The National Law Universities Students’ Association (NLUSA) has asked the Bar Council of India (BCI) to change the rules for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) 2025 . This request aims to make sure all final-year law students in India can apply for this important exam, which is currently not possible for many due to different university schedules.
NLUSA officially submitted its request to the BCI on October 26 . The students' association argued that the current eligibility rules for AIBE 2025 are unfair. According to the present rules, only law students who are in their final semester or who already have their provisional or final transcripts are allowed to register for the exam. This system creates a disadvantage for many students because law universities across India do not follow the same academic calendar.
Why Current Rules Create Problems
The AIBE 20 (XX) 2025 registration window is set to close very soon, on October 31 . The examination itself is scheduled to be held on November 30, 2025 . For a significant number of law students, these dates pose a serious problem.
Many universities plan their 9th-semester examinations (which are part of the final year for students pursuing a five-year law degree) in November or December 2025 . Because these exams are held after the October 31 registration deadline, students will not have their necessary mark sheets or provisional certificates in time. This makes them ineligible to register for AIBE 2025, even though they are indeed in their final year of law studies and almost ready to complete their degrees.
The problem is also faced by students enrolled in universities that use a trimester system for their academic year. For these students, those in their 14th trimester of a five-year law course, or in their 8th trimester of a three-year law course, currently do not meet the AIBE eligibility criteria. This means they are blocked from taking the exam, even though they are completing their final stages of law education.
On the other hand, students from universities that completed their 9th-semester exams before October 2025 are already in their 10th semester . These students have their documents ready and can register for the AIBE 2025 without any issues. This clear difference in eligibility based purely on differing academic timelines across universities highlights the inequality NLUSA aims to address.
NLUSA's Call for Fairness and Extension
To ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all law graduates, the National Law Universities Students’ Association has made two key requests to the Bar Council of India :
- Change Eligibility: NLUSA wants the BCI to allow all students who are in their final year of a law program to register for the AIBE 2025 examination. This change would mean that a student's eligibility is based on their final-year status, not strictly on having a final semester transcript by the deadline.
- Extend Registration Deadline: The association has also asked the BCI to extend the AIBE 2025 registration deadline . Extending this date would give students whose university exams are scheduled later in the year enough time to complete their registration process once their academic documents are available.
The AIBE is a crucial exam. Passing it is a must for any law graduate to practice law in India. By seeking these changes, NLUSA is advocating for the career prospects of a large number of future lawyers who might otherwise be delayed in starting their professional lives.
Important Dates for AIBE 2025
Here is a summary of the important dates concerning the AIBE 2025 exam and NLUSA's representation:
| Event | Date |
| NLUSA Request Submitted | October 26 |
| AIBE 20 (XX) Registration Closes | October 31 |
| AIBE 20 (XX) Exam Date | November 30, 2025 |
The Bar Council of India now faces the task of reviewing NLUSA’s demands. Their decision will significantly impact how many final-year law students across India can take the AIBE 2025 and begin their legal careers on time. Students are keenly awaiting a response from the BCI regarding these urgent matters.
