TL;DR: Manila's nursing (NLE) review centers include Carl Balita Review Center (largest national network), Top Rank Academy (Morayta, claims consecutive NLE Top 1 placers), Ray A. Gapuz Review System (Ermita, since 1994), Merge Review Center (Sampaloc, since 2003), St. Louis Review Center, CEVAS (VIP one-on-one from ₱15,950), and IPASS (fully online, ₱12,500 for two exam cycles). Most Manila centers do not publish a fixed NLE fee, so budgeting ₱8,000-₱18,000 for classroom review, per SchoolFinderPH's own cost data, is a reasonable planning range. The February 2026 NLE posted a 44.24% national passing rate.
Manila's University Belt, centered on Sampaloc's Espana, Morayta, and P. Paredes streets, has been the country's board-review hub for decades, and nursing review is one of its busiest lanes. Every year, thousands of nursing graduates converge on a handful of blocks near the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) office to prepare for the Nurses Licensure Examination (NLE). This guide covers the nursing-specific review centers actually operating in Manila, what they charge where that's published, and how their schedules line up with the PRC's shifted 2026 exam calendar. Figures below come from each center's official site or Facebook page, cross-checked against independent reporting; where a center simply doesn't publish its fee, we say so.
Which review centers in Manila actually offer NLE review?
Not every big-name Manila review brand runs a nursing program, so start by confirming that before you factor in price or location. AHEAD Tutorial and Review, for example, is a Manila fixture but specializes in the NMAT medical school admission test, not the NLE. Gold Rank, also Sampaloc-based, focuses on physical and occupational therapy licensure. The seven centers below are the ones with a confirmed, currently active NLE or PNLE-branded review track in Manila.
| Review Center | Manila Address | NLE Format | Published NLE Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Balita Review Center (CBRC) | 2nd Flr, Carmen Bldg, 881 G. Tolentino St. cor. Espana Blvd, Sampaloc | Classroom + online | Not published |
| Top Rank Academy | 5th Flr, Don Lorenzo Bldg, 889 P. Paredes St., Morayta, Sampaloc | Classroom | Not published |
| Ray A. Gapuz Review System (RAGRS) | 1128 Alhambra St. cor. UN Ave., Ermita | Classroom, online, hybrid | Not published |
| Merge Review Center | 4th Flr Rm 405, Don Lorenzo Bldg, P. Paredes St., Sampaloc | Classroom, hybrid, online (Zoom weekend) | Not published |
| St. Louis Review Center (SLRC) | Manila branch (multiple SLRC offices) | Classroom, online, self-paced | Not published |
| CEVAS | Multiple NCR branches (Makati, QC) | Weekend group + VIP 1-on-1/Twin | VIP: ₱15,950-₱23,925 |
| IPASS Online | Fully online, nationwide | 100% online, hybrid live/recorded | ₱12,500 (covers 2 exam cycles) |
Disclaimer: review center fees, schedules, and branch details change often. Confirm current rates directly with the center before enrolling.
How much does NLE review cost in Manila?
Most of Manila's established nursing review centers, including CBRC, RAGRS, Merge, SLRC, and Top Rank, do not list a specific NLE program fee on their official websites or public Facebook pages as of mid-2026. That's consistent across every center we checked, so it isn't a red flag specific to any one brand; it simply means enrollment pricing is quoted per branch, per batch, and often per promo window.
Two centers do publish numbers. CEVAS's NLE program runs a "Weekend Group Class" with free materials (base price not disclosed on its program page) alongside a VIP One-on-One track at ₱15,950 (discounted from ₱18,950) for 30 hours over 10 sessions, and a VIP Twin option at ₱23,925. IPASS, a fully online PNLE review platform, charges ₱12,500 for a package that covers two exam cycles (the February and August 2026 PNLE), with a full scholarship for Latin-honors graduates.
For a general budgeting range across the classroom-based centers that don't publish a rate, SchoolFinderPH's own review center cost guide reports NLE classroom review typically running ₱8,000-₱18,000, with self-paced online options starting around ₱3,000-₱5,000. Treat that as a planning range, not a quote from any specific center in this list.
Disclaimer: fee ranges are third-party estimates, not official rates from the centers named above. Always confirm the exact figure with your chosen branch before paying.
Carl Balita Review Center (CBRC) — the largest network
CBRC runs nursing review as one of 37 licensure and certification programs offered under its brand, alongside LET, criminology, midwifery, and dozens of others. Its Manila hub sits at 881 G. Tolentino Street corner Espana Boulevard in Sampaloc, and the network's scale, over 180 branches nationwide, is its main selling point: wherever a reviewee is from, a CBRC branch is usually close by. CBRC also ran a free OET Reading class for nursing graduates preparing for the NLE through a Department of Health partnership announced in 2023. The tradeoff of that scale is consistency: quality and pricing vary by branch, so ask your specific location about instructors and materials rather than assuming every CBRC branch runs identically.
Top Rank Academy — nursing-focused, Morayta address
Top Rank Academy, at 889 P. Paredes Street in Morayta directly across from the PRC office, has built its brand specifically around nursing review, alongside midwifery, pharmacy, medical technology, and other allied-health exams. The center and several independent listings have repeated a claim that Top Rank produced the NLE's Top 1 passer for multiple consecutive years through 2024. SchoolFinderPH has not independently verified that streak against PRC topnotcher records for every cited year, so weigh it as a marketing claim worth following up on directly with the center rather than a certified fact.
Ray A. Gapuz Review System (RAGRS) — since 1994
RAGRS, based at 1128 Alhambra Street corner UN Avenue in Ermita, has operated since 1994 and offers NLE review ranging from a 24-hour intensive track to a three-month comprehensive program, in classroom, online, and hybrid formats, with an unlimited sit-in policy for reviewees who don't pass on the first attempt. RAGRS separately advertises a 100% passing rate for its NCLEX (the US nursing licensure exam) program since 2001; that figure applies to NCLEX, not the Philippine NLE, so don't conflate the two when comparing centers.
Merge Review Center — healthcare specialist since 2003
Merge Review Center, at the Don Lorenzo Building on P. Paredes Street in Sampaloc, has specialized in nursing and allied healthcare review exclusively since 2003, covering the local PNLE, NCLEX-RN, and other international nursing exams. Merge has run hybrid programs combining online and face-to-face sessions plus a 10-day intensive final-coaching phase ahead of exam day, and live weekend Zoom classes for reviewees who can't attend in person. Enrollment promos (such as a ₱4,000 discount during a past holiday window) suggest a base fee exists, but Merge does not publish it; ask the branch directly.
St. Louis Review Center (SLRC) — multi-exam bundling
SLRC bundles NLE review alongside LET, criminology (CLE), and civil service (CSE) preparation, which can be a genuine cost and time saver if you're also weighing another licensure exam. SLRC's Manila branch offers classroom instruction, live online sessions, and self-paced video content, plus free introductory online reviewer materials on nursing topics like maternal and child health. As with CBRC, SLRC operates a large multi-branch network (35-plus locations), so ask your specific branch about current NLE batch schedules.
CEVAS and IPASS — the two centers with published NLE pricing
CEVAS, with NCR branches in Makati and Quezon City, is one of the few centers in this list that publishes concrete numbers for its NLE program: a Weekend Group Class (Saturdays and Sundays, materials included) alongside VIP One-on-One coaching at ₱15,950 for 30 hours, and a VIP Twin option at ₱23,925. CEVAS also runs periodic promos, including discounts for honor students and for strong diagnostic-test scores.
IPASS Processing runs a fully online PNLE review program at ₱12,500, with one payment covering both the February and August 2026 exam cycles. Its hybrid setup lets reviewees join live online classes or attend face-to-face sessions, plus 24/7 access to recorded video lectures, and it offers a full scholarship (no fee) for graduates with Latin honors once documents are verified. IPASS is a genuinely low-commute option for anyone not based near Manila's University Belt.
"Not all top nursing graduates go to Manila-based review centers; many local schools and provincial centers deliver excellent results too." This isn't a quoted claim from any single center in this guide, but a fair summary of why fit matters more than brand name, echoed across the review center comparisons in our best NLE review centers roundup.
How does Manila's NLE schedule line up with the exam date?
The PRC has scheduled the 2026 Nurses Licensure Examination for February 26-27 and August 29-30, a shift from the exam's traditional May and November windows. The February 2026 administration drew 8,162 examinees, of whom 3,611 passed, a 44.24% national passing rate, according to the PRC's own released results. Because Manila's classroom-based programs run anywhere from a few weeks of intensive final coaching to a full three-month comprehensive track, align your enrollment date backward from your target exam window rather than assuming a fixed annual calendar; check prc.gov.ph directly since schedules have moved before.
Disclaimer: exam dates and application windows change. Always confirm the current schedule on the official PRC website before planning your review timeline.
How to choose a nursing review center in Manila
- Confirm the center actually runs NLE review before you inquire about price. Manila has strong specialist centers for other exams (AHEAD for NMAT, Gold Rank for PT/OT) that don't cover nursing at all.
- Ask for the fee in writing. Since almost none of Manila's major NLE centers publish pricing online, get a written quote covering materials, mock exams, and any deposit before you commit.
- Weigh network size against nursing specialization. CBRC and SLRC offer broad multi-exam networks; Top Rank and Merge specialize specifically in nursing and allied health.
- Check the format against your situation. If you're commuting from outside Metro Manila, CEVAS's VIP formats or IPASS's fully online program can cut out boarding costs entirely.
- Verify any topnotcher or pass-rate claim with the center directly, and cross-check names against the PRC's own released results where possible, rather than taking marketing copy at face value.
- Budget for boarding if you're relocating. Sampaloc's University Belt has boarding houses from roughly ₱2,000-₱5,000 per month, per our best review centers in Manila guide, on top of whatever the review program itself costs.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition and reviews across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- Carl Balita Review Center — official review programs page
- Manila Bulletin — Free online review offered for NLE retakers
- Top Rank Academy — official branches page
- Top Rank Academy — Nursing program page
- Ray A. Gapuz Review System — official site
- RAGRS Updates — PNLE Review roadmap
- Merge Review Center — official site
- Merge Review Center — About
- St. Louis Review Center (SLRC) — official site
- CEVAS — NLE Nursing Review Center program page
- IPASS Processing — IPASS now offers PNLE Review
- PRC — February 2026 Nurses Licensure Examination Results Released in Five (5) Working Days
- The Summit Express — PRC releases 2026 board exam schedule
- SchoolFinderPH — Review Center Cost Philippines
- SchoolFinderPH — Best NLE Review Centers in the Philippines
