Best Engineering Schools in the Philippines

What makes an Engineering course a tough hurdle is its Mathematics ingredient. Not many students are good in Math, let alone like the subject. Hence, it only those with exemplary Mathematical, analytical and logical skills, and perhaps some stroke of luck and an ounce of guts, may complete a Math-laden course such as engineering.

Engineering Schools

If you happen to aspire for an engineering course, here are the top ten engineering schools in the entire archipelago.

10 Best Engineering Schools in the Philippines (Overall, Minimum of 4 Courses)

Schools ranked according to their aggregated scores from 16 engineering-related board exams. A school must offer at least 4 engineering courses to qualify in the ranking.

Rank School Weighted Ranking Ranked in # of Exams
1 University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 97.7% 8
2 University of the Philippines Los Banos, Laguna 95.4% 4
3 Negros Oriental State University, Dumaguete City 93.0% 4
4 Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City 92.7% 5
5 University of Batangas, Batangas City 92.7% 4
6 Mindanao State University – Gensan, South Cotabato 88.4% 5
7 Technological University of the Philippines, Manila 87.1% 4
8 Mindanao State University – Main Campus, Marawi City, Lanao del Sur 86.9% 6
9 Central Mindanao University, Maramag, Bukidnon 86.7% 4
10 De La Salle University, Dasmarinas City, Cavite 86.3% 5

10 Best Engineering Schools in the Philippines (Six Courses Only)

Here is another ranking according to six pre-selected engineering courses namely: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, and Metallurgical Engineering.

However, only three schools that offer Metallurgical Engineering stood out, and they are MSU-Iligan, UP-Diliman & Mapua. The table below excludes Metallurgical Engineering, and considers only the first five aforementioned courses.

Only schools offering one or all of five engineering courses qualify in the ranking. The divisor (supposedly five) applied to schools with No Representative (NR) at the board exams or No Course Offered (NCO) was adjusted accordingly.

Rank School Five Engineering Courses Ave.Score
Chem Eng CE ECE EE ME
1 University of the Philippines – Los Baños 74.95 93.67 NCO 97.83 NCO 88.82
2 University of the Philippines – Diliman 80.40 96.00 68.27 NCO 97.49 85.54
3 Central Mindanao University NCO 65.71 NCO 69.67 100.00 78.46
4 Mindanao State University – Iligan 62.13 72.76 58.36 92.17 96.75 76.43
5 CAFT – Tagbilaran NR 62.75 NR 65.50 93.67 73.97
6 De La Salle University – Manila 77.99 79.67 46.74 NCO 76.43 70.21
7 Ateneo de Davao 59.58 62.50 47.28 67.00 94.25 66.12
8 Mindanao State University – Marawi 48.33 59.38 65.75 67.67 86.00 65.43
9 Central Philippine University 66.13 54.22 43.75 70.65 87.50 64.45
10 University of Santo Tomas 47.22 80.66 51.78 58.07 82.49 64.04

Additional Tips to Choosing an Engineering School or Course

While board exam results say much about the caliber of a school’s graduates, each student is still to her or his own. Apart from discriminating engineering schools based on the board exams and news mentions, try to visit the campus personally and see if it offers comprehensive and innovative curriculum.

Check if it provides state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that complements their curriculum because this means that students not only gain theoretical knowledge, but also practical knowledge.

Of course, the best school for you should be the institution that offers the engineering degree of your choice.

Engineering is a broad term to mean a whole bunch of different specific courses in the field. If you are not decided which type of engineering course to take, here are two things you need to remember:

One, it is best to understand what a specific course requires as per pre-requisite skill and knowledge. See if you have the talent and passion needed to pursue it. Second, understand what specific knowledge you will gain from completing it. This largely determines what career options you will have after graduation and passing the board exams.

Shifting from one engineering course to another may not be that difficult, but determining the specific engineering degree that matches you right at the start of college saves you a lot of time and money because then you can focus on finishing that one course. Well, if the universe permits, perhaps you can study and complete other engineering courses thereafter, and have multiple degrees and licenses.

Are you currently studying or planning to study engineering in college? If yes, what do you think of the listing above? Do share with us your thoughts on engineering courses and engineering schools in our country by filling in the comment box provided.

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57 Responses

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  1. CarolinianLOVE says:

    I’m saddened by this list as I don’t find the University of San Carlos on it. Darn there isn’t 1 single engineering school from Cebu not even our TOPS AGAIN university? 🙁

    Then again, I guess facts don’t lie.

    But I sure hope it did! 🙁

  2. janiT says:

    Maybe San Carlos is not as good as you think it is when it comes to engineering? wait… i think they have 100% passing rate for chemical engineering though?

    GOOOOOOOOO UPD!

  3. Gil says:

    Prou of my alma mater, UNIVERSITY OF BATANGAS, this last three years, all Engineering courses has an outstanding passing percentage of not less than 90%

  4. Rey Corona says:

    Where’s Batangas State University (BSU)? Its examinees consistently join the top ten of the engineering board exams and almost always has 100% passing rate.

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Thanks for dropping by Rey! Like we said for Mapua, I’m sure BSU is a great school when it comes to engineering but given the criteria to make this list, they just didn’t make it.

    • mike says:

      Agree much. I am also rooting for BatSU. Such a great, brilliant university

  5. bEP says:

    how come mapua was not on the list?

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Hi bEP! Thanks for dropping by! I’m sure Mapua is a great engineering school but given the criteria in this list, they just didn’t make the cut.

      • Gabby says:

        Then this doesnt make sense. Or maybe incomplete list. I was expecting MIT if not on top of the list then maybe in the top 3. Not from Mapua but quite sure they are the best in the field. Even other country recognizes that.

        • TopTen.ph says:

          Thanks Gabby! It’ll depend on the criteria of course.

          I’m sure there are many great engineering schools out there who have 100% passing rate for 1 or 2 engineering courses. This list takes at least 4 courses to get in.

  6. Odacrem says:

    Batangas State University???

  7. rj says:

    I think it is not valid that you include some schools with NCO in some engineering courses. For example, CMU has no Chem Eng and ECE and if you compare it with MSU-IIT, CMU has only slight advantage in ME while the rest are they have lower passing rate compare to MSU-IIT. In addition, ECE is very difficult that is why most of the schools have low passing rate in it. Thus, if a school is not offering ECE, it would be an advantage.

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Very valid point rj! Thanks for sharing!

      This is the reason why there are 2 lists on this article with 1 including 6 pre-selected engineering courses namely: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, and Metallurgical Engineering.

    • bagz says:

      It was weighted in average. its very simple. this post already set its criteria. maybe in other criteria/bases MSU-IIT is higher than CMU. But, then again, based on the criteria of this post CMU does has an edge.. Im sure next year the rankings would be different. Of all schools listed above only CMU scores 100 in ME. credit to that.

      • TopTen.ph says:

        Thank you Bagz! As expected, not everyone is smart enough to understand the post and its criteria. Please give yourself a pat in the back for being one of them who knows better. You have no idea how emotional others have been regarding this post believe me.

        Then again, everyone loves their alma mater and that’s a good thing, isn’t it? I too wish my alma mater would be part of this list but hey, we just can’t have them all.

  8. Caloy says:

    UP Diliman has both ECE and EE. I wonder why it’s NCO for EE in the tabulation.

    • iman says:

      Yep. Currently taking BS ECE at UPD and there is an EE degree program offered. Actually, it’s a part of a three- degree program institute called EEE (with ECE and Computer engineering ). Kindly check on this 🙂

  9. Peter says:

    Here we go again, if the school is in, you’re proud, otherwise the ranking doesn’t make sense, . It has always been like this especially if the university is popular. We’re following a criteria here. Plus, di porket di big time yung school madali nang ipasa,. maraming schools na di sikat pero kayang makipagsabayan pagdating sa quality education.

    • JGMilitar says:

      Well said, Peter. This is not a popularity ranking but a ranking based on the criteria made known by the publisher here. I fully agree with your statement, “maraming schools na di sikat pero kayang makipagsabayan pagdating sa quality education.”

  10. SAm says:

    How did you come up with the percentage rating for each discipline?
    It’s kinda unfair for MSU Marawi particularly for EE. 67.67 % is so low. FYI, MSU Marawi is 100% for REE Board Exam through the years. You can validate it thru PRC website.
    Perhaps, you have your own calculation.

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Hi Sam! The list is based on weighted average for 4 specific engineering courses while the other is for at least 6 courses.

      I’m sure MSU Marawi does great at EE but it won’t help too much if it doesn’t have the same results for other engineering courses.

      Please take note that this list does not aim to find the best “particular engineering” school in the country but for the best engineering school (all engineering courses or in this case, at least 4 and 6 engineering courses) in general.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

  11. Vince says:

    i think this has some sort of unreliability. I am expecting MIT as well as BatStateU to be on the list provided that these schools consistently topping the board exams and even producing topnotchers. Unless I see the basis of all of these, I will not believe.

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Thanks for your thoughts Vince! Please take note of the criteria in getting the list. I’m sure it’s easier to just get to the list than read the content but you’ll have to do just that to know why MIT isn’t on it.

      If you do think the list is unreliable, we are more than happy to amend it for you. Of course you’ll have to provide your sources given the criteria the list has been derived.

  12. Jan says:

    Proud to be from UP here. However, I do think there should be some more information included in the ranking. One is how many took the board exams, %of passers. Then we may group the schools based on the size of examinees. 100% passing rate doesn’t really hold water if you only have 1 examinee. I will be more impressed if 120 out of 150 (80%) passed than 45 of 50 or 9 of 10 (both 90%).

    Also we must consider that the board exam doesn’t really tell us the quality of school where the student has graduated. In my own opinion, the board exam tells us more how good the REVIEW CENTER is. Just a question, why do we need Board Exams in the first place? To screen the graduates that should not have graduated due to lack of knowledge?

    My two cents.

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Hi Jan! Thank you for such a well informed and well thought out share! If you click on the links spread throughout the list, it should lead you to the source and more details as to how the list got to where it is.

      And yes, I do agree with you fully that the board exam doesn’t tell the full story of where the takers studied, that’s no doubt. However, if your a parent or a potential engineering student looking for the best chance at passing the board exam, I do believe the list will be able to help them out in choosing what school to invest on. Don’t you think?

      • Jan says:

        Sorry, I was too lazy looking at the links. You are right, the list will definitely be a major consideration in choosing the school but after that, a careful and further evaluation should follow. I like the section of additional tips in the article/piece. The different specialization/field of engineering greatly varies, some schools may be the Institute/Center of (fill out engineering program) of excellence but not on others. So depending on chosen field, one may pick a school that is not on the list. Another factor to consider is the equipment/capability of a school to do hands-on teaching like laboratories, etc. Engineering is a hands-on profession and exposure to such capabilities is of great importance. The board exam is designed to test the theories/principles behind engineering courses but can not test how a student applies it to real-world scenario. I know a number of engineering graduates/board passers with very good academic standing but failed miserably in field works.

        I do understand the importance of having a PRC board exam to level out the competency of each candidate/examinee according to what HE/SHE SHOULD KNOW to be able licensed. In the ideal world however, there should be no BOARD EXAMS needed if we can STANDARDIZE the competency of each COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY giving a particular program. Schools that doesn’t live up to the standard should not be allowed to teach a course/program. That way, every Graduating student may be licensed without taking a board exam considering that HE/SHE passes the school’s standard which should be the same for all college/universities.

        • TopTen.ph says:

          Hi Jan! Standardization, that’s exactly what the PRC board exam is there for, isn’t it?

          And If I’m not mistaken, if a school consistently falls below a standard passing percentage at the board exams, their licenses to teach those subjects will indeed be revoked. This is the reason why so many schools have implemented “cut offs” even going to the point of making it as high as 85% to only keep the creme de la creme of each batch so they protect their school’s board passing percentage.

          I’m however not in the academe so it’s best that someone from such can attest to what I believe to be true.

          Anybody out there working in the academe verify my points?

      • Howell says:

        Tama ka sir! Since ang MIT ay quarter system sobrang kaunti lang ang nag tatake ng board, unlike sa ibang school na by semester. For example, sa isang board exam tatlo lang silang makakapag take this year and if one fails that’s 66.67% passing rate nalang agad. This is so sad for MIT.

    • Noel says:

      Hi Jan! I beg to disagree your sweeping and inconsiderate statement “the board exam tells us more how good the REVIEW CENTER is (rather than the quality of education of graduate’s of alma mater)”, I myself took the board exam without attending any review center and passed with 84%, So I hope to enlighten you and others that not all attended review centers. Not only me, but many from CMU cannot afford to attend review center because we are financially incapable. It was the highest quality of education from CMU despite many limitations due to insufficient teaching supplements (low budget for far flung SUC’s), discipline, determination and God’s grace that led me to hurdled it. AND, I know a lot of popular universities where some students even took 2 times or more reviews before taking the actual board exam just to ensure they will be in top ten or at least they will pass. Some even took 2 or more review centers simultaneously before taking the actual board exam. PRC is already there to regulate, professionalize and have the police power to close schools performing below national passing percentage…no need to be redundant in standardizing engineering schools…PRC has that mandate. What if there is no commercialize review offered by these review centers but only real knowledge acquired from respective alma maters and then graduates will directly take the board exams? This is the kind of standardization that I like. Let us see how these “popular” schools perform. If you want fair competition, here it is… no review from commercial review centers, take board exam directly. I know most eng’g schools ban their graduates from taking board exam without taking a review. But for our alma mater and some others, they do not want to deny poor graduates to achieve their dreams just because they can’t afford to attend a review center. Our school doesn’t even have an in-house review like other schools. We just took board exam with our own self review. Take note, most schools only advertise their graduates who are in the “top ten”…but NEVER shows their passing percentage. This is because most schools in the Philippines is for business rather that SERVICE,. Sad but true.

    • Noel says:

      Hi Bard! Most (but maybe not all) private schools only advertise “Topnotchers” but NEVER shows what is their passing percentage to help us gauge their performance in comparison with the rest of the takers nationwide. They might top, but they might also have an average passing percentage only with the rest of the schools just enough to keep their school continue its offering of the course. The negative effect of this practice is that, because some schools strive to have topnotcher(s), they only tend to focus more on the students who are capable/more brilliant that the “rests” in order to ensure they will have topnotcher(s). So the “rest” become collateral damage. These schools either consciously or unconsciously continue to encourage this type of learning which is definitely detrimental to those who are not so gifted students. This is one of the realities of today’s so much commercialism in education system in the Philippines…so sad yet so REAL.

  13. Cocoy says:

    Some schools are claiming 100 percent passing well in fact they have only 5 representative and take noteSome of those who top the exam is 10 years senior.because they take first their masteral /doctorate degree before taking the board exam.

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Hi Cocoy! Thanks for taking the time to share your valued thoughts on this. And I have to agree with you given the methodology of getting to this list, that is indeed one of the weaknesses.

      This again brings us back to the conclusion that this can’t be the only sole basis in choosing the right school to get your degree on.

      Fact is, no matter where a good student studies, he will be successful.

      So again, choose wisely parents and engineering students to be. We hope this list will at least be a good starting point for you to start your journey in choosing which engineering school is best for you and your children.

    • Peter says:

      This school you prefer has a strict filtering in the department even from 1st to 2nd years in college, resulting to lower number of graduates and board exam takers, sinisiguradong lahat nang gagraduate papasa sa board.

      • TopTen.ph says:

        That’s right Peter and not just this particular school, I’m sure all others have to do this to keep their licensing to offer those courses.

  14. Jix says:

    UST is there but no Mapua, Adamson? Engineering firms have lots of grads from these schools…or they prefer them hahaha.

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Thanks for dropping by Jix. We have to keep in mind that the list is only based on passing percentages of board exams not hiring statistics.

      Of course we all know when it comes to getting hired, it goes well beyond a PRC license especially if you’d like a position in our government. You know what I mean. 🙂

  15. Robyn says:

    I think Malayan Colleges Laguna should be in the top ten ( Six Courses Category)…

  16. dan kenneth says:

    Maiba nmn..bakt tayo ngbabayad sa profession natin? Lalo na tayo mga engrs. Daming requirements andaming bayarin kapag new engrs o engrs renewing license..May napala tayu sa mga seminars? Dagdag skills ba ang seminars? Bkit may bayad kung wala nmn? We have best engrs and we have worst system..

  17. Merc says:

    Our office conduct board type yet very fundamental qualifying exam for aspiring structural engineers. From actual results on candidates 2 or 3 years off from college, here’s how they fair:
    1. UP Diliman
    2. UP Los Baños
    3. La Salle Taft
    4. Top alums of UST
    5. MIT (very far 4th)

  18. Merc says:

    “Fare”, not fair ☺️

  19. Bard says:

    Where is cebu’s best engineering school where the famous line CIT tops Again

  20. McJim says:

    Proud MSUan..MSU-General Santos City ASTEEG…

  21. Technologian says:

    Cebu Institute of Technology University (CIT-U) is not in this list? well maybe in its more than 60 years having 685 board Topnotchers 78 of which are first placers is not enough to be on this list? I mean even there were times that all Topnotchers like in Mining Engineering came from CIT- University, the reason behind our “CIT TOPS AGAIN” slogan?

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Thanks for sharing this to everyone. Unfortunately, the criteria for making the list is included and CIT-U didn’t make it. That doesn’t make it bad in anyway though and given what your numbers say, it’s no doubt a contender on top!

    • martin says:

      Hi Po. The criteria po is “Passing Rate”. Kahit nag produce ng ilang topnotchers ang CIT we all know na mababa ang passing rates nila compared to other schools.

  22. how come Cebu Technological University was not on the list?

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Thanks for dropping by Jonathan. Based on the criteria on this list, CIT-U didn’t make it. The criteria is on the links on this article for everyone to view.

  23. krishna credo says:

    why bicol university is not on the list? they always got placers in REE RME

  24. Noel Yasi says:

    This post makes us proud NORSUnians. It also affirms and gives credit to engineering schools, like ours, who’s outside key cities of the country yet perform excellently in the Board Exams. That’s the reason why “Books are not judged by its cover”, so they say…

  25. Hikaru says:

    How come Mapua is not included in the list?

    • TopTen.ph says:

      Hi Hikaru. That’s a very good question no doubt. Please read the article thoroughly especially the part where the criteria is discussed to answer your question.

  26. MAPUAN says:

    if only a few people were allowed to take the exams…where the school guarantees they would pass…its always 100% passing for them…Mapua lets everybody take the board exams at their own preferred time…and thus the passing rate isn’t much manipulated or regulated by the school…that’s why we are not in this top 10 list…unfortunately

  27. MAPUAN says:

    some schools only let 10-20 of their best to take the exam and the others need to wait out until they are definitely prepared for it…Mapua on the other hand (my batch) had 200 from our school take the board exam and that was only from my batch not including those who are having 2nd takes…so Less people taking it more chances of getting a higher percentage than unregulated 200…these are only statistical values, Mapuans still performs competitively well out there in the field…Viva Mapua!

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