Explained PH is not just home to talented scribes, but also brilliant minds in science and technology

Maria Samantha Cristobal, Aifer Jessica Jacutin and Shaunte Felicity Ong

Every year, thousands of Filipino undergraduates take a leap of faith and challenge to qualify for one of the country’s most prestigious scholarship programs, the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) Scholarship. For many aspiring scholars, this grant gives them an opportunity to pursue their dream courses, ease financial burden, and pave a pathway for a better future.

However, due to the growing number of examinees and limited slots available each year, qualifying for the scholarship has become increasingly competitive. Behind each successful passer lies a story of sleepless nights, rigorous preparation, sacrifices, and unwavering motivation.

For DOST-SEI 2026 qualifiers Russielle Taduran, Gabrielle Magnabihon, and Zion Mhar Kaezer Corpuz, the scholarship represents not only academic achievement but also hope for a better future — for themselves, their families, and the Filipino people they aspire to serve.

What is the DOST-SEI scholarship?

Through the Project 5801 Education or the DOST-SEI Undergraduate Scientific Manpower Development Program, incoming university students get the opportunity to pursue their priority courses. However, the program is specifically designed for scholars focusing on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. 

Beyond financial assistance, the scholarship serves as an investment in the country’s future scientific workforce. Qualified scholars receive financial support for educational expenses, allowing them to focus on their studies and pursue careers that contribute to national development through science, technology, and innovation. 

This program represents more than just academic support as it is an opportunity to break financial barriers, pursue long-term dreams, and become future scientists, researchers, engineers, and professionals who will serve the Filipino people in the future.

Who has what it takes?

Passing the DOST scholarship exam is no easy feat. Because even among the cream of the crop, it still manages to select the best of the best. With slots becoming more competitive each year, the passing rate for scholarship slots increasingly declines, due to its limited budget. It takes more than just sheer willpower to succeed. 

Some students still qualify despite having little time for preparation, while for others, it’s a different story altogether. The current education system is well-known for its rigorous demands from students that go beyond just examinations and quizzes. There are required extra- and co-curriculars, on top of managing multiple subjects per term.

For some, the DOST-SEI exam falls within the same season as many college entrance tests (CETs), which allows them to prepare for both simultaneously. CETs cover the entirety of one’s high school lessons for science, mathematics, and language proficiency. Zion Corpuz, a passer of the recent DOST-SEI exam, shared that he only had to recall some concepts since the topics overlapped with the STEM subjects of CETs. 

The harsh reality stands that there’s no absolute way to pass the exams. The level of math and science alone is enough to trickle down the applicants to less than half. Whether you like it or not, the most that can be done is to exhaust materials, review, and give the test everything you’ve got.

Russielle Taduran

Being surrounded by dreamers and achievers, Russielle Taduran, a Sports writer, was motivated to apply for a DOST scholarship. He noted, “Sobrang nakaka motivate sumali and mag-apply sa mga scholarship programs and other activities kung napapaligiran ka ng mga taong pursigido ring matupad yung pangarap nila.”

Taduran shared that he was saddened by the decrease of passers this year, because it meant having to go against fellow students who are also driven to pursue higher feats but are facing limited opportunities — even his own friends. 

For him, earning the scholarship is one key to opening more doors in the future that would slowly make his dreams come true. He remains thankful to every Filipino who made his pursuit possible, and promises to give back to the country through his innovations in the field of computer engineering.

Gabrielle Magnabihon

Growing up experiencing being held back from opportunities due to a lack of financial freedom, Gabrielle Magnabihon pursued the DOST scholarship with the motivation to alleviate his family’s burdens and to have a better future. To him, this scholarship would enable him to fully focus on his college studies without thinking of harsh financial expenses.

As a STEM student, Gabrielle shared that the DOST-SEI exam had the most rigorous process among all the College Entrance Tests (CETs) and scholarships he applied to, as well as the exam itself, which was mostly composed of advanced-level math and science topics. From only getting the chance to review during the night due to the hectic academic workload at his school, he believed that his months-long preparation for the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) and above-average foundational knowledge allowed him to be among the top students to qualify for the scholarship.

For him, aside from the common advice from others to review a lot and plan an organized study schedule, the advice that he could give the future DOST-SEI scholarship takers is to go back to the reason that made you decide to take this exam: whether it is to alleviate your family’s burden, pursue your dream course or university, or to carve out a pathway towards a better future, keeping your purpose will help you motivate yourself especially if you are burned out.

Utilizing this opportunity for his college finances and by simply doing his best in his studies are the best ways he could contribute to the nation, most especially to the taxpayers. He assured the taxpayers that their blood, sweat, and tears would not go in vain. As a Filipino himself, he knows the sacrifices each one makes through their jobs and for their hard-earned money, which is why he dedicates this scholarship to him, his family, and the Filipino taxpayers.

Zion Mhar Kaezer Corpuz 

Qualifying for a DOST scholarship means a lot to Zion Mhar Kaezer Corpuz. It not only eases the financial burden on his parents but also opens doors for growth to becoming a better version of himself. With his six years of experience with DOST and the Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS), he was shaped into the science enthusiast he is today.

Even though Zion is a Pisay alumnus, a news writer for Explained, and a recipient of the DOST-PSHS scholarship, his journey to success did not come in a blink of an eye. Thousands of Filipinos aspire to be DOST scholars, but with a limited number of slots, the qualifying examination is as competitive as it gets. In his previous school, he witnessed his batchmates give their blood, sweat, and tears into studying. It became his fuel to have the same burning passion and to match their pace. 

Zion could still remember the days when he had to pull an all-nighter just to recall the science concepts he needed to. For the DOST scholarship qualifying examination, he prepared for a week. However, he had been reviewing for certain College Entrance Tests (CETs) prior to the DOST exam. This strategy helped him because he only needed to recall most of the concepts for the DOST-SEI qualifying exam.

In exchange for the opportunity given to him, Zion promised, “I may not have the perfect grades, nor the perfect performances, but in every path I take, know that it is for you, our dear taxpayers. Lagi’t lagi, para sa Diyos, para sa pamilya, at para sa minamahal nating bayan.”

His vision for his next journey is centered on serving the Filipino people, even with or without the scholarship. Zion believes that service should be innate: “It is how we flourish and advance as a community,” he added.

For Zion, those who dared to take the test did it with courage, persistence, determination, and a lot of sleepless nights. Hence, for aspiring DOST-SEI scholars, he wants to remind them to make use of the time that they have. “Believe me when I say that you need more time than you actually expect. This is a one-in-a-million opportunity, so grab it, push yourself to the limit, and do it with integrity and excellence in mind,” he said.

He would also like to remind other aspiring scholars to check if their chosen path is aligned with the DOST priority programs to ensure that their slot will not be voided. Most importantly, he wanted them to remember not to take the exam for its prestige alone: “There are students out there who really need the slot for them to ease the financial burden of being in college.”

Chasing the cut

This year, DOST-SEI records the highest turnout in the exam’s history, with 97,617 Grade 12 students taking the qualifying exam. Out of this figure, the Institute can only accommodate up to 8,500 qualifiers due to limited budget. More students will be engaged in the field of Science and Technology if only they are not in the race for opportunity.

DOST scholarship passers like Russielle, Gabrielle, and Zion aspire to make an impact in society, and now part of the thousands who will pave a brighter and more innovative tomorrow for the country. Their endless dreams for a better future come with a hope for more funding in the field of Science and Technology, with more scholarship slots available for students like them who are eager and passionate to learn, innovate, and serve.