National Law School of India University

National Law School of India University
Other name
National Law School, NLS Bengaluru, NLSIU
Motto
Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah (trans. Dharma protects those who protect it)
TypeLaw school, a State University in Karnataka
Established1986 (1986)
FounderN. R. Madhava Menon
AffiliationUGC, BCI
Budget38 crore (US$4.5 million)
ChancellorChief Justice of India (de facto)
Vice-ChancellorSudhir Krishnaswamy
DeanSaurabh Bhattacharjee
RegistrarN.S. Nigam
Total staff
109 (16 administration, 93 academic)
Students935
Location
Bengaluru, India
CampusUrban-located residential-cum-day school, 23 acres (9.3 ha)
LanguageEnglish
Founding documentThe National Law School of India Act, 1986
Websitewww.nls.ac.in

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), commonly referred to as the National Law School (NLS), is a public Karnataka state law university in Bengaluru, India. Established under the Karnataka Act No. 22 of 1986, it is widely regarded as one of the country's leading institutions for legal education and has consistently been ranked first in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for law.

The University offers a five-year undergraduate Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Laws programme (BA LLB) and a one-year LLM programme. Entrance to these programmes is through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). Additionally, the University has an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts (Honours) programme, a three-year LLB (Honours) postgraduate programme, a two-year Master’s Programme in Public Policy, and doctoral degrees in law and social sciences, humanities and public policy.

Spread over a 23-acre campus, it houses India's largest legal library and hosts some of the country's well-known competitions and events, including the NLS Debate and Strawberry Fields festival. The NLSIU is the only Indian institute to have won the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, having done so in 1999 and 2013. Furthermore, 25 alumni have been Rhodes scholars.