January 2026 ALE passing rate hits record high 82%

The January 2026 Architecture Licensure Examination (ALE) posted a record-breaking passing rate of 82.09 percent, with 1,998 out of 2,434 examinees passing, according to results released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Jan. 27.

Over the past decade, passing rates ranged from 55 to 66 percent, with June 2019 having the highest rate during the said period at 66.33 percent.

Bicol University in Legazpi City, Albay emerged as the top-performing school with 98.63 percent of its examinees qualifying for the boards.

It was followed by the University of Santo Tomas, Holy Angel University, Cebu Institute of Technology-University, and Batangas State University.

John Michael Padin Jetigan, a University of the Philippines Diliman graduate, was hailed as the topnotcher with a 90.90 percent rating.

PRC also announced that one examinee’s result was withheld “pending final determination of his/her liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examinations.”

This year’s first architecture board exam was conducted on Jan. 20 and 22 in testing centers in Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga.

The next ALE is expected to be held in June 2026, following the PRC’s pattern of exam administration.