The Department of Science and Technology’s Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) said it capped the intake of new undergraduate scholars at 8,500 this year despite a record number of applicants nationwide.
The agency attributed the reduced intake to funding constraints after receiving P7.6 billion of its proposed P11 billion budget for fiscal year 2026, which it had sought to expand scholarships and improve benefits.
With the approved allocation, DOST-SEI said it could support a total of 54,307 scholars across undergraduate and graduate programs, including those to be chosen through the national qualifying examination set for February 21 and 22, 2026.
The ceiling on slots translated to an estimated acceptance rate of about 8.3 percent, the lowest since the undergraduate scholarship program began, as applications continued to climb.
DOST-SEI clarified that the lower acceptance rate did not stem from tighter academic standards or revised selection rules but from the fixed number of slots determined by available funding.
For the first time, the institute publicly disclosed the exact number of available slots before the examination, saying the move aimed to promote transparency and manage expectations amid rising demand.
The agency stressed that its merit-based screening process and academic requirements remained unchanged, even as competition intensified.
Despite limited resources, DOST-SEI said it nearly fully utilized its budget in 2025 and continued discussions with the Department of Budget and Management for possible funding increases, while encouraging unsuccessful applicants to consider the Junior Level Science Scholarship program for third-year students in priority courses.
