The UPSEAA Scholarship Program offers financial support to students of the UP School of Economics with the objectives of:

1. Assisting students from lower income brackets who are majoring in Economics to cope with personal financial constraints during their stay in the School
2. Attracting students of exceptional academic promise to the School of Economics
3. Rewarding UPSE students for outstanding research work at the undergraduate and graduate levels

The ultimate objective is to assist the UPSE to produce a growing number of world-class professional economists or economics-savvy leaders in other professions – all of whom could play key roles in the country’s development in the long run.

UPSEAA Undergraduate Assistance

The undergraduate assistance program provides financial support to a select number of lower-income students in the School.  The program was established in academic year (AY) 2008-09 with the initial aim of supporting one UPSEAA Scholar per batch starting with the incoming class of 2008, and building up to a maximum of four scholars – one per year level – by AY 2011-12.  With generous contributions from our alumni, our graduating students and friends in the business community, we have been able to expand our target more rapidly than expected.  Our new aim is to have two scholars per batch starting with the freshman batch of the current AY 2011-12, for a total of eight scholars by AY 2014-2015.

Because all low-income students of UP already qualify for (income-adjusted) grants under the UP STFAP, the UPSEAA assistance is intended as a supplement to the STFAPsupport.  It is hoped that the additional assistance will attract a greater number of high-performing lower-income students to the School.

The undergraduate financial assistance consists of a stipend of P12,500 per semester.

The scholars are selected as follows:

1. For the entering freshman class, the students with the two highest UPCAT scores from among all bracket E and D students are awarded a scholarship.
2. The batch scholars will retain their scholarships for their remaining years in the School, as long as they remain UPSE students in good standing.
3. If a scholar is disqualified for any reason, then another student will be selected from his/her batch following the above selection process, with the scholarship awarded to the student with the highest GWA in the previous year.

Affiliated Undergraduate Scholarship and Research Award Programs

Under the initiative of UPSE alumni in the business community, the Fund Managers’ Association of the Philippines (FMAP) has undertaken, since AY 2009-10, to support an additional two scholars per batch during their third and fourth years at the School. To date, three FMAP Scholars have graduated from the School, and we continue to support a total of four FMAP scholars – two juniors and two seniors – each year. Two FMAP scholars have also had the opportunity to participate in summer internships at FMAP member institutions, giving them practical experience in the field of finance even before graduation.

In addition to its two scholarships, FMAP also provides an annual award of P10,000 for the Best Monetary and Financial Economics Thesis at the undergraduate level. The first FMAP Award was given in AY 2010-11.

Another initiative has recently been started by friends of the late Fermin Taruc (BSBE, ‘84) to raise funds to sponsor a scholar in his name. The target of the Fermin Taruc Scholarship Fund is P100,000, the amount needed to sponsor one scholar for his/her four-year stay in the School.

Private arrangements for individual alumni to “adopt-a-scholar” for one semester (P12,500) or one year (P25,000) have also been made. In one such case, an alumna has provided not only financial support, but also advice and other forms of support to her “adopted” scholar.

Graduate Research Awards

With the UPSEAA undergraduate scholarship program now establishing its pace, UPSEAA is finally ready to expand its support to graduate level students. Starting in the current academic year (AY 2011-12), UPSEAA will sponsor two graduate-level research awards: the Best Graduate Research Paper Award and aPublication Award for graduate students. These awards are premised on the belief that the best way to use limited UPSEAA Scholarship funds at the graduate level for the purpose of raising the profile and international reputation of the School’s graduate program is to encourage quality research among graduate students.

The Best Graduate Research Paper Award is a cash award of P50,000 to be given every year to the best paper submitted by a graduating MA or MDE student in Econ 299 or Econ 300. A selection process similar to that for the long-standing Sicat Award for best undergraduate thesis will apply.

The Publication Award will be given to any UPSE graduate student who can publish a paper in an internationally-recognized professional journal, not necessarily their thesis or research paper. A cash award of P50,000 will be given for every qualified published paper. A standard of award similar to that applied for the existing faculty publication award will be applied.

Affiliated Graduate Research Awards

One more program in the works is the Manolo and Vicki Abella Research Award on Labor and Migration, to be established on the initiative of the named donors. The program would consist of a cash award of $1,000 to be given to the author of the best paper in labor, migration and human resources selected from among graduating Econ 300 and Econ 299 students.

The Manolo and Vicki Abella Research Award on Labor and Migration will be paired with UPSEAA’s new Best Graduate Research Paper Award, in the same way that the FMAP award is paired with the Sicat Award for undergraduate research.

Program Administration

UPSEAA’s Scholarship Program is financed by the UP School of Economics Alumni Association and its friends and supporters, under the guidance of the UPSEAA Board of Directors. Awards policies are established by the UPSEAA Board in consultation with the UP School of Economics Faculty, through their respective Scholarship Committees. The selection of awardees at undergraduate and graduate levels is the sole responsibility of the UPSE Faculty.

PLEDGING FORM

UPSEAA Scholarship Pledging Form