It’s been so long since I filed my STFAP application (and the STFAP structure then was different from what it is now). This reminds me of the long, long lines. Anyway…

Based on my reading of the STFAP literature, household family income and other socioeconomic indicators are the main variables in classifying a student into a specific STFAP bracket. The STFAP application form does not ask outright whether or not a student’s main support is a single parent – although there is one section on parents/legal guardian/spouse; perhaps it is factored in when the stfap committee makes its calculations, but I can’t say for certain.

Be that as it may, it seems to me that the fact that an STFAP applicant comes from a single-parent household should have an effect (albeit an indirect one) on the student’s STFAP classification. After all – assuming that the student’s sole support is his/her single parent (this means no other employed/earning adults living in the same household) – then the fact that only one parent is earning a salary or drawing an income should (in general) translate to a relatively low household income for this applicant compared to other applicants who come from two-parent households (where both parents could be earning/employed).

Again, let me reiterate that this is my own interpretation of STFAP literature. I could be wrong, so it’s best that you call the Office of Scholarships and Student Services (if applying in UP Diliman) or the Office of Student Affairs (if applying in other campuses) to ask if there is something you can do to have special circumstances considered in your STFAP application.

The telephone number for the OSSA in UP Diliman is: (02)928-7228 You can also call the UP Diliman trunkline, (02) 981-8500, press 0 to speak to an operator (if 0 does not work, follow the voice prompts) then ask to be connected to the Office of Scholarships and Student Services. Before you do that, ask the operator to give you the OSSA’s extension/local number so you can redial the number yourself if you fail to contact the OSSA the first time. If you want to visit the OSSA personally, go to Rm. 303 of Vinzon’s Hall in UP Diliman.