Best Schools for Nutritionist-Dietitians in the Philippines

James Ryan Jonas

As the saying goes, “health is wealth,” thus, it is vital for people to maintain proper health. One of the many ways in doing so would be by eating the right food. To help us develop the appropriate food plans, we can seek advice from experts such as Nutritionist-Dietitians.

Nutritionist-Dietitian

In the Philippines, Nutritionists-Dietitians execute the following tasks, among others:

  • To determine the proper nutritional measures (such as creating diet plans or identifying which foods to avoid).
  • To make sure that food providers follow guidelines and meet the expected quality on cleanliness and nutrition.
  • To supervise divisions serving food and nutrition functions.

These responsibilities of a Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian (RND) make them very valuable in maintaining the health of communities.

Nutritionist – Dietitian Licensure Examination

The Registered Nutritionist – Dietitian (RND) Licensure Examination in the Philippines is conducted once a year, usually around July or August. However, no exam was conducted in 2016 but there were two in 2017: one in March and another in August.

To be qualified as a test-taker, one must meet the following criteria:

  1. A Filipino citizen in good health, who is at least twenty-one (21) years old;
  2. A graduate of a Nutrition and Dietetics course from a duly authorized school;
  3. Of good moral character; and
  4. With enough internship experience or training related to Nutrition and Dietetics.

Scope & Coverage of the Nutritionist–Dietitian Board Exam

If the job interests you and you are considering to be an RND in the future, take note that the following topics are some of the ones included in the Nutritionist – Dietitian Licensure Examination:

    1. Nutritional Biochemistry and Clinical Dietetics (may also be called Nutrition and Dietetics) – 35%
    2. Community and Public Health (may also be called Community and Applied Nutrition) – 30%
    3. Foods and Food Service Systems – 35%

To pass the Nutritionist – Dietitian Board Exam, the examinee must have a score of 75% overall, while scoring 50% or higher in all of the three subtests.

Do you want to know which schools typically do well in the Nutritionist–Dietitian exam? We summarize the information below. These data were compiled from previous Nutritionist – Dietitian Board Exams to determine the schools with the highest Licensure Examination passing rates.

Best Nutritionist–Dietitian Schools in the Philippines

Category 1: Nutritionist-Dietitian Schools with more than 200 examinees

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Category 2: Nutritionist-Dietitian Schools with 101-200 examinees

RankSchoolPassing RateNumber of PassersTotal Number of Takers
1Mindanao State University - Naawan, Naawan100%1313
2Mariano Marcos State University - Main, Batac City78%1519
3Southern Luzon State University, Lucban70%5375
4Bohol Island State University - Bilar Campus, Bilar69%2536
5University of Mindanao, Davao City68%1319
6Western Philippines University, Aborlan65%2335
7University of Southeastern Philippines - Tagum Campus, Tagum City64%6499
8University of Southeastern Philippines - Bislig Campus, Bislig City63%3149
9Kalinga State University, Tabuk City62%2235
9West Visayas State University, Iloilo City62%1829
9Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University - North, Bacnotan62%1016
10Central Mindanao University, Maramag61%4472
11Aklan State University, Banga60%1220
12Central Philippines State University - Main Campus, Kabankalan City53%713

Category 3: Nutritionist-Dietitian Schools with 100 and below examinees

RankSchoolPassing RateNumber of PassersTotal Number of Takers
1University of the Philippines Los Banos, Los Banos99%354355
2Nueva Vizcaya State University, Bayombong74%101135
3Mindanao State University - Main Campus, Marawi City73%102138
4Visayas State University, Baybay City71%75105
5Caraga State University Butuan, Butuan City64%168261
6Benguet State University, La Trinidad57%140244

Note: The tables above only rank the passing rates of First-time takers; repeaters are not included in the passing rate. All figures are based on the four (4) previous Nutritionist – Dietitian Board Exam, specifically the ones held in August and March in the year 2017, August in the year 2015, and July in the year 2014.

Source: PRC Philippines (www.prc.gov.ph)

James Ryan Jonas teaches business management, investments, and entrepreneurship at the University of the Philippines (UP). He is also the Executive Director of UP Provident Fund Inc., managing and investing P3.2 Billion ($56.4 Million) worth of retirement funds on behalf of thousands of UP employees.