Five-Year LLB Course: Definition, Eligibility, Admission Process and Entrance Exams

Want to pursue law after class 12th but don't know from where to start? If yes, you can opt for a 5-year LLB course after Class 12. Know here all about the five-year LLB courses, eligibility criteria, and admission related details. 

Law is one of the most reputed careers worldwide. It is also one of the most promising professional fields in India. Thus, many individuals in the country pursue a law degree. There are various types of law courses in India, but in this article, we will talk about the 5-year LLB course after 12th that can be taken by students after completing their Higher Secondary Certificate Education (Class 12). This article will also help you learn the eligibility criteria for admission to a 5-year LLB programme.

What is a five-year LLB course?

A five-year LLB course is a law degree offered in integration with a bachelor degree in any stream including, Arts, Humanities, Commerce, Science and even Engineering. Unlike the three-year Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree, which is based on the core law subjects, the five-year law degree is a chemistry of law subjects with subjects from other streams. In this article, you can get all the details for five-year law degrees offered in India including, their eligibility criteria, admission process and other details.  

Types of Five-year LLB courses

Across all law schools in India, the five-year LLB courses offered are as under:

• Bachelor of Arts LLB (BA LLB) – An integration of art subjects such as History, Political Science, Geography, Sociology, Economics and, law subjects such as torts, CPC, corporate law, jurisprudence, international trade law, constitutional law, administrative law, labour laws, environmental law, criminal law and more are taught.  
• Bachelor of Science LLB (BSc LLB) – The students interested in studying science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Biotechnology, as well as law subjects can pursue the degree.
• Bachelor of Commerce LLB (BCom LLB) – Through the integrated law degree, students are taught commerce subjects including, Auditing, Economics, Accounting, Statistics as well as the common law subjects.
• Bachelor of Business Administration LLB (BBA LLB) - The course curriculum is based on Management principles, commerce, business studies, business communication, organisational behaviour, quantitative techniques etc. along with the law subjects, corporate law, business law, IPR, Taxation law, mergers and acquisitions and more.
• Bachelor of Social Work LLB (BSW LLB) - Through this course, subjects such as Society and Sustainable Development, Human Growth and Behaviour, Welfare and Development, Social Work Profession, Social Entrepreneurship and Law, Research Methodology for Social Work, Social Policy and Legislation, Access to Justice etc. are taught along with law subjects. 
• Bachelor of Technology LLB (BTech LLB) - During the five-years duration of the law degree, one gets to study engineering subjects such as Basic Electronic Engineering, Engineering Graphics, OOPs using C++ and UML, Electronic Devices and Circuits, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Network Security, Cryptography, Digital Crime, Computer Law, Information Security Intelligence, Compliance analytics, IT Forensic and Electronic Evidence, Information Security Governance etc. along with the law subjects. 
• Bachelor of Legal Science LLB (BLS LLB) -  The law degree is all about the legal domain in-depth with the law subjects environmental law, constitutional law, family law, IPC, CrPC, IPR, torts, Criminal law, Jurisprudence as well as Legal Language Including Legal Writing & General English (drafting petitions, frameworks, legislations and more). 

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Eligibility Criteria for the five-year LLB course

Candidates can pursue the five-year LLB degree course right after class 12^th and, the basic eligibility criteria for all the courses is as under: 

• They must have passed Class 12^th in any stream with at least 45% marks in aggregate of all subjects. 
• Candidates appearing or awaiting results for Class 12th or equivalent examination are also eligible provided they submit the proof of qualifying examination at the time of admission. 
• Candidates belonging to reserved categories are given relaxation in the requirements of the minimum marks by the respective law colleges. 

Note: Candidates holding a diploma after Class 12th, can apply for the five-year LLB courses on the basis of their class 12 scores. 

Admission Process for the five-year LLB course

The candidates seeking admission to the five-year LLB courses have to go through the admission process as under: 

1. Apply for admission - Candidates first have to apply to the respective law colleges by registering and filling up the application form. The candidates can either apply online or offline mode along with the application fee as instructed by the colleges. 
2. Appear for admission test/ entrance exam - Almost all the law schools in India accept admission through an entrance exam wherein the candidates who apply for admission have to appear for the written/ online mode test. The applicants are issued admit cards to appear for the entrance exams mentioning details related to the exam date and timings, exam centres allotted to them and other details. 
3. Declaration of results and merit lists - The scores along with merit ranks of candidates who secured the marks as per the cut off criteria are displayed on the official website of the law colleges. On the basis of the results, the law colleges prepare merit lists to shortlist candidates who meet all the admission requirements. 
4. Appear for admission/ seat allotment rounds - On the basis of merit list, candidates are called for the personal interview and admission rounds, where the academic and other documents pertaining to the eligibility of the candidates are verified. After this, the selected candidates have to pay the admission fees to secure a seat. 

Five-year LLB Entrance Exams in India

In India, the law aspirants have to appear for the following entrance exams for admissions to the five-year LLB courses: 

Common-Law Admission Test (CLAT)

The entrance exam is conducted for the five-year LLB courses offered at the National Law Universities in India (except NLU Delhi). CLAT is conducted by the consortium of NLUs which is the exam authority comprising 22 NLUs including NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad, NLUO Cuttack, WBNUJS Kolkata, RGNUL Patiala, NLU Bhopal, and more. CLAT is conducted as a pen-paper based test mode. The exam pattern of CLAT has undergone changes such as making the questions in each section more comprehensive type, reducing the number of question etc. 

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All India Law Admission Test (AILET)

The law entrance exam is conducted by the National Law University, Delhi for admissions to 110 seats of the five-year LLB courses. AILET is conducted as a pen-paper based test mode.

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Symbiosis Law Admission Test (SLAT)

The entrance exam, SLAT also known as SET Law is conducted by the Symbiosis International (Deemed) University (SIU) for admissions to the five-year LLB courses offered at its four law colleges. More than 1,080 seats are offered at the four law colleges of SIU on the basis of SLAT scores. SLAT is conducted as a Computer-Based test mode. 

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UPES Law Admission Test (ULSAT)

The entrance exam is conducted for admission to the five-year LLB courses offered at the UPES Law School. ULSAT is conducted as a Computer-Based Test mode. 

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Law School Admission Test for India (LSAT India)

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) conducts LSAT India for admissions to the five-year LLB courses offered at more than 50 colleges in India. On the basis of LSAT India score, the law schools can shortlist candidates for admissions. This year, LSAC has formed a new exam conducting body - LSAC Global to conduct the law entrance exam in India, earlier, it was the responsibility of Pearson VUE. LSAT India is conducted twice in a year i.e. in January and in May. The exam is held in an online, remote-proctored mode.

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