Philippines CHED Merit Scholarship Program 2026 to 2027: Tracks and Eligibility
By Muntasir • Published Jun 05, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Scholarships & Funding, Education News & Policy, Study in Southeast Asia
CHED funds top Filipino high school graduates through two tracks, State Scholarship Program (SSP) for public colleges and PESFA for private ones, each with Full and Half Merit packages. For the 2026-2027 school year, a new joint program expanded support to about 20,000 slots with a higher income cap.
🎓 Base eligibility: GWA of 93% or higher, family income up to P500,000 a year for the older CMSP tracks
💵 Full PESFA pays P120,000 a year, Full SSP pays P80,000 a year in stipend and allowances
📩 The new Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program (BPMSP) offers around 20,000 slots for AY 2026-2027, income cap raised to P2 million
⏱️ BPMSP applications for AY 2026-2027 closed June 30, 2026
Two tracks, two merit tiers
CHED's Merit Scholarship Program (CMSP) runs through two tracks depending on where you enroll. The State Scholarship Program (SSP) covers students entering a State University or College (SUC) or a Local University or College (LUC) with a Certificate of Program Compliance. The Private Education Student Financial Assistance track (PESFA) covers students entering a private higher education institution. Both tracks split into Full Merit and Half Merit packages, according to CHED's official program page .
To qualify for the CMSP at all, you need a general weighted average of at least 93% on your Grade 12 report card, Filipino citizenship, and combined parental or guardian annual income not exceeding P500,000. For the AY 2025-2026 cycle, CHED opened 2,779 slots nationwide with a June 20, 2025 deadline, the most recent cycle CHED has published full figures for.
What each package pays
| Package | Annual benefit | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Full PESFA | P120,000 | P40,000 tuition + P70,000 stipend + P10,000 allowance |
| Half PESFA | P60,000 | Reduced tuition, stipend, and allowance |
| Full SSP | P80,000 | Free tuition (SUC/LUC) + P70,000 stipend + P10,000 allowance |
| Half SSP | P40,000 | Free tuition (SUC/LUC) + reduced stipend and allowance |
CHED also gives priority consideration to applicants who are persons with disabilities, solo parents' children, Indigenous Peoples, or first-generation college students within the same GWA and income rules.
What changed for the 2026-2027 school year
For AY 2026-2027, the government layered a much larger program on top of the standard CMSP tracks. The Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program (BPMSP), a joint initiative of CHED, the Department of Education, and TESDA under the PBBM-GABAY ng Bayan agenda, opened roughly 20,000 slots nationwide, according to the Philippine News Agency .
BPMSP eligibility differs from the older CMSP. Its Higher Education track needs a GWA of at least 95% or a top-five class rank, and its Technical-Vocational track needs at least 90%. The household income cap rises to P2 million a year, four times the old CMSP limit, and you must be an incoming first-year student enrolling in a CHED-designated priority degree program. Applications for the AY 2026-2027 cycle closed June 30, 2026, with more than 2,000 applications logged in the first days after opening, per Cebu Daily News .
BPMSP's Higher Education track pays full tuition at SUCs and LUCs, up to P45,000 a year in tuition at private HEIs, and a flat P45,000 yearly stipend and allowance for all scholars, with a P18,000 per-term Academic Excellence Incentive for the top 15 scorers per region. The TVET track pays up to P70,000 a year in tuition, a P40,000 stipend, and a P10,000 book and connectivity allowance.
Which one applies to you
If you graduated with a GWA from 93% up to under 95%, and your family earns under P500,000, the older CMSP tracks (SSP or PESFA) remain the fit, applying through CHED's regional offices. If you hit 95% or ranked top five in your batch, and your family income falls under P2 million, BPMSP opens far more slots and a higher income ceiling, but it locks you into a CHED-designated priority degree program.
Apply for BPMSP through CHED's dedicated BPMSP portal rather than the general CMSP application route, since the two programs run on separate systems and separate deadlines.