For the academic year 2023-2024, a total of 9,776 incoming first-year college students qualified for the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) Undergraduate Science and Technology (S&T) Scholarship Program.
According to the DOST Chief, S&T Scholarship Division, DOST-SEI Peter Gerry P. Gavina, 79,585 examinees took the national qualifying exam from March 18 to 19, 2023.
There were 5,561 scholars under the Republic Act 7687 Scholarship Program, a scholarship for academically brilliant children from economically disadvantaged families, and 4,215 under the DOST-SEI Merit Scholarship Program.
Gavin said in a public briefing that they are still looking for 1,224 potential qualifiers, saying that the potential qualifiers must submit additional documents for the DOST-SEI to evaluate.
The scholars will be eligible for DOST-SEI benefits for the duration of their S&T degree program, including a monthly stipend of P7,000, a tuition fee subsidy of up to P40,000 per academic year for those enrolling in private universities and colleges, a P10,000 learning materials and/or connectivity allowance, a P10,000 thesis allowance, a P1,000 MS/PE clothing allowance (once only), and one economy-class round trip fare per year for those studying outside of their home country.
On the other hand, Gavina said that students in the DOST-SEI scholarship program must maintain a particular grade point average until graduation.
He also mentioned that DOST has various scholarship programs for third-year college students studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Likewise, the department also provides scholarships for graduate and doctoral programs, both nationally and internationally.
The DOST-SEI is tasked with accelerating the development of S&T human resources in the country through the administration of undergraduate and graduate scholarships and advanced specialized training, the promotion of S&T culture, and the development of new science education programs.
