DOST-SEI Qualifying Rate: Under 1 in 10 Qualified in 2026

DOST-SEI Qualifying Rate: Under 1 in 10 Qualified in 2026

The DOST-SEI undergraduate scholarship exam is one of the most competitive tests a Filipino senior high student can take. Here are the numbers DOST-SEI has released for the last two cycles, what they mean, and what to do with them.

The last two cycles

Results came out on 30 May 2026 and 30 June 2025. The 2026 examinee count was the highest ever.

Two things stand out:

• More people are taking it — up by about 13,000 in one year.
• Fewer people qualified in 2026 than in 2025, so the rate fell from about 1 in 8 to about 1 in 11.

What DOST-SEI doesn't publish

DOST-SEI doesn't publish a passing score, a cutoff, or qualifying rates by school or region. You may see tables online claiming "composite 65 qualifies" or school-by-school pass rates — they aren't from DOST-SEI. Don't plan around them.

What is official: your score is simply the number of correct answers across the three parts, with no deduction for wrong answers (DOST-SEI exam primer).

What the numbers mean for you

• Aim high on every part. With no published cutoff and roughly one in ten qualifying, there's no "safe" score to aim for. Prepare all three parts — Creative Reasoning with Language and Literature, Science, and Mathematics.
• Answer every item. Wrong answers cost nothing, so a blank is always a lost chance.
• Check your eligibility early. STEM-strand students may apply; non-STEM students must be in the upper 5% of their graduating class. The RA 7687 programme also has socioeconomic criteria.
• Choose a priority programme. The scholarship only funds DOST-SEI's priority S&T programmes, so qualifying only helps if you enrol in one.

If you don't qualify

If you applied and didn't qualify, you can apply again in a later cycle as long as you still meet the requirements and haven't enrolled in college. Otherwise, keep your other scholarship and college applications going — see the government scholarships overview.

Where Super Tutor fits

Super Tutor can't predict whether you'll qualify — DOST-SEI doesn't publish the numbers that would need. What it helps with is preparation: Super Tutor's DOST-SEI reviewer has the same college-entrance chapters as our UPCAT reviewer plus DOST-SEI scholarship-prep chapters, each in 11 study formats, with practice quizzes at three difficulty levels, an AI tutor and a study planner. Start free — 5-day trial, no card needed.

What to read next

The DOST-SEI pillar guide covers eligibility, the exam and a prep plan. The practice test strategy covers timed practice.