Cebu graduate tops Civil Engineering Licensure Exam

Local

CEBU has reclaimed the national spotlight in engineering excellence.

A University of San Carlos (USC) graduate emerged as the topnotcher in the November 2025 Civil Engineers Licensure Examination (CELE).

Jonathan Conrad Yu of USC clinched Top 1 nationwide with a rating of 91.75%, leading the 4,268 passers out of 14,043 examinees, according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). This translates to a 30.39% national passing rate.

Yu’s achievement places Cebu once again on the national map of outstanding civil engineering graduates, following a string of strong showings by Cebu-based universities in recent licensure examinations.

The PRC also announced that the University of the Philippines–Diliman emerged as this cycle’s top-performing school, posting an impressive 95.18% passing rate.

The Civil Engineering Licensure Exam remains one of the largest and most competitive PRC-administered board examinations, drawing thousands of examinees from across the country each cycle.

In April 2025, PRC recorded 4,940 passers out of 16,913 examinees (29.21%), with Carlos Miguel Fabon Mariano of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila topping the exam with 93.00%, followed closely by Nur Hameen Cabugatan Interino of MSU–IIT with 92.60%. UP Diliman led as the top-performing school with a 98.21% passing rate.

In November–December 2024, 6,835 out of 18,436 examinees (37.07%) passed the CELE. Cebu also dominated that cycle, with Francis Charles Pepito Lauta from the University of Cebu ranking first with 93.25%, followed by UP Diliman’s Josh Andrew Medina Martija with 92.50%. UP Diliman again topped the schools with a 93.18% institutional passing rate.

In April 2024, 6,680 out of 17,010 examinees (39.27%) passed. Two graduates from De La Salle University–Manila—Ryan Sylvester Sy Chan and Cedric Jerome Carlos Donguines—shared the top spot, both earning 94.30%. DLSU Manila was the top-performing school with a 90.32% passing rate.(TGP)