Hello all, I appeared for CLAT and AILET a few weeks ago, results for both exams are out and I have secured ranks good enough to get me into NALSAR and NLUD.

However, I am also interested in applying to LLB programmes at universities in the UK. I am not sure if this would be a wise move and am looking for guidance from people who have been in my position. I know that studying at a good UK uni will definitely cost upwards of 70-80 lakhs, this is not something my family can afford unless I get scholarships. If I am able to get a good LNAT score and secure decent scholarships, would it be worth it for me to study in the UK? I have read that the market for legal jobs in the UK is oversaturated, will I be able to get a well paying job after finishing my course? I have also read on a previous LI post that most firms prefer hiring UK citizens only as hiring Indian citizens will probably require them to sponsor visas and whatnot. There is news that the UK govt might be introducing new immigration laws that make it hard for students to obtain post study work permits. Keeping this in mind, would it be a good decision for me to pursue my studies abroad? (I am applying to Bristol, Durham, KCL, LSE and UCL).

If not, then out of NALSAR and NLUD, which would be the better choice? Which college is better in terms of faculty, placements, reputation, alumni base, etc? Keep in mind that my end goal is to move abroad at some point, if I go to an NLU, I guess one way to achieve this would be by working really hard at college and securing a TC at the end of five years. Another option I have is to pursue a three year BA from Ashoka University now and pursue a JD or MBA from the US later, however I have not given this much thought, let me know if you think this is a good option. My family can easily afford the fee at NLUs and Ashoka but UK fee will definitely be too much without scholarships.Only genuine advice please, this is really important to me and if I wanted to be trolled I'd have posted on reddit lol

TLDR: Pick btwn NALSAR, NLUD and UK Unis. Which would give me the highest RoI?

Threads that can help you out: -

https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/264496-guidance-uk-law-schools-lnat

https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/285661-please-help-uk-universities-or-tier-1-nlu-if-only-i-get-them-after-a-gap-year

https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/299207-giving-clat-but-what-about-abroad

This topic has been discussed many times before on LI. There is a list by Chambers and Partners of the UK universities preferred by law firms for training contracts. The list ranking keeps changing, but the broad trend is that Russell Group universities overwhelmingly dominate the list and getting into any Russell Group university should put you in contention of getting a TC. But you will obviously need to study hard and get good grades. So both Russell Group brand plus hard work, not either/or.

A US JD is also a very good option and probably better than a UK LLB option, as there are more opportunities in the US. The Ashoka BA-US JD option sounds good. You can also consider a Jindal BA-LLB JD option, which gives you two law degrees and makes you eligible to sit for the bar exam in both places. Potentially, pursuing an Indian BALLB and then doing a US JD could also place you at an advantage during your US JD, as you will already be familiar with certain legal concepts.

Finally, an MBA in the US is an excellent option and can open doors for you anywhere in the world. I would strongly suggest this.

The advantage of Jindal is that you save a year if you do the Cornell JD versus going to an NLU and then doing a JD. But a small number of NLU alumni have done JDs, losing an extra year. An example is a girl named Irum Huq, who went to Harvard Law School after graduating from NUJS. She works at a firm in the US.

This is a no-brainer. I personally feel that NUS Singapore is better than all the choices you have mentioned above. It’s not just competitive but it’s also somewhat of a mammoth task to get into the 4 year LLB programme in the first try. NUS is very selective about its ‘medicine’ and ‘law’ programmes when it comes to international applicants. Good luck tho!

UK, if you get the scholarships, considering your personal ambitions. But, NLUD over NALSAR, otherwise. Delhi is a better location since you have to stay for five years - better food choices, can shift out of campus if necessary, etc. (NALSAR is literally in a rural area way out of Hyderabad city limits), NLUD still has better faculty who can help with foreign applications/recommendations, and now, there are plenty of NLUD alumni in foreign firms and doing foreign LLMs. NALSAR is by no means much worse, and is well ahead on the foreign alumni headcount, but the place has largely stagnated in recent times vis-a-vis NLUD. Both are great NLUs in terms of peer exposure though, so you won't be losing much, but keep in mind NALSAR does have a 25% Telangana quota whereas NLUD has no domicile at all. So, I would suggest you go with NLUD in your situation.

Well, if you are from Hyderabad, NALSAR can be put over NLUD if you want to stay close to home. But about the stagnation at NALSAR, some of the better faculty at NALSAR, including their own BALLB alumni, have left the place for colleges like JGLS and NLS in recent times. And they don't appear to have recruited better faculty to replace them. The location disadvantage also affects research tie-ups with Govt. bodies, foreign countries, etc. NLUD has also started joint degrees with places like SOAS and Durham recently, and NALSAR administration doesn't appear nearly as proactive on this internationalization front. Also, NLUD just had a Rhodes this year, last time NALSAR had one was nearly 10 years ago. Other achievements like top UPSC ranks, judiciary toppers etc. are almost an regular occurence from NLUD these days. NALSAR is still one of the best NLUs alongside NLUD and NLS, but they've started programs like IPM and MBA instead which don't really add much value for the law students beyond some measure of extra finances for the Uni.

Some good ones have left, yes. But that was a while ago. We still have professors for Consti Law (like Anup) and Corp Law (AK Rai - who is largely regarded as a better prof than Harpreet Kaur for corp). And besides, people like Arul, Harpreet Kaur, etc are on lien/deputation the same way Bajpai went to RGNUL for a while. So, eventually, they'll come back to NLUD. And even otherwise, NLUD's location will make it much easier to attract good faculty compared to NALSAR.

Anup is a decent teacher, but he's by no means the top of the lot when it comes to consti. AK Rai's classes are incomprehensible to most students. As for Arul et al, if you think that they are going to come back, then you're going to be disappointed. Teacher-wise, NALSAR also had Sid Chauhan and others. So as I said, not much to distinguish between the two places. I agree about the location though, but Delhi has its downside including weather, pollution and safety record.

Correction. Nalsar is not literally a village. It is little far from the city but not so far as to make it sound like a distant remote area. Nalsar is 20 mins bus ride away from Karkhana which is as city as city gets. So incoming candidates I request to not listen to these jokers. Base your choice on already existing legal threads. If you are from Hyderabad, NALSAR is a no brainer. NALSAR and NLS continue to be top 2 of India unless we have any other empirical data to prove otherwise. NALSAR also got NAAC A+ which is the highest rating for any law school. The placement, which probably should be anyone's single biggest factor is top of the class.

Oh, enough. NLUD is any day a better choice over having a quarter of the batch from Telangana. NAAC rating is even more useless than NIRF. And sorry, NLUD’s location is still hands down better than NALSAR. NLS is also on the decline, btw, so claiming you’re an “OG tier-1” is pretty desperate. Otherwise, NALSAR will be another NUJS in the wake of NLUD’s rise.

You won’t get a lot of (in fact very few and useless) scholarships for good colleges in UK. Maybe a few for the bottom Russell UNIs. No offence, but NUS is also a very far reaching option for you. So maybe just focus on NLU-Delhi or you can try for German law unis but they are also quite competitive especially Humboldt.

Hey, kid. I have been in your position. I suggest you to do this:

1. Go for NALSAR. Nothing can replace its resources. People will tell you NLU-Delhi. But note that NALSAR has been in the game longer, meaning more credibility and more law firms approach it.

2. Both NLU-Delhi and NALSAR are genuinely overall good. It won't make much of a difference. Feel free to choose either.

3. Do not go for UK-based LLB. It is financially far-off. Even if you get a scholarship, you will still have to consider your medical expenses, spending expenses, food, visa, accommodation, travel, clothing, phone bills, entertainment, etc. – UK is too expensive for all that. You can always do your LLB in India from good unis and then shift abroad. There has been precedent already. Just note that if you do choose to do LLB in UK, you also wouldn't have as many resources/contacts in terms of law firm privileges (partner contacts) as you would in India. So, no tangible sense.

4. Note that literally ANYTHING can happen in the next 3-5 years that can severely affect your ability to continue your LLB in the UK. India is cheaper. Stay in India. Get a scholarship here, and you will be much better off for your parents too. Why? You are about to get into NLU-D or NALSAR, kid. Be proud of yourself. You are already miles ahead of everyone. In colleges like these, you will get good seniors who can guide you really well. Have trust in the top-tier NLU brand tag (I am one to say despite being from a Non-NLU, but trust me, India is much more worth it).

5. Note that a lot of answers here will come from a place of privilege. You need to assess your own privilege and only then be able to decide whether you can do it or not. If I were you, I would've taken NALSAR hands down. It was my dream to get into this college, but, due to circumstances of my own doing, I couldn't.

6. Both NALSAR and NLU-D will give you the highest ROI. UK unis, not as much. Because we do not have access to their domestic privileges. Trust me, stay in India for the time being. You can mature with time. You can collaborate online/virtually on projects, debates, moots, papers, etc. with people from abroad while being in India. You have a lot going on in India, don't worry.

7. Considering your alma mater will be a T-1 NLU, you having to later shift to UK wouldn't cause you much of a problem.

So, kid, trust me, you are going to be MORE THAN FINE in India, especially in both NALSAR and NLU-Delhi.

Please DON'T go to NUS Singapore. Those giving advice here are clueless. It's so much easier to settle in the US with a US JD, or in the UK with a UK LLB, then settle anywhere with a Singapore LLB. Don't go by the high ranking of NUS in QS. It means nothing for an Indian citizen.