Mathematical word problems require students to interpret linguistic information before applying mathematical procedures, making language an important factor in problem-solving performance. This study examined the syntactic and semantic challenges experienced by first-year Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (BSABE) students at Quirino State University when solving College Algebra word problems. Guided by Schema Theory and the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis, the study employed a qualitative design involving analysis of students’ written examination responses and in-depth interviews with students and mathematics instructors. Findings revealed notable semantic difficulties, particularly with unfamiliar non-mathematical vocabulary (e.g., “liquidated damages”) and relational expressions with multiple interpretations (e.g., “twice as old”), which hindered students’ ability to construct accurate mental representations of problem scenarios. Syntactic barriers were also evident, as long sentences, compounded clauses, and embedded conditions increased cognitive load and disrupted comprehension. These results indicate that linguistic complexity can significantly affect students’ success in solving mathematical word problems. The study underscores the importance of integrating language support into mathematics instruction to enhance comprehension and problem-solving.