QUEZON CITY (PIA) — Christine Buela, a 17-year-old graduating senior high school student, expressed a renewed sense of hope upon learning about the government’s Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program, a P634-million transformative initiative that opens doors for students like her to pursue priority degree programs in college with full government support.
“Marami pong kabataan ‘yung magkakaroon ng chance para makapag-aral, makapagtapos, at matupad ‘yung mga pangarap nila at makakatulong din ito sa bansa natin kasi dadami ang magkakaroon ng trabaho at makakatulong sa pag-angat ng Pilipinas,” said Buela.
(More youth will now have the chance to study, finish their education, and fulfill their dreams. This will also help our country because more people will gain employment and contribute to the progress of the Philippines.)
As one of the newly funded priority initiatives in the 2026 national budget, this scholarship program under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) provides life-changing opportunities for top-performing students from low- to middle-income families to pursue degrees in priority sectors.
The scholarship specifically prioritizes the top five (5) students of every graduating senior high school class across the country. To ensure equitable distribution, the CHED ensured that slot selection would be conducted on a per-region basis, utilizing a specialized formula to identify the most deserving learners nationwide.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible for the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program (BPMSP), applicants must be:
A Filipino citizen.
Incoming freshman intending to enroll in a CHED-recognized Higher Education Institution (HEI) that offers a BPMSP priority program.
Senior High School (SHS) graduates awarded High Honors or Highest Honors (with a General Weighted Average of 95% and above).
TESDA National Certificate (NC) holder, provided they also satisfy the High Honors/Highest Honors requirement in SHS (95% GWA and above) and have not earned any units/degree in tertiary education.
Belonging to a household classified as low-to-middle-income, based on CHED’s income guidelines.
With good moral character and no existing scholarship grant from other national government programs.
These priority programs are designed to bridge critical labor gaps in the country.
By focusing on fields such as health sciences, information technology, agriculture, environmental science, forestry, and education, the scholarship utilizes a return service agreement to ensure that the nation’s ‘best and brightest’ directly contribute to hard-to-fill occupations upon graduation.
Key benefits for college students
The merit-based scholarship offers substantial financial support to qualified students, whether they choose to study in private institutions or state-funded universities and colleges:
For those enrolling in private universities within Metro Manila: Up to P208,000 in total annual support (covering a tuition fee subsidy of P75,000 per semester, a P25,000 stipend, and P4,000 book and connectivity allowance).
For those enrolling in private universities outside Metro Manila: The total annual support is set at P98,000 (covering P40,000 tuition fee subsidy and P58,000 stipend and book allowance).
For those enrolling in state universities and colleges (SUCs) within Metro Manila: A total of P29,000 per semester (covering a P25,000 stipend and a P4,000 book and connectivity allowance).
Building on his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. institutionalized the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program to honor outstanding high school graduates in line with the vision of ensuring that academic excellence is rewarded while every Filipino household is empowered with at least one college degree holder.
“Dahil hangad natin na sa lalong madaling panahon, ang bawat isang pamilya ay may anak na nakapagtapos ng kolehiyo,” said Marcos. (Because our vision is for every family to have at least one college graduate at the earliest possible time.)
For fiscal year 2026, CHED reported a 40-percent budget increase, rising to P47 billion from its P33 billion budget allocation in 2025.
Of this amount, a total of P40 billion is dedicated to the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), which covers free tuition fees for all students enrolling in state-funded universities and local universities and colleges, as well as financial assistance for those enrolled in private institutions.
The education sector received the highest budget allocation in the 2026 national budget, amounting to P1.34 trillion.
This unprecedented funding, the highest ever recorded in the country’s history, reaffirms the government’s commitment to prioritizing the academic and professional development of the Filipino youth. (JMP/PIA-NCR)