Philippine College Scholarships: CHED-SSGD
Practically all scholarships out there are classified according to a dominant theme—be it specific courses, specific foundations or even specific grantee types. There are grants out there, however, that are based on the area where the target recipient is based.
Welcome to part two of our CHED scholarship grant mini-series. This time, we’ll be shining the spotlight on the Special Study Grant Program for Congressional Districts, otherwise known as the SSGD.
Scholarship Details
1. Background: With several legal resolutions and orders as its bases, the CHED-SSGD specifically targets students from the Philippines’ 240 congressional districts. Nevertheless, its basic thrust is the same as that of its contemporaries: to provide financial assistance to underprivileged yet deserving students.
There is one important difference between the SSGD and the grant I discussed in the previous article, the PESFA: scholars availing of the latter program are restricted to specific priority courses, while successful applicants of the former may enjoy its privileges with respect to any degree course. Nevertheless, scholars can only apply for either program at CHED accredited Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
2. Qualifications: Students are eligible for the SSGD if they meet the following criteria:
- Applicants must be college students belonging to any year level.
- They must be Filipino citizens.
- They should be no older than thirty years of age at the time of their application.
- They must not be recipients of any other form of scholarship grant at the time of their application.
- The gross annual income of their parents or legal guardians cannot exceed 120,000 pesos.
3. Documents: The SSGD’s necessary documents are generally similar to that of the PESFA’s, with some minor differences:
- for freshmen only: Form 138, aka your high school report card
- for non-freshmen only: a rating or report of your attendance during the previous semester
- Your parents’ or legal guardians’ latest BIR income tax return
- Your birth certificate
- A certificate of good moral character
- A certificate of medical fitness
- A certificate of non-enjoyment of any type of scholarship grant
- 2 x 2 ID photos for your application form.
4. Application Process: To apply for the SSGD, just obtain a copy of the application form from the Office of the Representative of your Congressional District. Fill up the form completely and submit it along with the other necessary documents to the CHED regional office nearest you. After that, it’s simply a matter of waiting for that very same CHED office to notify you of your application results.
Scholar Privileges and Contact Details
As is the case with the PESFA scholarship program, the SSGD offers partial subsidization of tuition fees and other school-related fee of up to 1,000 pesos. Unlike the PESFA, there appears to be no book stipend this time around. Scholars, however, will receive a living allowance worth 1,500 pesos.
Currently, CHED only has its e-mail address posted on its official website, so if you’d like to clarify anything with them, feel free to send your queries to info@ched.gov.ph.
