TL;DR: The biggest government packages in 2026 are DOST-SEI (PHP 8,000 a month, up to PHP 40,000 tuition, PHP 10,000 learning materials allowance), the CHED Scholarship Program (up to PHP 120,000 a year at a private HEI, PHP 80,000 at a state university) and the brand-new Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program under Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2026 (up to PHP 45,000 tuition plus PHP 45,000 stipend a year). Need-based support runs through TES (PHP 20,000 at a SUC or LUC, PHP 27,000 at a private HEI) and Tulong Dunong (PHP 7,500 a semester). Every figure below comes from the agency or foundation that pays it.
Introduction
There is no shortage of scholarship lists for Filipino students. There is a shortage of accurate ones. Amounts get copied from posts written three cycles ago, eligibility rules get invented to fill gaps, and programmes that have been restructured keep appearing in their old form.
This list is built the other way round. Every peso figure and eligibility rule below is taken from the body that administers the programme — DOST-SEI, CHED, UniFAST, OWWA, or the foundation itself. Where a foundation does not publish a number, we say so rather than supplying one.
One structural change matters this year: CHED, DepEd and TESDA launched the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program through Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2026, funded under the FY 2026 national budget. It is the single largest new merit programme in this list, and most scholarship roundups do not have it yet.
Government Scholarships
1. DOST-SEI Undergraduate Scholarship
The Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute runs the most generous undergraduate package in the country for students taking priority science and technology courses.
- Eligibility: Filipino citizen, graduating or recent Grade 12 student, no prior college units, enrolled in a DOST-SEI priority S&T course at an identified university, and must pass the DOST-SEI Undergraduate Scholarship Examination.
- Benefits: monthly living allowance of PHP 8,000; tuition subsidy of up to PHP 40,000 per academic year; learning materials and connectivity allowance of PHP 10,000 per year; plus thesis and graduation allowances, transportation support, clothing allowance, and health and accident insurance.
- Timing: applications open in the last quarter of the year and the qualifying examination is held early the following year. The 2026 examination was held on 21-22 February 2026.
- How to apply: register on the DOST-SEI scholarship portal at science-scholarships.ph and sit the national qualifying examination.
More detail in our DOST scholarship guide.
2. Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program (BPMSP) — new for 2026
Established jointly by CHED, DepEd and TESDA under Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2026, funded under the FY 2026 General Appropriations Act. It has two separate tracks with separate administrators.
Higher Education Track (CHED):
- Eligibility: incoming first-year college student who graduated Grade 12 in the top five of the graduating class OR with a GWA of at least 95 percent; has earned no tertiary units; parents' or guardians' combined annual gross income not exceeding PHP 2,000,000; enrolled in a CHED-identified priority programme at a listed delivering institution.
- Benefits per academic year: tuition and other school fees covered under RA 10931 at SUCs and LUCs, or up to PHP 45,000 at private HEIs; PHP 45,000 stipend and allowance; plus an Academic Excellence Incentive of PHP 18,000 per term for the top 15 scholars per region.
- Ranking: final score is GWA weighted at 70 percent plus income points at 30 percent, with additional points for special equity groups (PWDs, solo parents, senior citizens, first-generation students, Indigenous Peoples).
- Excluded: transferees, shiftees, dual citizens, anyone repeating first year, and recipients of other nationally funded scholarships. Scholarships from a private HEI, a company or an LGU do not disqualify you.
- Retention: you must pass every subject each term. One failure is a ground for termination.
TVET Diploma Track (TESDA): GWA of at least 90 percent in senior high school, same income ceiling; tuition of up to PHP 70,000 per year, stipend of PHP 40,000 per year, and a book and connectivity allowance of PHP 10,000 per year.
Applications go through the BPMSP online portal at bpms.ched.gov.ph.
3. CHED Scholarship Program (Full and Half Merit)
CHED long-running merit scholarship, delivered as PESFA for students at private HEIs and as the State Scholarship Program (SSP) for students at SUCs and LUCs.
- Eligibility: senior high school graduate with a minimum GWA of 93 percent or its equivalent; combined annual gross income of parents or legal guardian not exceeding PHP 500,000. Awards are ranked, so meeting the minimum is not the same as getting a slot.
- Benefits per academic year:
| Award | Tuition and school fees | Stipend | Book and connectivity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full merit, private HEI (PESFA) | PHP 40,000 | PHP 70,000 | PHP 10,000 | PHP 120,000 |
| Half merit, private HEI | PHP 20,000 | PHP 35,000 | PHP 5,000 | PHP 60,000 |
| Full merit, SUC or LUC (SSP) | free under RA 10931 | PHP 70,000 | PHP 10,000 | PHP 80,000 |
| Half merit, SUC or LUC | free under RA 10931 | PHP 35,000 | PHP 5,000 | PHP 40,000 |
- How to apply: through the CHED Regional Office covering your institution, or the CHED scholarship portal. Windows are announced per cycle — see our CHED merit scholarship guide.
4. Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES)
The need-based grant-in-aid under RA 10931, administered by UniFAST. Unlike the merit programmes, it has no grade requirement.
- Eligibility: Filipino citizen, no previous undergraduate degree, meets the admission and retention policies of the institution, not overstaying in the programme.
- Benefits per academic year, under Section 4 of UniFAST Memorandum Circular No. 01, series of 2026: PHP 20,000 at a SUC or LUC (PHP 10,000 a semester); PHP 27,000 at a private HEI (PHP 13,500 a semester). Add PHP 10,000 per year under TES-3A for a student with a disability, and a one-time PHP 8,000 reimbursement under TES-3B for licensure examination takers. Grantees in the second prioritisation tier receive PHP 10,000 a year.
- Prioritisation for AY 2026-2027: students in households on the most recent Listahanan or, failing that, the DSWD 4Ps list, ranked by household per capita income; then dependents of solo parents and members of Indigenous Cultural Communities.
- How to apply: enrol at a participating institution and file through its financial assistance office. Full detail in our TES guide.
5. Tulong Dunong Program (TDP)
A separate subsidy sitting under the TES umbrella, aimed at students who are not already covered by another national programme.
- Eligibility: Filipino citizen; enrolled in a first undergraduate degree at a SUC, CHED-recognised LUC or private HEI covered by a MOA with CHED-UniFAST; not a beneficiary of TES, a CHED Scholarship Program grant, or another nationally funded student financial assistance programme. The PHP 400,000 household income ceiling that most write-ups still quote is not in the 2026 revised guidelines.
- Benefits: PHP 7,500 per regular semester, or PHP 15,000 per academic year, under Section 3 of UniFAST Memorandum Circular No. 02, series of 2026, subject to prioritisation and available funds.
- Documents: certificate of enrolment or registration, and a barangay certificate of indigency as proof of income for new applicants.
We compare it against the other two RA 10931 programmes in TES vs Tulong Dunong vs free tuition.
6. OWWA Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP)
The premier programme for dependents of overseas Filipino workers, administered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
- Eligibility: qualified dependent of an active OWWA member. Incoming freshmen are selected through the DOST national examination.
- Benefits: up to PHP 60,000 per school year until completion of a four- or five-year baccalaureate course.
- Slots: OWWA has published an allocation of 400 slots for incoming freshmen and 600 for students already enrolled in college.
- Related: the Congressional Migrant Workers Scholarship Program (CMWSP), also OWWA-administered and funded through congressional allocations, opens alongside EDSP in the same announcement.
- How to apply: at scholarship.owwa.gov.ph.
7. OWWA OFW Dependent Scholarship Program (ODSP)
The more accessible OWWA grant, aimed squarely at lower-income OFW households.
- Eligibility: dependent of an active OWWA member whose monthly salary is not more than USD 600; enrolling in, currently in, or returning to a four- or five-year baccalaureate or associate course.
- Benefits: PHP 20,000 per school year.
- How to apply: at scholarship.owwa.gov.ph. See also our OFW scholarship guide.
Private Foundation Scholarships
A note on this section: private foundations publish far less than government agencies do. Where a foundation states a figure on its own site, it is quoted. Where it does not, no figure is invented here — treat any peso amount you see elsewhere for these programmes with suspicion until the foundation itself confirms it.
8. SM Foundation College Scholarship
The best-known corporate scholarship in the country, and one of the most specific about who it wants.
- Eligibility: incoming freshman; Grade 12 graduate of a public school, or of a private school with a DepEd voucher having completed Grade 10 in a public high school; ALS completers are also eligible; GWA of at least 92 percent for the first semester of Grade 12; total household income of at most PHP 250,000 per year.
- Covered courses: accounting, engineering, information technology and education.
- Benefits: full tuition, monthly allowance, paid part-time work at SM during breaks, enrichment programmes, and job opportunities within the SM group after graduation.
- Timing: the 2026 online application window ran 1-28 February 2026. The window is announced each year, so check the official page rather than assuming last year dates.
- How to apply: sm-foundation.org. Our SM Foundation scholarship guide walks through the whole process.
9. Megaworld Foundation Scholarship
- Scale: Megaworld Foundation states that it supports 1,000 scholars across 76 partner schools in Metro Manila and several provinces.
- Eligibility: incoming freshmen, and incoming sophomores and juniors. Freshmen need an average of at least 85 percent with at least 80 percent in all subjects; upper-year applicants need a GPA of at least 85 percent on the same no-grade-below-80 condition. Proof of income is required, though the foundation does not publish a ceiling.
- Benefits: full tuition fee and allowances released through a Foundation-issued ATM card, volunteerism and seminar programmes, and career opportunities within Megaworld and its subsidiaries.
- How to apply: through megaworldfoundation.com.
10. Gokongwei Brothers Foundation STEM Scholarship
The JG Summit group foundation funds STEM scholarships and learning platforms for students in its priority engineering and science programmes, with development activities and internship access within the Gokongwei group.
The foundation does not publish its grant amount, GWA cut-off or application window on its public scholarship page, and figures circulating elsewhere could not be traced back to it. Apply through gokongweibrothersfoundation.org and get the current terms in writing.
11. Aboitiz Future Leaders Scholarship
- Eligibility: incoming sophomores only — students who have completed their first year of college at one of the Foundation partner schools, taking one of the pre-identified degree programmes aligned to the group future talent needs. Current recipients of scholarships from other corporate foundations are not eligible.
- Benefits: full tuition fees and allowances, financial aid, internship opportunities, leadership training and community engagement activities.
- How to apply: through the scholarship office of your partner university, which runs the process.
12. Ayala Foundation U-Go Scholar Grant
A partnership between Ayala Foundation and U-GO supporting higher education for young Filipino women. Ayala Foundation states the programme has supported over 1,000 scholars nationwide since 2023, with support directed at lodging, transportation, food and other essential school expenses.
The foundation does not publish a per-scholar peso amount or a fixed application window. Enquire through ayalafoundation.org, and see our Ayala Foundation scholarship guide.
13. Jollibee Group Foundation
The Jollibee Group Foundation supports students in food service, hospitality and business-related courses through tuition assistance and on-the-job training within the group. Openings are announced per cycle at jollibeegroup.com.
14. San Miguel Foundation
San Miguel Corporation foundation arm supports students at partner universities, with engineering, agriculture and business-related courses among the fields covered. Applications run through partner university scholarship offices.
School-Based Financial Aid
15. University of the Philippines
Tuition at UP, as at every other state university, is already free under RA 10931. What UP financial aid now does is cover the rest — stipends and living support assessed by income bracket through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance, alongside donor-funded scholarships administered per campus. Submit financial documents on admission.
16. Ateneo de Manila University
Ateneo runs need-based financial aid for admitted students, with tuition assistance and stipend components depending on assessed need. Apply through the Ateneo Scholarships and Financial Aid Office during the admission cycle; the office publishes the current benefit tiers.
17. De La Salle University
DLSU offers entrance and academic scholarships tied to admission performance, athletic scholarships, and need-based financial aid requiring income documentation. Benefits range from partial to full tuition depending on the grant. Apply during the DLSU admission process.
18. University of Santo Tomas
The University of Santo Tomas offers entrance scholarships based on USTET performance, academic scholarships tied to maintaining Dean List standing, and need-based grants. Entrance awards are assessed automatically from the entrance examination; academic awards are assessed from your semestral average.
Compare more institutions in our guide to private university scholarships.
LGU and Skills Programmes
19. City, municipal and provincial scholarships
Most local government units fund scholarships for their own residents, and many barangays and provincial boards run smaller grants on top. Amounts, grade requirements and windows are set locally and vary enormously, so there is no national figure worth quoting.
Start at the city or municipal hall scholarship office. Major cities including Manila, Quezon City, Cebu City and Davao City all maintain active programmes. See LGU scholarships, barangay and provincial scholarships and congressional and senatorial scholarships.
20. TESDA scholarships
For technical-vocational training rather than a degree, TESDA administers scholarship and training support programmes covering training costs and assessment and certification fees in priority qualifications. Free tech-voc education and training is also one of the four programmes under RA 10931.
Enquire at the nearest TESDA office or at tesda.gov.ph. Our TESDA scholarship guide covers the main programmes.
Comparison of the government programmes
Only programmes whose administering agency publishes a peso figure appear here.
| Programme | Annual benefit | Academic requirement | Income ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOST-SEI | PHP 8,000/month + up to PHP 40,000 tuition + PHP 10,000 materials | pass the DOST-SEI examination | none published |
| BPMSP, higher education | up to PHP 45,000 tuition + PHP 45,000 stipend | top 5 of class or GWA 95%+ | PHP 2,000,000 |
| BPMSP, TVET diploma | up to PHP 70,000 + PHP 40,000 + PHP 10,000 | SHS GWA 90%+ | PHP 2,000,000 |
| CHED full merit, private HEI | PHP 120,000 | GWA 93%+ | PHP 500,000 |
| CHED full merit, SUC or LUC | PHP 80,000 | GWA 93%+ | PHP 500,000 |
| TES, SUC or LUC | PHP 20,000 | none | need-ranked |
| TES, private HEI | PHP 27,000 | none | need-ranked |
| Tulong Dunong | PHP 15,000 (PHP 7,500 a semester) | none | need-based, no peso cap |
| OWWA EDSP | up to PHP 60,000 | DOST examination for freshmen | OFW dependent |
| OWWA ODSP | PHP 20,000 | none published | OFW earning under USD 600/month |
How to actually get one
- Fix your documents before the window opens. PSA birth certificate, Form 137 or SF 10, report cards, proof of income. Note that BPMSP accepts only four specific proofs of income — a BIR certificate of tax exemption or non-filing, a DSWD or 4Ps certificate, an ITR or BIR Form 2316, or an OFW contract. Anything else is rejected outright.
- Apply to several. There is no rule against multiple applications. The restrictions bite when you accept, not when you apply.
- Read the retention clause first. BPMSP terminates on a single failed subject. Others allow a probationary term. That difference should shape which offer you take.
- Watch the window, not the deadline. Several of these programmes have windows measured in weeks, announced with little notice on the agency Facebook page.
- Do not pay anyone to apply. Every programme above is free to apply to.
- Ask your school financial aid office. They hear about institutional and donor-funded grants that never get advertised.
Sources
- DOST-SEI undergraduate scholarship benefits and 2026 examination date — DOST-SEI and DOST regional offices
- Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program — Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2026 (CHED, DepEd, TESDA) and the official BPMSP FAQ guide
- CHED Scholarship Program benefit tiers and eligibility — CHED
- TES and Tulong Dunong benefits, eligibility and AY 2026-2027 prioritisation — UniFAST
- EDSP and ODSP amounts and eligibility — OWWA
- SM Foundation, Megaworld Foundation, Aboitiz Foundation and Ayala Foundation figures — each foundation own published pages
Start your search on SchoolFinderPH to find schools near you, then check which of these programmes your target institution actually participates in before you commit to it.
