Admission to the Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) Programme 2026-27 at NUALS Kochi (Post-Doctoral Degree in Law)

The National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi, established by Act 27 of 2005 of the Kerala Legislature, has invited applications in the prescribed format for admission to its Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) Degree Programme (Post-Doctoral Degree in Law) for the Academic Year 2026-2027 (Notification No. NUALS/ACAD/LLD/ADMISSION/2026-27, dated 09/10/2026).

The notification describes the LL.D. as the highest post-doctoral academic degree awarded in the faculty of law by NUALS, intended for legal scholars of exceptional scholarly standing who have demonstrated continuous commitment to advanced legal research, seminal publications and critical jurisprudence after their Ph.D.

A candidate must satisfy all of the following:

• A Ph.D. Degree in Law from NUALS or any recognised Indian or foreign University recognised by the UGC / AIU as equivalent.
• A minimum of three (3) to five (5) years of teaching or research experience in a recognised Law University, Faculty of Law or premier Legal Research Institution after the award of the Ph.D.
• Substantial high-quality published research post Ph.D., including a minimum of five (5) to ten (10) research papers in peer-reviewed, UGC-CARE listed or SCOPUS indexed journals, and/or books of recognised scholarly merit published by reputed national or international publishers.
• A comprehensive Research Proposal on a contemporary, significant and original area of legal studies.

The prescribed application form also carries a declaration for applicants in the Foreign Nationals category.

Candidates are registered for a minimum of three (3) years and a maximum of six (6) years from the date of admission. An extension of up to one (1) year may be granted in exceptional cases by the Academic Council on the recommendation of the Research Advisory Committee.

• Step 1: Scrutiny of the bio-data, academic credentials, post-Ph.D. publications and research track record by the Screening Committee.
• Step 2: Defence and presentation of the detailed Research Proposal before the Post-Doctoral Research Board, followed by a personal interview. The Board evaluates the originality, methodology and jurisprudential contribution of the proposed work.

• Detailed Curriculum Vitae / Bio-data highlighting academic achievements and research contributions.
• Comprehensive Research Proposal (2,500 to 4,000 words) covering Title, Statement of Problem, Research Questions, Literature Review, Methodology, Chapterization and Scholarly Significance.
• Full set of published papers (reprints) in UGC-CARE / Scopus journals and copies of books published post Ph.D.
• Self-attested copies of certificates and mark sheets of Secondary (10th), Higher Secondary (12th), LL.B., LL.M. and Ph.D. degrees.
• Service Certificate / Experience Certificate establishing post-doctoral teaching and research tenure.
• No Objection Certificate (NOC) and endorsement from the employer (if employed).
• Community / Caste certificate (if applicable) for candidates claiming reservation as per Kerala Government / NUALS regulations.
• Receipt of the Application Fee paid via SBI Collect.

• Application Fee: Rs 5,000 (Rs 2,500 for SC/ST candidates), remitted online through the SBI Collect gateway on the NUALS website, selecting the category "Admissions / Research - LLD Programme".
• Programme Registration Fee: Rs 25,000 (payable upon admission).
• Annual Research and Infrastructure Fee: Rs 50,000 per annum.
• Refundable Caution Deposit: Rs 15,000.

Fill in the prescribed application form (proforma) published on the NUALS website. The completed form with all enclosures, the research proposal, publication copies and the fee payment receipt must reach the University on or before 15 November 2026, 5:00 PM IST, at:

The Registrar, The National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), NUALS Point, HMT Colony P.O., Kalamassery, Kochi - 683 503, Kerala, India.

An advance scanned copy of the complete application packet, as a single PDF, must also be emailed to admissions2026@nuals.ac.in and registrar@nuals.ac.in with the subject line "Application for Admission to LL.D. Programme 2026 - [Candidate Name]".

Incomplete applications, applications without the fee receipt, or applications received after the last date will be summarily rejected.