TL;DR: Ayala Foundation's current scholarship for college students is the U-Go Scholar Grant, run with the global non-profit U-Go for female students at public universities and colleges. As of early August 2026, Ayala Foundation's own official application link for the 2026 cycle redirects to a form stating applications are closed — if you're searching for this scholarship expecting an open application, it isn't available right now. Past cycles reportedly required an 85% general average, enrollment at a public/state HEI, and family income under roughly ₱400,000, though Ayala Foundation's own page doesn't publish these figures directly. If you need aid now, government-run alternatives like TES and the CHED Merit Scholarship are still open on a rolling basis.
Ayala Foundation is one of the most recognized names in Philippine corporate philanthropy, and "Ayala Foundation scholarship" is a common search from students hoping for tuition help tied to the Ayala Group. The honest answer, checked directly against Ayala Foundation's own site as of this writing, is that the foundation currently runs one direct student scholarship — the U-Go Scholar Grant — and its application window for the current cycle has already closed. This guide confirms that status, explains who the program is actually for, and points to what's still open right now. For a broader list of live options, see scholarships for college students in the Philippines.
What Scholarship Does Ayala Foundation Actually Run?
Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI) is the Philippine implementing partner for the U-Go Scholar Grant, a program of the international non-profit U-Go, which funds higher education for "high-potential young women in low-income countries." U-Go operates in nine countries — Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, Tanzania, and the Philippines — and Ayala Foundation is its sole local partner. On Ayala Foundation's own site, the program sits under the "Leadership Development" category alongside the Ayala Young Leaders Program and Atletang Ayala, its athlete-support initiative. Neither of those other two is a tuition scholarship: Ayala Young Leaders is a short leadership-training program for existing student leaders, and Atletang Ayala supports athletes aiming for the 2028 Olympics. U-Go is the only Ayala Foundation program that functions as a direct college scholarship.
Disclaimer: foundation program lineups change. If Ayala Foundation launches a new scholarship after this article's publish date, this summary of "only U-Go" may no longer be current — check ayalafoundation.org/programs/ directly.
Is the Ayala Foundation Scholarship Currently Open?
This is the part most searchers actually need answered, and the answer as of August 5, 2026 is no. Several third-party scholarship-listing sites describe the 2026 U-Go cycle as "now open," citing an application window running roughly May 5 to June 6, 2026. To check this directly, we followed Ayala Foundation's own official application shortlink (afi.ph/ugoeligibility2026, hosted on Ayala Foundation's own domain), which redirects to the foundation's live JotForm application portal. That page's own banner states plainly: "2026 U-GO Scholar Grant Applications Are Now Closed."
In other words, the cycle third-party sites describe as open did run — the May-to-June window is consistent with the form having since closed — but by the time most readers land on this article, that window has passed. If you're reading this well after August 2026 and a new intake has opened, the eligibility form link structure (afi.ph/ugoeligibility[year]) suggests the foundation reuses a similar URL pattern each cycle, so check ayalafoundation.org directly for the current year's version.
Who Qualifies for the U-Go Scholar Grant?
Ayala Foundation's own program page does not itemize eligibility criteria, application steps, or deadlines — it describes the program at a high level and directs interested parties to contact the foundation. The criteria below are what multiple independent third-party scholarship trackers consistently report for recent cycles; treat them as a reported pattern rather than an Ayala Foundation-confirmed checklist, and re-verify once a new application cycle is confirmed open.
| Criterion | Reported Requirement |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Citizenship | Filipino |
| Year level | Incoming 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year college (4th year allowed only for 5-year programs) |
| School type | Enrolled or enrolling at a public or state university/college (SUC) — private school students not eligible |
| Academic standing | General average of at least 85%, no failing grades |
| Household income | Reported ceiling of roughly ₱400,000/year |
| Existing aid | Must not hold another scholarship at time of application |
The public/SUC-only restriction is consistent across every source we found, including Ayala Foundation's own coverage of specific scholar cohorts, and lines up with U-Go's global mission of reaching students who otherwise couldn't access higher education.
What Does the U-Go Scholar Grant Actually Pay For?
Ayala Foundation's own materials are vague on exact peso amounts. The clearest official language comes from AFI's announcement of its GCash partnership (a 2026 expansion funding 100 additional STEM scholars), which describes benefits as covering "allowance, lodging, transportation, food, and other school-related expenses," plus mentorship from partner-company professionals and career exposure.
Third-party trackers commonly cite a figure of ₱40,000 per year. We could not confirm this against any Ayala Foundation-published source — the number does not appear on the foundation's own U-Go program page or in its press materials. Notably, an earlier Manila Bulletin report on the program's 2023 launch cites ₱40,560,882.90 raised in total program funding at that point, a figure close enough to ₱40,000 that it may be the source of the confusion in aggregator content. Until Ayala Foundation itself publishes a per-scholar amount, treat the ₱40,000/year figure as unverified.
Disclaimer: scholarship benefit structures and amounts change between cycles. Confirm the current package directly with Ayala Foundation (u-go@ayalafoundation.org) once a new application window opens.
How Big Is the U-Go Program, and Is It Growing?
Ayala Foundation's own U-Go program page states it "has supported over 1,000 scholars nationwide since 2023." That tracks with the program's growth trajectory: a Manila Bulletin report from January 2023 documented an inaugural batch of 20 scholars, with the foundation stating it had received 3,300 applications in that first month alone and targeting 1,000 U-Go scholars nationally. By later in 2023, Ayala Foundation's own article on the program's expansion put the count at roughly 420 scholars across 70 schools in 30 provinces, working toward the 1,000-scholar goal.
In 2026, Ayala Foundation announced a new partnership with GCash's Forward Foundation to fund 100 additional scholars — 50 through GCash, matched by 50 from U-Go — specifically for young women pursuing STEM and technology-related four-year degrees, with added mentorship from GCash professionals.
How Do You Apply When the Window Is Open?
Based on the mechanics of the current (now-closed) cycle, the process runs in two stages:
- Complete the online eligibility form at Ayala Foundation's official U-Go eligibility link (search "Ayala Foundation U-Go eligibility" plus the current year, or check ayalafoundation.org/program/u-go-scholar-grant/ for the live link).
- Wait for an eligibility response, typically within about 48 hours, which includes an application ID and a link to the full application form if you pass the initial screening.
- Submit the full application with supporting documents — proof of enrollment, academic records, proof of household income, and a recommendation letter are the document types most consistently cited by third-party trackers, though Ayala Foundation's own site does not publish an official checklist.
Since Ayala Foundation's own site doesn't post a public annual calendar, the only reliable way to catch the next window is to check ayalafoundation.org/program/u-go-scholar-grant/ periodically or follow Ayala Foundation's official social channels.
What to Apply for Instead, Right Now
If the U-Go window is closed and you need help before the next cycle opens, these government-run options don't run on a single annual deadline the way many corporate scholarships do:
- CHED Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) — needs-based, ₱20,000 an academic year at a SUC or LUC and ₱27,000 at a private HEI under UniFAST MC 01 s. 2026, ranked by household per capita income with no peso cap.
- CHED Merit Scholarship — for students with a GWA of 93% or higher and household income within CHED's published ceiling.
- Tulong Dunong Program — needs-based, ₱7,500 a semester under UniFAST MC 02 s. 2026, with no peso income ceiling in the 2026 guidelines.
- Government student aid in the Philippines — a full side-by-side comparison of every major current program.
- How to get a scholarship in the Philippines — a general strategy guide if you're applying to multiple programs at once.
Decision Checklist Before You Wait for the Next U-Go Cycle
- Are you female and enrolled (or enrolling) at a public or state university? If not, U-Go isn't the right program regardless of when it reopens — look at broader options like scholarships for college students instead.
- Can your situation wait for the next annual window? If you need aid for the current semester, apply to an open program now rather than waiting for U-Go's cycle to reopen.
- Have you set a reminder to check ayalafoundation.org? Since there's no published fixed calendar, periodic manual checks are currently the only reliable way to catch the next opening.
- Do you meet the reported 85% GWA and public-school enrollment pattern? If your profile clearly doesn't match, your time is better spent on a program with published, verifiable criteria.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition, scholarships, and reviews across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- Ayala Foundation — U-Go Scholar Grant program page (official)
- Ayala Foundation — Programs overview (official)
- Ayala Foundation — Ayala Foundation, GCash partner to roll out scholarships for girls in STEM through U-Go Scholar Grant Program (official)
- Ayala Foundation — Ayala Foundation expands U-Go scholarship program (official)
- Ayala Foundation official 2026 eligibility form (redirects to closed-application notice)
- Manila Bulletin — 20 young women are now U-Go, Ayala Foundation college scholars
- SchoolFinderPH — Government Student Aid in the Philippines
- SchoolFinderPH — Scholarships for College Students in the Philippines
