats at the top NLUs are limited and competitive
- One-year LL.M. is intensive — the dissertation must be planned from the first month
- Law teaching jobs need NET, and increasingly a PhD for promotion
- A foreign LL.M. (UK/US) is expensive and valued mainly if you plan to work abroad or in international arbitration
- Two-year LL.M. programmes at state universities are cheaper and less rushed, but their placement and research culture vary a lot — check who teaches your specialisation
What it costs
- Government
- Roughly ₹20,000–1.5 lakh a year at state and central universities; NLUs higher — NLSIU lists about ₹3.2 lakh tuition plus about ₹1.9 lakh housing for 2026-27
- Private
- Roughly ₹1–4 lakh for the course
- Help
- Some NLUs offer fee waivers or scholarships based on family income. UGC-NET JRF can fund a later PhD.
Rough 2026 ranges to compare routes. Fees differ by college and state and change every year.
After this
Study next
- UGC NET (Assistant Professor eligibility, JRF and PhD admission)UGC NET is the national test that decides who is eligible to be appointed Assistant Professor in Indian universities and colleges, who gets a Junior…Exam, twice a year
- PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)A PhD is a research degree: you spend several years answering one original question under a supervisor, and write it up as a thesis that outside…3–6 years
- SET / SLET (State Eligibility Test for Assistant Professor)A State Eligibility Test is the state-level version of UGC NET.Exam
- Master's or PhD abroadMany Indian graduates go abroad for a master's, an MBA or a PhD — most often to the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, Ireland and a growing list…1–2 years
Or start work as
- Assistant professor of law (after NET/SET) at law schools and universities
- Legal researcher at think tanks, law commissions and courts
- In-house counsel or compliance specialist in the chosen area
- Legal officer at PSUs recruiting on CLAT-PG scores
- Policy associate in technology, environment or human-rights organisations
Starting pay
Roughly ₹4–10 lakh a year for teaching and research roles; PSU legal officers are on government-company pay scales; in-house specialist roles vary widely. The LL.M. itself rarely changes law-firm pay in India.
Or study it abroad
- Law abroadThe world's best universities for it, with fees in ₹, deadlines and how to applyLLM (1 year); JD (USA, 3 years)
- Education & Teaching abroadThe world's best universities for it, with fees in ₹, deadlines and how to applyMEd, MA Education, PGCE (UK)
- Politics & International Relations abroadThe world's best universities for it, with fees in ₹, deadlines and how to applyMA / MSc IR, MPP, MPA
Careers this leads to
Each opens a full career guide — the work, a week in the life, skills and pay.
- Legal ResearcherLaw & Legal
- Legal ConsultantLaw & Legal
- Legislative DrafterLaw & Legal
- Corporate LawyerLaw & Legal
- Intellectual Property LawyerLaw & Legal
- Human Rights LawyerLaw & Legal
- ArbitratorLaw & Legal
- JudgeLaw & Legal
- Compliance OfficerLaw & Legal
- ProfessorEducation
- LecturerEducation
- Policy AnalystPolitical Science
Questions families ask
Is the one-year LL.M. valid for teaching?
UGC has stated that both one-year and two-year LL.M. degrees remain valid. For teaching, you also need UGC-NET or a state SET.
Should I do the LL.M. right after LL.B.?
If you want to teach or research, yes. If you want to practise, work for a few years first — your experience will also make the LL.M. more useful if you do it later.
Can I use CLAT-PG for jobs?
Some public-sector companies recruit legal officers using CLAT-PG scores. Check each year's advertisements; not every PSU uses it.
Indian LL.M. or foreign LL.M.?
An Indian LL.M. at an NLU is far cheaper and enough for Indian teaching and research. A UK or US LL.M. makes sense for international arbitration, cross-border practice or working abroad — see the study-abroad directory for costs.
Is there an age limit?
Generally no. NLSIU, for example, states there is no upper age limit for its LL.M.
How should I choose a specialisation?
Pick the area you have already worked in or enjoyed during LL.B. internships, and check that the university has at least two or three faculty members publishing in it. Your dissertation supervisor will write your references for teaching jobs, PhD admissions and scholarships abroad, so the right guide matters as much as the subject. If you plan to teach, a broad area such as constitutional, criminal or corporate law gives you more job openings than a very narrow niche.
Sources, checked 2026-09-28: NLSIU Bengaluru — LL.M. · UGC — Introduction of one year LL.M. degree programme (2012 guidelines) · Consortium of National Law Universities