DOST-SEI Scholarship Exam: How to Qualify for 2027
DOST-SEI Undergraduate Scholarship Exam — the 14–15 November 2026 exam, eligibility, the official three-part format, scholarship benefits, and a 6-week review plan.
By Super Tutor Team
What is the DOST-SEI Scholarship Exam?
The DOST-SEI Undergraduate Scholarship Exam qualifies Grade 12 students and senior-high graduates for DOST-SEI scholarships in priority science, technology, engineering and mathematics programmes. The 2026 exam drew a record 97,617 examinees, and 8,500 qualified (8.71%). The year before, 84,518 took it and 10,907 qualified (12.90%). Competitive, but doable with focused review.
2027 Scholarship Schedule
Applications for the 2027 DOST-SEI Undergraduate Scholarships ran from 17 August to 17 September 2026 and are now closed. The nationwide qualifying exam is on 14–15 November 2026, with test permits sent in October and results expected around March 2027. Confirm details with DOST-SEI at sei.dost.gov.ph.
Eligibility
- Natural-born Filipino citizen
- Grade 12 student graduating in SY 2026–27, or a senior-high graduate with no college units
- All STEM-strand students may apply; non-STEM students must be in the upper 5% of their class
- The RA 7687 scholarship has a socioeconomic test using DOST-SEI's cut-off values; the Merit scholarship has none
- Plans to enrol in a DOST priority course — check the list in the official call
What's Tested
Per DOST-SEI's official primer, the exam is pen-and-paper and multiple-choice, in three timed parts taken in one sitting:
- Part I — Creative Reasoning plus Language and Literature (45 minutes): mechanical, spatial and verbal reasoning, plus English language and literature.
- Part II — Science (65 minutes): biology, chemistry, earth science, physics and space science.
- Part III — Mathematics (70 minutes).
That's 180 minutes of testing. Each item has four options and your score is the number of correct answers, so there is no penalty for guessing — never leave an item blank. You can't go back to an earlier part once it's over.
6-Week Review Plan
Weeks 1–2: Science review — biology, chemistry, physics, earth and space science at senior-high depth. Science gets the second-longest block on the test, so spend the time here. Weeks 3–4: Math rotation — algebra, geometry, trig, with a timed practice set every week. Weeks 5–6: Creative Reasoning (mechanical, spatial and verbal puzzles) and English language and literature; take a timed practice run of all three parts, at 45, 65 and 70 minutes, every weekend.
The Scholarship Benefits
If you qualify, DOST-CAR lists these 2026 benefits: tuition and fees of up to ₱40,000 per academic year, a ₱8,000 monthly living allowance, a ₱10,000 yearly learning materials and connectivity allowance, plus thesis, graduation, transportation and clothing allowances and insurance. For families without review-centre budgets, DOST-SEI is one of the most valuable exams to prepare for.
How Super Tutor Helps
Our DOST-SEI reviewer has chapter content in 11 study formats, practice quizzes at three difficulty levels, an AI tutor and a study planner. Plans start at ₱249 a month with auto-pay (cancel anytime), or ₱1,999 for a full year, paid once.
See Also
Sources
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