Law Entrance for Students From a Science Background

Law Entrance for Students From a Science Background – In terms of time effort and money cost, becoming a lawyer is a massive task. Knowing what’s actually fantastic about this career and being able to see it out there on the horizon will help you stay motivated. However, are you worried your science background might be an impediment to your NLU or law school dream? Don’t be! Law entrance is a level-playing field where you either have the aptitude & opportunity to crack them or reserve an opportunity to develop the “aptitude”. 

“All of us do not have equal talent. But, all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.” ~A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

In this blog, we’ll tell everything – “why your science background might even help you become a better detail-oriented lawyer” to “how to prepare for law entrance while studying science for your 12th Board”! Let’s get you all the details on law entrance for students from a science background.

Law Entrance & Eligibility

For admission to undergraduate and postgraduate legal programmes in India, numerous national and state-level law entrance tests are held. Following 12th grade, one can take entrances for BA LLB, BBA LLB, or B.Sc LLB. In fact, you also have the option of taking a 3 year LL. B after graduation in any stream. While none of the entrances bar or promote science background as the eligibility criteria, let’s get you comfortable with the entrances you can plan to appear for and their exact eligibility criteria.

After 12th Board: Law Entrance for students from a Science background

You can appear for the entrances listed in the following matrix after your 12th board from any stream. After cracking any of these entrances you’ll gain a ticket to 5-year integrated courses in law – B.Sc. LL. B., B.A.LL. B., B.Tech. LL. B., etc.

Exam	College	Eligibility (Educational Qualification)
CLAT	22 NLUs (except NLU Delhi) Note – Some other colleges & universities like IPU, Private colleges like NMIMS, etc. might accept the CLAT Scores.	no upper age limit.As regards the minimum percentage of marks in the qualifying examination (i.e., 10+2 or an equivalent examination), the candidates must have secured:Forty-five per cent (45%) marks or its equivalent grade in the case of candidates belonging to General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories,Forty Percent (40%) marks or equivalent in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories. For more, check this website.
AILET	NLU Delhi(Some other colleges might accept the score	Senior Secondary School Examination (10+2 system) or an equivalent examination with 45% marks in the case of Gen category students.40% in case of SC/ST/Persons with Disabilities. For more, check this website.
LSAT	Jindal Global Law School, NMIMS, IFIM, etc.	10+2 or equivalent with a minimum of 45% marks (CBSE, ISC, state boards, IB, Cambridge and other govt. recognised boards)
SLAT	Symbiosis Law School (Pune, Noida, Hyderabad)	The candidate should have passed XII (10+2) examination from any recognized Board with a minimum of 45% marks for general, and40% for S.C. /S.T. candidates).
Central University Entrances	1. Allahabad University2. Aligarh Muslim University3. Calcutta University4. Mahatma Gandhi University, etc.	These entrances are also open to students from all backgrounds. In fact, the percentage-based eligibility criteria are even further relaxed. Note – GGSIPU has scrapped conducting its own examination in favour of CLAT scores.

After Graduation: Law Entrance for students from a Science Background

If you are done with your graduation from a Sciences background, you don’t need to opt for an integrated course. Many colleges and universities in the country offer a 3 year LL. B course. 

Exam	College	Eligibility (Educational Qualification)
DU LLB entrance	Delhi University(CLC, LC I, LC II)	Candidates must have a graduate or post-graduate degree with a minimum of fifty per cent (50%) in the qualifying examination for General category candidates. For OBCs and SCs &STs, this minimum percentage is forty-five per cent (45%) and forty per cent (40%) respectively.At the time of admission, the candidates should have cleared their final year examination.For more details check this website.
MAH-CET	GLC Mumbai	For details check here.
CBT & PI	Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur	First Class Bachelors Degree in Engineering / Technology / Medicine or equivalent.         ORFirst Class Masters Degree in Science or Pharmacy or equivalent.         ORFirst Class MBA Degree with any of the above If the degree awarding institute does not explicitly mention “First Class” then the eligibility will be a minimum of 60% marks or a CGPA of 6.5 on 10 point scale. For more, check this website.
UET	Banaras Hindu University	A minimum of 50% (aggregate) in Graduation (B.A., B.Sc., Shashtri, etc.) Check here for detailed requirements.

This concludes the list of almost all the law entrance for students from a science background. You can also check Oliveboard for formulating a study plan.

Why Should you Choose Law after Studying science?

By now you must be wondering why should you choose law after having pursued high school or graduating with a science background. Well for starters, your presence here marks at the very least your initial interest in a career in law. Right? Let us give you more reasons now –

1. Work for a Cause – Though no profession is lesser than any other, law is especially a noble field primarily due to the very nature of the job. Ensuring “Access to Justice” is as good a cause to work as it can get. Wouldn’t you want to earn the money working for a cause you believe in? Remember how Marshall Eriksen and his dedication to the environment in “How I met Your Mother” panned out? 

Several Indian Lawyers like Menaka Guruswamy (instrumental for the decriminalisation of homosexuality), Vrinda Grover (identified by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential women in 2013), Meenakshi Lekhi (part of the Drafting Committees for Bills like ‘Women’s Reservation Bill’ and ‘Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill’), etc and Indian Judges like Krishna Iyer J., Bhagawati J., etc have gone the extra mile to make India a better place with more inclusivity, diversity, accessibility and adaptability.

2. Work at the top brain capacity – Law, often functioning at the intersection of societal norms, ethics, philosophy and morality, requires your utmost dedication – intellectually and personally. If you’re someone who would want to test and expand their knowledge base, technical know-how, skills, social functioning and interpersonal exchanges, this is your field. 
3. Career options available – After pursuing a 5-year B.A.LL. B or a 3-year LL. B, you become eligible for a lot of careers – 
   1. Lawyer – You can get yourself enrolled in a state bar association and practice law. After clearing AIBE (All India Bar Examination), you’ll also become eligible to practice law in the entire country.
   2. Judicial Clerk – Many judges offer a 1 year or 2-year clerkship based on availability.
   3. Judge – You’ll become eligible to sit for entrance to Lower Judiciary right after graduating from the law.
   4. APO (Assistant Prosecution Officer) – Many states conduct an examination for appointing APOs. Such examinations require eligible candidates to have graduated from an LLB or BALLB course.
   5. Development Sector – Many NGOs, CSOs and development sector organisations like HRLN, PUDR, CRY, etc seek lawyers in their organisations. You can also become part of their “fact-finding missions” in order to facilitate the process owing to your mastery over legal aspects of any issue.
   6. Journalism – Yes! You can also enter journalism. Though you might think only legal journalism, as done by LiveLaw or Bar & Bench, would be your options. Your options aren’t limited. Due to the sheer profound knowledge of law and mastery over policy matters, you shall be preferred in various kinds of journalism, including investigative journalism.

After pursuing an LL.M. or a Master of Laws degree, you also become eligible for a career in academics (starting from Assistant Professor to Professor). You can also prepare to qualify for JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) via NET (National Eligibility Test) conducted by UGC (University Grants Commission).

4. Launchpad for a Global career – With the advent of globalisation, the legal profession has extended beyond national lines and now spans the world. Have you always aspired for a career in the United Nations, ADB or World Bank? Law could launch you into the legal roles available in these organisations. In fact, you can also join international firms (earlier “the big six”) like Allen Overy, Herbert Smith Freehills, etc. You also have the option to work as a paralegal or freelance for legal services for projects in other countries.

As Napolean Bonaparte says, “set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.” If this blog has been helpful in deciding “why and how” law after a science background, sit down and think this through. Make a plan, stay focussed and achieve what you set your mind at! Take a mock test here to get yourself acquainted with the question paper. 

This was all about law entrance for students from a science background! We will also come up with a detailed study plan real soon. Stay tuned! Ciao!