TL;DR: The SHS Voucher Program gives Grade 10 completers a tuition subsidy for Grade 11 and Grade 12 at a participating private senior high school. DepEd Order 011, s. 2026 sets the amounts in Section 48, Table 13: PHP 22,500 a year in NCR, PHP 20,000 in highly urbanized cities outside NCR, and PHP 17,500 elsewhere for Categories A, B and C, and PHP 18,000, PHP 16,000 and PHP 14,000 respectively for Categories D and E. Categories A to D file at the chosen school before an SHS VP School Committee; only Category E, private school Grade 10 completers, files online through OVAP.
Introduction
If your child is finishing Grade 10 and you're planning to send them to a private senior high school, the SHS Voucher Program (SHS VP) is one of the biggest cost factors to understand before you commit to a school. It can knock tens of thousands of pesos off a year's tuition, but only if your child falls into the right category and the receiving school actually participates in the program.
The rules changed for SY 2026-2027. DepEd Order No. 011, s. 2026, signed 30 April 2026, consolidates ESC, the SHS Voucher Program, and the Teachers' Salary Subsidy under one E-GASTPE framework and repeals the old SHS VP guidelines (DO 020, s. 2023) in their entirety. The category letters were reshuffled, the automatic-qualification route was replaced by a prioritisation sequence, and the peso amounts are printed in the signed order. Everything below is taken from that order, with the section and table numbers cited so you can check them yourself.
What is the SHS Voucher Program?
The SHS Voucher Program is a DepEd tuition subsidy, implemented with the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC), for Grade 10 completers who want to attend Grade 11 and Grade 12 at a participating private senior high school. Section 31 of DO 011, s. 2026 is explicit that it is not a scholarship. It's a per-student subsidy paid to the receiving school, and it typically covers only part of tuition and other fees. Sections 45 and 46 narrow the field of schools: only private senior high schools with valid DepEd Government Recognition may participate, and non-DepEd public schools such as SUC and LUC senior highs are listed as ineligible.
The same section fixes the duration: the subsidy covers two consecutive years of senior high, beginning in Grade 11, and stays capped at two years even if the learner takes longer to finish. Continued assistance depends on being promoted to the next grade level and staying enrolled in a VP-participating school each year, with at least the passing grade required for promotion.
Who is eligible, and what are Categories A to E?
Section 33 of DO 011, s. 2026 splits applicants into two modes: priority applicants under Categories A to D, who file at the school, and online applicants under Category E, who file through OVAP. The category letters are not the same as the ones in the repealed 2023 order, so check them carefully.
Priority applicants, filed at the chosen VP-participating SHS (Table 8):
- Category A – Grade 10 completers belonging to Social Equity Groups, other than through ALS: poor or near poor based on the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS), 4Ps beneficiaries, learners residing in geographically isolated, disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas (GIDCAs), learners from Indigenous Peoples communities, persons with disabilities, and learners with special needs.
- Category B – Grade 10 completers from public junior high schools, other than through ALS, belonging to poor to middle-middle income households.
- Category C – Grade 10 passers of the ALS Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Test or the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT), belonging to poor to middle-middle income households.
- Category D – Grade 10 ESC grantees.
Online applicant, filed through OVAP (Table 9):
- Category E – Grade 10 completers from private schools belonging to poor to middle-middle income households.
Two things follow from this list. First, ALS A&E passers are Category C now, not Category E, and they file at the school rather than online. Second, there is no Category F at all: PEPT passers sit inside Category C alongside the ALS passers.
Prioritisation runs sequentially from Category A through Category D, with Category A first. Within Category B, learners from congested public schools or from areas with congested public schools at the division level are given priority. Within every category, poor households rank ahead of low-income, then lower-middle, then middle-middle, using the income classifications set by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. Category E applications are processed only after Categories A to D have been accommodated, subject to program capacity and funds.
Is anyone still automatically qualified?
No, and this is the change most likely to catch families out. Under the repealed 2023 rules, public junior high completers and ESC grantees were described as automatically qualified and skipped the application step. DO 011, s. 2026 drops that. Section 4 defines a Qualified Voucher Recipient (QVR) simply as a Grade 10 completer eligible to avail of the voucher, either as a priority qualified learner or as an approved online applicant. In other words, QVR is now the label you get after being found eligible, not a status that exempts you from applying.
Practically: if your child came from a public junior high school, they are Category B and submit documents to the private senior high school they want to attend, where the SHS VP School Committee screens them. If your child was an ESC grantee, they are Category D and do the same. Only private school completers who were never ESC grantees go through OVAP.
How much is the SHS voucher amount?
Section 48 and Table 13 of DO 011, s. 2026 set the maximum voucher by category and by where the receiving school is located.
| School location | Categories A, B, C | Categories D, E |
|---|---|---|
| National Capital Region (NCR) | PHP 22,500/year | PHP 18,000/year |
| Highly urbanized cities (HUCs) outside NCR | PHP 20,000/year | PHP 16,000/year |
| All other locations | PHP 17,500/year | PHP 14,000/year |
Figures per DepEd Order 011, s. 2026, Section 48, Table 13.
Note where the tiers fall. The higher tier now covers Categories A, B and C, which means the equity groups, public junior high completers, and ALS or PEPT passers. ESC grantees (Category D) and private school completers (Category E) sit on the lower tier. The peso amounts themselves are unchanged from the repealed DO 020, s. 2023 table, so a school quoting last year's figures will still quote the right numbers, but it may pair them with the wrong category letter.
Section 48 also fixes how payment works: the voucher is the maximum a participating school can receive per beneficiary per school year, and the school is paid based on the total school fees it charges or the applicable maximum voucher, whichever is lower. A school charging less than the ceiling for its tier only gets its actual fees.
For context on the rest of the E-GASTPE framework, the same order sets the ESC grant at PHP 13,000, PHP 11,000 and PHP 9,000 by location (Section 21, Table 5) and the Teachers' Salary Subsidy at PHP 24,000 per eligible private school teacher for ten months of active teaching service (Section 26).
How does the ESC grant relate to the SHS voucher?
They subsidize different levels and don't overlap. The Educational Service Contracting (ESC) grant covers Grade 7 to Grade 10 in a participating private junior high school, at PHP 13,000 a year in NCR, PHP 11,000 in highly urbanized cities outside NCR, and PHP 9,000 elsewhere, with the rate set at Grade 7 carried through all four junior high years.
The SHS Voucher Program picks up at Grade 11. If your child held an ESC grant through junior high, that status puts them in voucher Category D, which is a priority route filed at the receiving school with an ESC Certificate among the documents. If your child was in a public junior high instead, they are Category B. Either way it's an application at the school rather than an online filing, and either way the income screening applies.
How do I apply for the SHS voucher?
The route depends on your category.
Categories A to D, at the school (Sections 33 and 36):
- Pick a VP-participating senior high school and confirm it is an active participant for that school year. From SY 2027-2028 onward, only private senior high schools with full Government Recognition may take part.
- Submit your documents to that school during enrollment. All categories need proof of Philippine citizenship and residency, such as a National ID or birth certificate, plus the accomplished SHS VP Application Form. Categories B and C also need the Affidavit of Family's Financial Capacity with income documents attached; Category A needs the proof specific to its group, such as a 4Ps ID, a barangay GIDCA certification, a CIPM, or a PWD ID; Category D needs the ESC Certificate.
- The SHS VP School Committee reviews and evaluates submissions within ten working days of the application deadline. The committee is chaired by the school head, with one PTA parent representative and one faculty representative.
- Wait for the school to notify you of the result. Learners found ineligible are notified in writing within three working days of the evaluation.
Category E, through OVAP (Sections 37 to 41):
- Create an account on OVAP at ovap.peac.org.ph within the announced application window. The application is free; neither DepEd nor PEAC charges any fee.
- Complete the Voucher Application Form and upload the required documents, including the SF 9 learner's progress report card, the SHS VP Application Form, and the notarized Affidavit of Family's Financial Capacity with income documents.
- Track your own application through your OVAP account. Posting of results in OVAP counts as official notice, so nobody will chase you. Inquiries go to PEAC at shsvp.application@peac.org.ph.
- If your application has minor clerical deficiencies, you get ten working days after results are released to fix them. Miss that and the disapproval is final.
- Download your QVA Certificate once approved and submit it to your chosen VP-participating school as part of enrollment. Redemption starts thirty working days after the certificate is issued.
Sections 22 and 49 of the order say the official implementation timeline for applications and billing is issued separately, keyed to the opening of classes. Deadlines therefore shift every school year, so check the current DepEd or OVAP announcement rather than last year's dates.
Tips before you commit to a private SHS
- Work out your category first, using the 2026 letters. A registrar quoting the old scheme may tell you your ALS-passer child is Category E and must use OVAP. Under DO 011, s. 2026 they are Category C and file at the school.
- Do not assume you are exempt from applying. There is no automatic qualification any more. Public school completers and ESC grantees are prioritised, not excused.
- Ask the receiving school if it's SHS VP-participating before you pay any reservation fee, and ask whether it holds full Government Recognition, given the SY 2027-2028 cutoff.
- Budget for the gap. The voucher rarely covers full private school tuition. Ask for the actual Grade 11 and 12 fee schedule and compare it against the ceiling for your category and location.
- Expect income screening. Categories B, C and E all require an Affidavit of Family's Financial Capacity with supporting income documents, and DepEd may verify it afterward through spot checks.
- Have a National ID sorted eventually. Section 51 phases the PhilSys National ID into eligibility verification for Grade 11, and makes it mandatory from SY 2029-2030. Not having one does not disqualify you before then.
Sources
- DepEd – DO 011, s. 2026, Revised Guidelines on the Implementation of Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE)
- DepEd – DO 011, s. 2026, full signed order (PDF): Section 21 and Table 5 for ESC amounts, Section 26 for TSS, Section 33 with Tables 8 and 9 for the categories, Section 48 and Table 13 for voucher amounts
- PEAC – Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP)
- PEAC – Voucher Application
- PEAC – SHS Voucher Program Applications for 2026-2027
- PEAC Online Voucher Application Portal (OVAP) FAQs
- GMA News Online – Moving up to senior high: How to avail education subsidy voucher from DepEd
- GMA News Online – DepEd targets 2.4M private school subsidy beneficiaries for SY 2026-2027
- Manila Bulletin – DepEd expands private school subsidy program for 2.4M students
- GMA News Online – From public to private school: How incoming Grade 7 learners can become ESC grantees
Amounts and category rules above are quoted from the signed DO 011, s. 2026, effective SY 2026-2027. The order says subsidy values and geographic tiering are subject to periodic review and may be adjusted by the State Assistance Council or by DepEd, and application deadlines are issued separately each year, so confirm both with DepEd, PEAC, or your target school's registrar before enrolling.
Ready to shortlist senior high schools that fit your budget and voucher category? Search verified school profiles on SchoolFinderPH or browse schools by city, such as Manila, to compare tuition and requirements side by side.
For related reading, see our guides on senior high school enrollment, scholarships for senior high school students, choosing your SHS strand, private school enrollment requirements, how to tell if a school is private or public, and the K-12 curriculum in the Philippines.
