Well, I've personally been a great beneficiary of well-placed alumni. Whenever there is a vacancy in their teams, they often first circulate a private call to the recruitment cells of their college. They can help you prep for interviews, give you insights etc. You can find very good moot coaches from your alumni network. Also, for the relatively rarer accomplishments, prestigious scholarships, training contracts - the guidance they impart is everything! Also, just generally a lot of opportunities that I'd never have even known about had it not been for the alumni network.

Think carefully.

Let's assume that, you do not get the Tier I job due to lack of opportunity in your college. But I am sure you would get through some tier 2-5 law firm. And frankly, once you have started working, it is only your work experience, which would count.

So, the following two possibilities can arise:

(a) You lose 3 years, joint GNLU and land a Tier I job; or

(b) you finish your current course, join a law firm (does not matter what tier is) and after 3 years, join a tier I.

Even if I assume that in the option (b), you would be inducted as A-0 and your entire PQE would be discarded, note the following:

(a) you would have actual work ex of 3 years. to a Tier I firm, you may be A0, but they cannot take away your actual work experience and you would get a head start amongst the freshly-minted A0s.

(b) you would (hopefully) be able to achieve some level of financial independence due to your initial years of engagement.

You can get alum to advise with your moot problem, kinder ones may even offer to coach, you can ask about the inside scene in law firms and in house from alum working there, when your CV goes to these places for internships then alum working there play a big role in batting for you (assuming your CV is okay otherwise, but even then there are a lot of competition). I've even been able to stay with alum during my moot and international conferences abroad.

There's a difference between having an offer in hand and aiming for it. Look at it this way: you'll be starting your third year now, this is when most people start interning at T2/T1 firms, taking up big moots/serious research. If you prep for CLAT, you'll have to compromise on all those. You might also jeopardise your rank/grades. So there is a significant cost. Though since the next CLAT is in December, you will only be sacrificing one more semester, not the whole year.

So what I will say is, at the very least, don't compromise on your rank/grades. If you decide to take CLAT again, study well for both things simultaneously. And make the switch only if you get into NLS/NALSAR/NLU-D/NUJS. Because NUALS isn't a bad college, really. And you do have a lot of time, more than half of your degree ahead of you. So you can still do well from NUALS.

I can tell you that age is not a factor that will handicap you at all. The thing to consider is opportunity cost. What is it you really want to achieve and does switching colleges offer a better chance at achieving it? If so, is the difference significant enough to drop two years? If your goal is to get a T1 Corp job, I do know people from NUALS who get PPOs. And even if you don't, people work for 1-2 years at T2 and T3 firms and then make the switch. So in that case, the chances of getting into a top firm by 2025 are the same, really.

On a similar note,Is it too late to retake the CLAT at this point? Since I'm in my third year of NUALS, is it still worthwhile to take the CLAT in 2023? Or should I continue to stick with NUALS?
I'm not particularly fond of NUALS and an upgrade would do me well, but the age factor is indeed a concern for me.
Please advice.

I think, it totally depends on what kind of career you want. So, if you are getting into GNLU, you should take it. Trust me, nobody cares how old are you once you are in college. It should not bother you. If at the age of 24, you will get a good job, then why should you not take it?
But, getting into NLU does not guarantee a good job, you must work hard there as well.

If you feel at ease in your present college and you don't want it then the question itself is of no value.

At the end of the day, it's totally your call.

Though it is very valid, I can't speak to your mental fatigue and the consequent unwillingness to transition, so I'll address more material concerns.
I went to a T2 NLU ranking slightly below GNLU.
1. Don't worry too much about your age, sure, it's something people might notice, but it's nothing more than a slight raise of the eyebrow. A lot of my batchmates were two years behind the curve, one was three years behind. They all managed to get good placements. Age is not really a factor.
2. The difference between colleges can be VERY real. The opportunities it provides, the doors it opens. Yes, individual effort always accounts for more in the long run, but immediate opportunities available vary significantly. The faculty at GNLU is a mixed bag, some are v good, some are just bad, most are just average. But the alumni network is v strong, including Rhodes scholars, training contract holders (people who got placed at a UK law firm), an ICJ fellow, several partners at Indian law firms. These people help you discover opportunities and give you a lot of v important guidance.
3. The brand value can matter a lot. Especially with Indian law firms. IMO, they are likely to see a top-ranked student from a lower NLU as equal to an above-average student from GNLU.
4. Culture and exposure: at GNLU, you will get a more stimulating environment. They have a very good mooting culture. They also host several moots and conferences, giving you great exposure. At another college, even though you may want to do something, you may be pulled back by a lack of teammates or lack of exposure. And a lot of us don't have enough self-motivation to put in the effort required to overcome these challenges, we are a product of our environment.

It may seem like it, but I am not advocating for changing schools. I'm just saying that if, like you said, you're from an NLU ranking in the bottom three, there may be some very material benefits that shifting to GNLU would offer. And the prime concern you may have, about 'age' isn't that big a deal. After graduation, many people spend two-three years working at Tier-2 or Tier 3 firms to get into Tier-1 firms. So if you get a better launching pad, you may just avoid that.

Nobody gives a f about gap years. We literally have students here who will be graduating at 26. Even firms don't care about gap years as long as a you have a decent CV or grades. Btw even after a gap of 3 years how would you be graduating at the age of 24? Did you complete your 12th at the age of 16? which I know is not possible so it means you did age fudging.

dont worry about the age,i am 23 and preparing for my mhcet and will be appearing this year.i will be graduating at 26.
be it corporate law or litigation ,age will never be a factor the reason being is you will be recruited/hired truly on the basis of skills,knowledge,technical knowledge of your interested practice area,your subject knowledge,research skills,etc,etc.

You do realise that most people get into NLUs at 18/19 and graduate when they're 23/24, right? That's actually the norm and not some exception. So, you aren't actually that old. Maybe you started school a year earlier.

In any case, even if you are tired of NIRF ranking debates, that doesn't justify why you would want to remain at a personal comfort-zone low-tier NLU as opposed to a tier-1.5 like GNLU. You'll regret it later since you will miss out on a lot of good peer competition and academic exposure at a better university like GNLU, apart from prospects for placements and the like. Although, if you have so much confidence in your own ability, then yeah, you can stick to your current law school and make the best of whatever you can with it. But, I would suggest you make the switch without a second thought, if you actually land GNLU. It's not that easy to get in there if you are General category and don't have a GJ domicile, so this whole "might get" stuff is needlessly speculative.

In my opinion you should do it if you are aiming for corporate jobs. GNLU has a stellar placement records with even record breaking PPOs this year and a decent recruitment is expected from day zero as well. If you stay in your current T-3 NLU there are high chances you might not get placed unless your CV is exceptionally good. So, you'll probably join a Tier 3 firm and maybe after 2-3 years be able to make a jump to Tier 1 firm.

So, rather than waiting for 3 years after your graduation to join a Tier-1 firm, I'll advise you to join GNLU and graduate 3 years late and directly join a Tier-1 firm. But if your goal is not joining a law firm then well, why did you even give CLAT again?

I'll get into it right away - I passed my class 12th in 2019, had some health issues and financial restraints, got a tier 3 college (one among the bottom three NLUs) in 2021, gave CLAT 2022 and might get GNLU this time.

Switching would mean a three year gap; considering that I would be 24 at the time of graduation if I switch, should I do it? Would it be worth it?

Ps: deep down I don't want to. I'm tired asf of this whole nirf-tier123-clat-ranking-thing. I feel comfy and settled in my current college.