NLU Shimla, which is entering its second year of admissions, will not be joining the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) but will hold its own entrance exam - the Himachal Pradesh National Law Entrance Test (HPNLET) - on 21 May 2017, as had been promised by its relatively new vice chancellor (VC) Subash Chander Raina.

Raina commented: “I am fully in favour of a separate entrance test.”

Last year, he had said that just joining CLAT for the sake of it held little advantages for the Himachal Pradesh NLU, and said: “I think I should consider another test of my own to attract talent of my own.”

Raina, who had joined NLU Shimla on 5 September 2016 from Delhi University, said that that in July of 2017, the first batch of 120 students would start.

Of those, 60 would be for the BA LLB Honours degree, and the remainder on the BBA and BCom LLB programmes. 15 places are available for the one-year LLM and 10 for the PhD programme.

The HPNLET would be held in 19 test centres across India, with eligibility requiring 50% marks in 10+2 results - 5% higher than the CLAT - and a 5% relaxation for reserved categories of applicants.

NLU Delhi has also continued conducting its own admissions test separate from the CLAT: the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET).

The first semester of 56 students, after 58 had joined in October 2016 but two students left, will end in March 2017, with the second term to start on 15 March until 30 June. For the first round of admissions, NLU Shimla had still accepted CLAT scores, as well as the scores of three other admission tests.

Raina said that the college currently had seven teachers, of whom three were professors and four were associate professors. A total of nine were assistant professors, in addition to two language teachers, in Hindi and French.

“By July i will appoint another 18 teachers,” added Raina.

On NLU Shimla’s website, Raina wrote:

As a teacher I am conscious of the fact that many of you are feeling both excited and perhaps a little anxious about starting your journey in auniversity which is in its infancy.

Let me assure you that your choice is more appropriate as you will appreciate and understand on each passing day. The University takes pride in having established strong, academic curriculum; meeting with any other globally approved curriculum which was passed by Academic Council in its first meeting.