ILICAT 2026: Is 60 Marks a Safe Score for LLM Admission at ILI?

No, 60 marks is not a safe score in ILICAT 2026 for LLM admission at the Indian Law Institute (ILI), New Delhi — the General category cutoff in 2025 stood at approximately 111.25 marks out of 160, placing 60 marks well below the safe zone for every category except possibly ST.

ILICAT 2026 (Indian Law Institute Common Admission Test) is conducted for admission to the 2-year LLM programme at ILI, New Delhi. With only 39 seats and a highly competitive applicant pool of law graduates from across India, the cutoff scores have risen sharply over the past five years. A score of 60 out of 160 on the written test represents just 37.5% — well below what the data suggests is required to secure a seat in 2026.

• ILICAT 2026 written test carries a total of 160 marks (120 objective + 40 subjective).
• The General category cutoff in ILICAT 2025 was approximately 111.25 marks based on published trends.
• 60 marks is not safe for General, OBC, SC, or EWS categories in ILICAT 2026.
• For ST category students, 60 marks is borderline and extremely risky.
• A score of 115 marks or above is considered broadly safe for General category students in ILICAT 2026.
• ILI offers only 39 LLM seats for the 2026–27 academic year, making competition intense.

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ILICAT 2026 Exam Pattern and Total Marks

Understanding the scoring structure of ILICAT 2026 is essential before assessing whether any score is safe. The written test carries a maximum of 160 marks and consists of objective and subjective sections. A separate viva voce round of 20 marks is conducted for students shortlisted through the written test.

A score of 60 out of 160 in the written test translates to just 37.5% — far below the threshold seen in recent ILICAT admission cycles for most categories.

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Previous Year ILICAT Cutoff Scores (Category-wise)

The table below shows category-wise cutoff marks for ILICAT in recent years based on published admission trends. All figures are from the written test scored out of 160 marks.

The General category cutoff rose from 75 in 2021 to over 111 in 2025 — a jump of nearly 49% in four years. This upward trend directly impacts what constitutes a safe score in ILICAT 2026. Figures shown are based on 2021–2025 published trends and are not official ILI data for 2026.

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Is 60 Marks Safe in ILICAT 2026?

Based on the cutoff trends from 2021 to 2025, here is how a score of 60 marks compares against expected category-wise cutoffs for ILICAT 2026:

All expected cutoffs above are based on 2022 and 2025 published trends. For ST category students, 60 marks sits at the lower boundary of what was historically required — in 2022, the SC cutoff was 53.50, which suggests ST cutoffs could be lower, but with rising competition, even this estimate carries significant risk. Students who have scored 60 marks should not rely solely on this score for admission to ILI.

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What Score Is Considered Safe for ILICAT 2026?

Based on published cutoff data from 2021 to 2025 and the consistent upward trend in scores, the following ranges are expected to be safe for ILICAT 2026 LLM admission:

These figures are expected estimates based on previous year trends and are not official ILI cutoffs for 2026. The official ILICAT 2026 cutoff will be released on ili.ac.in after the result is declared.

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Factors Affecting ILICAT 2026 Cutoff

Several factors determine the final cutoff for ILICAT 2026:

• Number of applicants: A larger applicant pool pushes cutoffs higher; more competition for the same 39 seats means every additional mark matters.
• Paper difficulty: A harder paper lowers cutoffs across all categories; an easier paper raises them.
• Seat intake: ILI offers just 39 LLM seats, making this one of the most competitive law entrance exams in India by seat-to-applicant ratio.
• Category-wise reservation: SC (15%), ST (7.5%), and OBC (27%) reservations create separate merit lists, each with its own cutoff.
• Viva voce performance: Shortlisted students appear for a 20-mark viva voce, which can shift the final merit order and affect who clears the overall cutoff.
• Negative marking impact: The 0.25 negative marking for wrong answers can significantly lower raw scores for students who attempted too many questions incorrectly.