Philippines Nursing Exodus and Nursing Schools — 2026-09-27
The week was dominated by the release of the August–September 2026 Nurse Licensure Examination results, with 28,652 of 37,359 examinees (76.69%) passing. Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Washington confirmed 868 US-bound Filipino nurses completed pre-departure seminars this year, underscoring the continued exodus. A Filipino-language opinion piece warns the country's nurse numbers are "growing in count, shrinking in stock" as deployment abroad continues to outpace domestic retention.
Philippines Nursing Exodus and Nursing Schools — 2026-09-27
Top developments
PRC releases August–September 2026 nursing board exam results
On September 18, 2026, the Professional Regulation Commission announced that 28,652 out of 37,359 examinees (76.69%) passed the Nurses Licensure Examination, administered in 26 testing centers nationwide on August 29–30 and September 10–12, with some results withheld. The high pass rate adds a large cohort of newly licensed nurses to the domestic pool amid chronic hospital understaffing and intense foreign demand. For overseas recruiters in the US, UK, Gulf, Germany and Japan, this is the key pipeline: licensure is the first gate for NCLEX, OSCE and Prometric candidates.
Top-performing nursing schools highlighted in this cycle's results
Results coverage included the top 10 examinees and top-performing schools. School rankings used PRC's criteria (schools with 100+ examinees and at least an 85% passing rate); in the February 2026 cycle, Saint Paul University–Tuguegarao led with a 99.10% rate (220 of 222 passing), while Trinity University of Asia posted 99.73%. Top-school performance shapes enrolment swings, as prospective students gravitate toward programs with the strongest board-exam track records.
868 US-bound nurses complete pre-departure orientation this year
The Migrant Workers Office of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. concluded its 2026 series of Special Pre-Departure Orientation Seminars (SPDOS), with 868 Filipino nurses preparing to work in the United States taking part, including a final session hosting 187 nurses announced September 18, 2026. The volume of pre-departure processing for a single destination illustrates how the newest board passers are already being absorbed into the migration pipeline rather than the domestic workforce.
###Countries still actively hiring Filipino nurses in 2026 Recruitment reporting this month (shortagejobs.com, published mid-September) maps where demand remains: the UK may have closed its care-worker visa route but registered-nurse pathways remain open, alongside openings in Germany, the US, Canada, Australia and the Gulf. This matters for the new passing cohort weighing destinations, exams (NCLEX, OSCE, Prometric) and visa speeds.
Local view
Pilipino Star Ngayon, in a September 27 Filipino-language opinion piece titled "Mga nurse sa Pilipinas dumarami, kumokonti" (nurses are multiplying in numbers, yet the supply dwindles), cites the 868 nurses in the US-bound SPDOS series as evidence of the continued exodus, arguing that the country keeps producing nurses who then leave.
Context & numbers
- 28,652 of 37,359 (76.69%) passed the August–September 2026 NLE across 26 testing centers.
- For comparison, the February 2026 NLE had a far lower turnout: 3,611 of 8,162 passed in 21 testing centers.
- 868 Filipino nurses completed the 2026 SPDOS for US-bound workers, including 187 in a final seminar series.
On the radar
- The next NLE cycle's calendar: this cycle's exam was split across August 29–30 and September 10–12, with results released five working days after the last exams — a precedent worth watching for future releases (rumored to continue).
- The ₱50,000 minimum wage bill for nurses filed in the House (reported August 30, 2026) remains pending in Congress — its progress could reshape domestic retention (background, not fresh reporting).
- Watch for top-10 examinee profiles and school press releases from the September cycle, which typically influence next year's nursing-school enrolment.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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