Established in 1997, National Law Institute University, Bhopal is also called NLIU. Under the leadership of J.S. Verma, NLIU is the 3rd law university that was set up by the State Legislature of Madhya Pradesh by the passing of the National Law University Act, 1997.
 
It was established in Bhopal by Act No. 41 of 1997, the Rashtriya Vidhi Sansthan Vishwavidyalaya Adhiniyam or the NLIU Act, 1997 by the State of Madhya Pradesh under the National Law School system.

National Law Institute University, Bhopal is recognized by the Bar Council of India (BCI), New Delhi and the University Grants Commission (UGC) under section 2(f) & 12(B) under Act, 1956. For this law university, the government decides the fee structure and the facilities to be provided to the students. The institute was ranked third among all the law colleges in India.

Although Justice J.S. Verma was the first person to give a proposal for the first national law school to be established in Bhopal, his proposal did not turn out to be fruitful. The first programme took shape in 1998 and on 1st September 1998, the courses were started.

In 2007, the LL.M. programme (Masters in Law) was launched. In 2009, the first batch of this programme graduated. At present, the institute offers a one-year L.L.M. course and a five-year B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) course.

These students can opt for non-credit courses in comparative jurisprudence, competition law, maritime law, cyberlaw, law and economics, global terrorism and international commercial arbitration. It also offers postgraduate diplomas and Ph.D. programmes.

National Law Institute University, Bhopal is a member of the Association of Indian Universities. The law institute works closely with the National Judicial Academy and the High Court of Madhya Pradesh. The Rajiv Gandhi National Cyber Law Center, which has been set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India is centred in this building since 2009.

It is difficult to get admission in NLIU. In the beginning, admissions were given based on the marks obtained in the admission test conducted by the institute itself. Now students have to qualify in the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) based on which admission is granted. Students also have to take into account the marks specified by the Institute for admission and have to register with the college.

Vision:

• National Law Institute University, Bhopal has the vision to become one of the top places of legal education, research, and training worldwide

Mission:

• National Law Institute University, Bhopal is on a mission to nurture and develop the intellect of its students in order to improve the condition of humanity and the nation through law and justice

Objectives:

• The goal of National Law Institute University, Bhopal is to instill a sense of responsibility in the students so that they can become instrumental in the development of the country, while at the same time develop imaginative power and clarity, the qualities of leadership and the spirit of intellectual freedom