✅ Official results: released September 1, 2026
16,952 of 29,452 passed (57.56%).
Still in school? The age limit does not wait for your exam date
Three people from my circle took the criminology path. My cousins Bobot and Edward passed the board and joined the police. Akka, my high-school classmate and also a cousin, passed too, but by then the police door had already closed for her.
Her exam got delayed. Work and timing pushed it back, and by the time she was ready to sit the Criminologists Licensure Examination, she had passed the police age limit. She knew it before any application could start. So the license, when it came, did not reopen that door. The board date and the age limit turned out to be two different clocks.
Do the arithmetic on the age limit today
The PNP law sets the age range for new applicants at 21 to 30 years old, under Section 14 of Republic Act No. 8551. A waiver can stretch that to 20 to 35, but only when the number of qualified applicants falls below the yearly quota (Section 15). In other words, you cannot plan around the waiver.
Count your own timeline now. Start with your expected graduation, then add your review months and the next CLE date. Results take 14 to 30 working days for this board, so add about a month or more. Then add the time the police application itself needs. If that total still lands before you turn 31, you have room. If it does not, start your other plan while you are still in second or third year.
The decision belongs in school, not on results night. My honest read is mixed, because both outcomes happened in the same family. The police route worked for the two who stayed inside the age limit. It did not work for the one the years moved past it.
Passed? Pasado ka na, pero hindi ka pa pulis
At family gatherings, the line goes “pasado ka na, pulis ka na.” It skips a step. The license is the shared starting point, but the entrance process is separate.
Bobot and Edward show that clearly. Both held the criminology license. Bobot came in through the NAPOLCOM route, while Edward went through the regular police entrance exam. Both are in the service now. Our family never compared timelines, and nobody discussed height or medical checks. So their story proves both doors work for a licensed criminologist; the requirements behind each door are a separate matter.
What the criminology law gives licensed criminologists
The Philippine Criminology Profession Act of 2018 (Republic Act No. 11131) gives the license real weight:
- First, Section 34 exempts registered criminologists from other entrance or qualifying government or civil service exams and makes them civil service eligible for listed positions.
- Next, Section 35 gives them priority of appointment in the agencies the law names, without another qualifying exam.
- Also, Section 36 makes them eligible for lateral entry as Police, Fire, and Jail Inspectors, or the equivalent rank in agencies such as the NBI and PDEA.
Still, each agency runs its own recruitment, with its own age, height, medical, and physical requirements. Check the current rules with NAPOLCOM and the PNP, or with the BJMP or BFP, before you apply. Our family’s version is not a checklist.
Past the age limit? The degree still goes somewhere
Akka did not get the uniform. Instead, she went to Saudi Arabia as a domestic helper. In her free time there, she studied to become a caregiver, and today she is a successful OFW. Her path started from the same results list as Bobot’s and Edward’s.
If your count already runs past the police age, you are not out of options. The criminology law itself opens doors beyond the police: Section 36 covers Fire and Jail Inspectors too. If caregiving abroad interests you, our guide to the TESDA Caregiving NC II course explains the training route many Filipinos take. Before you leave, sort out your passport requirements, and once you are working abroad, keep your benefits going through SSS for OFWs.
Latest results: August 2026 CLE
The August 2026 CLE results came out on September 1, 2026, 21 working days after the last exam day. That is five days faster than February. Testing took place in 32 testing centers all over the Philippines. The passing rate was 57.56%: 16,952 passers out of 29,452 examinees. PRC withheld the results of 5 examinees pending review of their cases.
Board of Criminology members: Hon. Ramil G. Gabao, Chairman; Hon. Lani T. Palmones and Hon. Warren M. Corpuz, Members. For August 2026 passers, online registration opens October 12, 2026.
How the latest criminology board exam results compare
Compared with February 2026, the passing rate went down 8.45 points. The average across these five batches is 56.97%, so this batch is above average. A year earlier, August 2025 posted 51.45%. 16,484 fewer examinees took this batch than February.
Why CLE results take weeks, not days
Most boards release results within a few working days. The criminology board exam results do not. PRC’s last six releases took 14 to 30 working days after the last exam day, which means four to six weeks of waiting.
Plan for that gap. If you are counting toward the police age limit, those weeks belong in your math too. Meanwhile, the long wait is a good time to prepare the papers you will need for any job, so you are ready the day your name appears.
Next CLE: exam schedule
In 2025 and 2026, PRC held the regular CLE twice a year, in February and August. This section shows the next date only after PRC publishes its yearly schedule, so you never see last season’s date left up.
How is the CLE scored?
The rule comes from Section 17 of RA 11131. You pass with a weighted average of at least 75% and no subject below 60%. The law also has a middle path. If your average reaches 75% but one subject falls below 60%, your result is deferred. You then retake only that subject and need at least 80% in it within two years; otherwise, you retake all subjects.
However, failing three or more subjects counts as failing the whole exam. And after five failed attempts, Section 14 requires a refresher course in criminology before you can file again.
After your name appears
For August 2026 passers, online registration opens October 12, 2026. You register online through PRC’s website, prc.gov.ph, and sign the Roster of Registered Professionals in person. PRC announces the oath-taking date separately.
Whatever door you are heading for, your first employer will ask for the same basics. Get your SSS number, your Pag-IBIG MID number, and your PhilHealth registration in order. Our guide on what a PRC license covers explains the card you will receive.
What the path costs
In our family, the parents paid for the degrees. That was the only cost anyone talked about. PRC’s schedule of fees (Resolution No. 2005-267) sets ₱900 for a licensure exam that needs a bachelor’s degree; confirm the current amount when you file.
Nobody compared police pay with OFW pay at the table, either in pesos or in words. The outcomes were simply noted: two in the service, one abroad and doing well. So this page will not pick a winner between them.
If your name is not on the list
Check your rating slip against the rule above first. If your result is deferred, you only retake the subjects below 60%. Otherwise, watch the schedule section for the next February or August date and file through PRC’s online system when the window opens. Also keep counting the police age limit while you prepare.
Criminology board exam results archive
Every regular and special CLE batch on PRC’s results list, newest first, with PRC’s own PDFs. The special batch is a small exam PRC gives abroad.
PDF downloads by batch
August 2026
May 2026 (special)
February 2026
August 2025
February 2025
July 2024
December 2022
See every PRC exam, its latest pass rate and release date on our PRC board exam results page.
Frequently asked questions about the criminology board exam
When were the August 2026 CLE results released?
PRC released the August 2026 CLE results on September 1, 2026. 16,952 out of 29,452 passed (57.56%). That was 21 working days after the last exam day.Am I a police officer once I pass the CLE?
No. The license makes you eligible, but the PNP still runs its own recruitment with age, height, medical, and physical requirements. RA 11131 exempts registered criminologists from other qualifying government exams and gives them priority of appointment. Check the current rules with NAPOLCOM and the PNP.
What is the age limit to join the PNP?
New applicants must be 21 to 30 years old under Section 14 of RA 8551. A waiver can allow 20 to 35, but only when qualified applicants fall below the yearly quota. So count your timeline against 30, not 35.
What is the passing score for the CLE?
You need a weighted average of at least 75% with no subject below 60%. If your average reaches 75% but one subject falls below 60%, you retake only that subject and need 80% in it within two years.
How long does PRC take to release CLE results?
PRC’s last six CLE releases took 14 to 30 working days after the last exam day. That is about four to six weeks, so build the wait into your plans.
The age limit does not wait for your exam date
If I could tell a criminology student one thing, it would be this: the age limit does not wait for your exam date. Do the count while you are still in school. If it fits and you want the uniform, Bobot’s and Edward’s doors are real. If it does not, Akka’s path shows the degree can still lead somewhere good. Either way, the criminology board exam results only tell you that you passed.
For other licensure exams, see our nurses board exam results and the social worker board exam results. Every exam we track is on our PRC board exam results page.
