NEW DELHI: While most National Law Universities (NLUs) across India remain male-dominated, Delhi’s National Law University (NLU Delhi) has emerged as a standout, recording its highest-ever representation of women in its 5-year LLB programme.
Data from the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) shows that at most NLUs, women have made up less than 50 per cent of total enrolments over the past six years. Against this backdrop, NLU Delhi’s latest admissions mark a sharp break from the national pattern.
For the 2025–26 academic year, women constitute 56.7 per cent of NLU Delhi’s first-year intake, compared to 43.3 per cent men. The batch includes 68 women and 52 men, making it the first time since the university’s inception that women have outnumbered men at entry level.
The rise has been gradual but steady. Women accounted for 43 per cent of the intake in 2023–24 and 46 per cent in 2024–25. Although 2022–23 saw a marginal female majority at 51 per cent, the current figures represent the most decisive shift so far.
Vice-Chancellor G.S. Bajpai described the trend as a reflection of broader progress. He said women students at NLU Delhi were performing strongly across academics, public services and research. Their growing presence in the university’s research centres, he noted, has been particularly encouraging.
“This is a positive sign of the direction we are moving in,” Bajpai said, adding that while earlier batches showed only marginal gender differences, the current intake marks a more visible change.
He pointed out that NIRF data aggregates student strength over five years, whereas first-year admission figures show a consistent rise in women’s representation at NLU Delhi over the past four academic cycles.
Nationally, the picture remains uneven. In 2023–24, only three NLUs—Cuttack, Assam and Nagpur—reported more than 50 per cent women in their five-year LLB programmes.