Jindal Global Law School begins new session with record number of 1500 new admissions & 70 % increase in enrollment

Sonipat: The Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) will commence its new academic session with classes to begin in all its programmes on 1st September 2020. Over 1,500 new students have joined the six different academic degree programmes at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level in the law school. This year’s student enrolment at JGLS has been the most significant in a decade and since its founding in 2009 and has witnessed an incredible over 70% increase from the last year. JGLS has also recruited over 90 new full time faculty members, which will take the total strength of full-time faculty members at JGLS to over 400.

Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), the first school of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), offers a 5-year BA/BBALLB (Hons.) programme, a 3-year LLB programme, a one-year LLM Residential & Non Residential programme and the two new degree programmes launched this year i.e., LLM in Corporate and Financial Law (Blended Programme) and B.A. (Hons.) in Legal Studies programme.

When most of the law entrance exams are yet to be conducted in the country and admissions process in law schools are showing no sign of starting, Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in Sonipat will commence its classes for all six academic programmes on 1st September 2020 in an online mode in compliance with the notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India dated 29 August 2020.

Key Highlights of the 2020 JGLS Admissions:

Entrance Exam LSAT–India gone Online for the first time and a new Law Admission Test JSAT-Law was launched;
Classes commence on 1 September for all Six undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes;
Over 1,500 new students start classes on 1st September witnessing a stupendous 70% increase in student enrolment in 2020;
Over 90 new full time faculty members to join JGLS this semester;
Over 400 full-time faculty members of the JGLS to teach online using latest technology;
Students join from all over India, 90% Students from outside the home state of Haryana;
Students from many remote towns and cities from every part of the country;
Female students surpass male students in the 5-year law and LLM programmes;
International students from eight different countries, e.g. USA, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, and UAE;
Graduates of leading international universities in the USA, UK, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi. joining 3-year LLB programme;
New programmes i.e. BA Legal Studies and LLM (Blended Learning) well received by students across India;
Students from 10 different National Law Universities join the LLM programme;
100% increase in LLM programme applications and enrollments.

The Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University and the Founding Dean of Jindal Global Law School, Professor (Dr.) C Raj Kumar observed: “The astounding success of the 2020 JGLS Admissions process could be attributed to the fact that JGLS has acquired a national and international reputation that provides world class legal education. The outstanding faculty, innovative and interdisciplinary teaching pedagogy, multidisciplinary research ecosystem, wide-ranging international collaborations, active research centres, dynamic mooting and advocacy opportunities, effective clinical legal education and experiential learning, and the impressive physical infrastructure and vibrant intellectual environment at JGLS is par excellence. As a testament to our institution building efforts, in March 2020, JGLS was ranked as India’s Number 1 Law School by the coveted QS World University Rankings 2020 By Subject and was also ranked among the top 101-150 law schools in the world. Notably, O.P. Jindal Global University in which JGLS is one of the nine schools was ranked as India’s First Ranked Private University by the QS WUR 2020. I am particularly delighted that JGLS has helped in an effort to transform the landscape of Indian legal education providing opportunities to our students to purse world class legal education in India.”

“JGLS had received 10 applications for each seat in its flagship 5-year law programme, where admission is given on the basis of merit and performance in the LSAT–India entrance exam. Quite remarkably, the 3-year LLB and the LLM programmes also witnessed a 40% to 100% of increase in applications respectively. Overall, JGLS witnessed an incredible 70% increase in the total enrolments in 2020. We took some important and right decisions at the right time. As soon as we realised that physical distancing was to be the norm for the rest of the year, we moved our entire admissions process online. This involved filling up of application forms online, having online exams, which were AI-Enabled and Remote-Proctored, and having faculty interviews via video conferencing. This has helped the law school and the university in a big way to help the students who are law aspirations fulfill their goals and aspirations”.

JGLS took a historic decision early this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, its entrance exam, LSAT-India 2020 became a fully online test in an artificial intelligence-enabled and remote-proctored format. LSAT-India Test was always a paper-pencil test for the last 10 years since it was started by LSAC of USA in 2009 along with the inception of JGLS. This decision played a critical and most important role in selecting students for its 5-year law programmes and closing admission for its students in record 10 days of the announcement of the LSAT results.

In 2020, JGLS also introduced a new JSAT-Law Exam conducted by Pearson VUE for its 3-year LLB, LLM and BA (Hons.) Legal Studies programmes. Over 1000 students have already taken this test, which is conducted on a rolling basis in the AI-Enabled and Remote-Proctored mode. The JSAT-Law 2020 Test for admission to the LLB, LLM and BA (Hons.) Legal Studies programme will continue till the end of September to help and support students fulfill their educational aspirations during these difficult times.

Professor Anand Prakash Mishra, Director of Law Admissions and Associate Dean of Jindal Global Law School said, “Despite the tragedy and challenges of COVID-19, Jindal Global Law School has once again attracted an outstanding group of students from India and abroad to study law. The diversity of the student body is truly inspiring. It is a mini India this year on our campus representing almost every state and union territory.” Professor Mishra further added that, “the year 2020 has been the most successful year ever in the past 12 years of the existence of our law school. Apart from an over 100% increase in LLM applications and enrollments and over 40% increase in LLB 3-year applications, the newest programme of the law school i.e. BA Legal Studies has admitted over 130 students in the very first year and admissions still continue. We could not have asked for a better situation and opportunity created for law aspirants, particularly when a large number of students are facing an uncertain future with regard to legal education. Also, for the first time, the number of female students exceed male students in our 5-year BA/BBA (Hons.) LLB and LLM programmes. This is a remarkable development from gender perspective in legal education”.

Over 1,500 students of law admitted in various programmes of the law school came from 25 different States and Union Territories of India. International students also joined from cities such as Abu Dhabi, Dar Es Salaam, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Kuala Lumpur, Sharjah, and Singapore, and from countries including, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, UAE and the USA.

Despite the apprehension that outstation students may not be willing to leave their home cities due to COVID-19, JGLS has received 90% of its students from outside the home state of Haryana. Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana are the five major states contributing to JGLS student body in 2020. Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal, MP, Bihar and Kerala are other major states. Although maximum students came from cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurugram, Chennai and Kolkata, a large number of students joined from remote towns and cities like Ahmednagar, Alappuzha, Asansol, Ashok Nagar, Bareilly, Bhatinda, Berhampore, Bhilwara, Bijnor, Bilaspur, Chhindwara, Daltonganj, Dumka, East Godavari, Gorakhpur, Haldwani, Idukki, Jagadhri, Jalgaon, Jamshedpur, Kangra, Kannur, Kashipur, Kota, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Kurnool, Mandsaur, Mathura, Moradabad, Muzaffarpur, Raigarh, Rewari, Saharanpur, Siliguri, Supaul, and Vizianagaram.

“We welcome the new students of JGLS who will begin classes online on 1st September. We would like to ensure that our commitment to providing world class legal education to our students is unwavering. As a University, we place emphasis on quality learning opportunities and we understand student expectations including their academic and co-curricular integration. A series of commencement lectures by distinguished scholars, thinkers and practitioners will be held in the first week of classes to enthuse and inspire our new students. When the new academic session officially opens on 1 September 2020, we can assure our students that JGLS remains committed to offering global and integrated learning opportunities towards fulfilling their goals and aspirations as we want them to do well”, said Professor Dabiru Sridhar Patnaik, Registrar, O.P. Jindal Global University.

Professor (Dr.) Sreejith S.G. Executive Dean of Jindal Global Law School said, “The academic planning, including the preparation of the “COIVID-19 Academic Action Plan for Fall 2020”, and the teaching allocation for all programmes to be offered at JGLS in 2020 have been completed well in advance. We have recruited over 90 full-time faculty members this year, which will take the overall strength of the full-time faculty members at JGLS to over 400. These 400 full-time faculty members will be teaching various compulsory and elective courses to our students. In addition to our full-time faculty members, 11 Senior Advocates of the Supreme Court of India and 12 senior partners of the leading corporate law firms, who have taken up appointments as Honorary Adjunct Professors at JGLS, will be offering advanced elective courses to our students. The School will also benefit by the inputs of the 14 Eminent Jurists who have been appointed as Distinguished Fellows at JGLS.”