Kochi
Meeting people at National University of Advanced Legal Studies
NUALS is Kerala's National Law University, a 10-acre campus in Kalamassery, Kochi, with about 500 students. In 2023 it won the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot, the only South Asian university to do so.
NUALS won the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot in 2023, becoming the second law school in Asia and the only university in South Asia to win it.
The story of National University of Advanced Legal Studies
The National University of Advanced Legal Studies was established by the NUALS Act, 2005, with Dr. S.G. Bhat as its first Vice-Chancellor. It acquired its Kalamassery campus in 2011.
Prof. (Dr.) G.B. Reddy took office as Vice-Chancellor in 2025. The university publishes five peer-reviewed journals, including the NUALS Law Journal and reviews on IP, securities law, constitutional studies and insolvency.
What the campus is like socially
NUALS is small and urban, minutes from Kochi's courts and city life, and student councils with members elected from each batch give students a direct say. Mooting and debating set the tone.
Hosted events fill the year, from a national debating championship to a maritime arbitration moot that reflects Kochi's port-city legal world.
Traditions every National University of Advanced Legal Studies student knows
- Altus Disputatio: NUALS's national debating championship.
- NUALS Parliamentary Debate: A second debating fixture on the calendar.
- NUALS MUN: The campus Model United Nations.
- Aaroha: NUALS's national quiz competition.
- NIMLAC: The M.K. Nambyar Memorial maritime arbitration competition, held since 2014.
- The NUALS Moot: An international taxation law moot.
Campus lore and insider spots
- Geneva, 2023: Winning the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot made NUALS the second law school in Asia to take the title.
- Port-city law: Kochi's maritime trade shows up in the campus calendar through NIMLAC.
How to find your people here
At National University of Advanced Legal Studies, the fastest way in is a moot court team, a committee, or a fest organizing team. Cohorts are small enough that showing up consistently gets noticed fast.
Fests and societies at National University of Advanced Legal Studies
Signature fests
- Altus Disputatio
- NUALS MUN
- Aaroha
- NIMLAC
Notable societies
- Moot Court Society
- Debating Society
- Legal Aid Clinic
Societies worth knowing at National University of Advanced Legal Studies
- Moot Court Society: Runs the hosted moots and trains teams, including the 2023 Nelson Mandela Moot winners.
- Debating Society: Runs Altus Disputatio and the parliamentary debate.
- NUALS Law Journal: The flagship of five peer-reviewed journals.
- National Mediation Competition: NUALS also hosts a national mediation contest.
Careers, internships and placements
NUALS graduates go into litigation, law firms, policy work and further study. The Kerala High Court is close by, which makes courtroom internships easy to reach.
Moot records, especially after the 2023 Nelson Mandela win, and journal work are the strongest CV builders.
Notable alumni
- Muthumani Somasundaran: Malayalam film actor and advocate who earned her law degree at NUALS, enrolled at the Kerala High Court and later completed a PhD in copyright law.
Rivalries and eternal debates
NUALS is compared with peer NLUs such as HNLU, RGNUL and TNNLU in CLAT preference debates, and with Kerala's older law colleges on who produces better litigators. The 2023 Nelson Mandela Moot win is its standard reply.
Meeting people at National University of Advanced Legal Studies by interest
A lot of friendships here form around a shared interest rather than a class or a hostel wing. If you are into debating and mun, reading and book clubs, quizzing, running, and food and cafe hopping, those pages cover where that scene actually happens in India and how to find people near you who are into the same thing.
Colleges nearby
National University of Advanced Legal Studies sits close to Cochin University of Science and Technology, St Teresa's College, and SCMS Cochin School of Business, all part of the same Kochi student scene. Cross-college friendships often start at inter-college fests, hackathons, or shared-interest communities rather than in class.
Similar campuses across India
If you are looking beyond your own campus, students at WB National University of Juridical Sciences, National University of Study and Research in Law, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, and Dr. RML National Law University share a similar campus culture, and Zyber works the same way at each: showing you verified people nearby who match on interest, intent, or timing.
Zyber on campus
Zyber is built for meeting people nearby in real time, with verified profiles only. At National University of Advanced Legal Studies, that means showing you people near you who share your interests or your drive, whether or not you overlap on a class or a society.
New to National University of Advanced Legal Studies? Start here
If you are just starting out, these freshers guides are written for exactly this moment: first week of college checklist, how to choose societies in college, making friends beyond your branch, and case competitions for freshers.
FAQ: National University of Advanced Legal Studies
Where is NUALS located?+
NUALS is in Kalamassery, Kochi, Kerala, on a 10-acre campus.
When was NUALS established?+
NUALS was established by the National University of Advanced Legal Studies Act, 2005.
Is NUALS a National Law University?+
Yes. NUALS is Kerala's National Law University and admits through CLAT.
Did NUALS win the Nelson Mandela Moot?+
Yes. NUALS won the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot in 2023, the only South Asian university to do so.
How many students are there in NUALS?+
NUALS has around 500 students.
How do I make friends at National University of Advanced Legal Studies?+
The fastest way to make friends at National University of Advanced Legal Studies is to join a society or activity group in your first few weeks and keep showing up, since Kochi's campus culture here rewards consistency over one-off networking.
What societies should I join at National University of Advanced Legal Studies?+
At National University of Advanced Legal Studies, the societies and clubs tied to what you actually care about, not the biggest or most popular ones, tend to build the strongest friendships.
What are the main societies and fests at National University of Advanced Legal Studies?+
National University of Advanced Legal Studies's social calendar centers on Altus Disputatio, NUALS MUN, Aaroha, and NIMLAC, alongside societies like Moot Court Society, Debating Society, and Legal Aid Clinic.
How do I meet people from other colleges nearby?+
In Kochi, cross-college friendships usually start at inter-college fests, hackathons, or shared interest communities rather than in class. Apps like Zyber help by showing you nearby people at other campuses who share your interests.
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the freshers guide, the Meet People pillar, or read what Zyber is.