AROUND  300 successful examinees of the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) for Academic Year 2026–2027 will receive full scholarships under the Lingap Iskolar Program, a university initiative aimed at supporting poor but deserving students from far-flung and underserved communities.

Each scholar will receive approximately ₱165,000 in financial assistance. To qualify, students must have a family income of ₱135,000 or less annually and must not be recipients of any other scholarship.

The program is supported by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between UP and the Land Bank of the Philippines on August 1. The scholarship fund will cover meals, housing, transportation, and educational materials.

UP President Angelo Jimenez emphasized that the program is designed for students who pass the highly competitive UPCAT but are unable to enroll due to the high cost of living in college, despite the free tuition provided under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

“Every year, we see too many brilliant young Filipinos—top of their class, full of potential—decide not to pursue their UP dream. The Lingap Iskolar Program is our promise that we will do better by them—that a UP education will truly be within reach, wherever they come from,” Jimenez said.

Landbank Executive Vice President Leila Martin described the initiative as a strengthened partnership between two government institutions committed to making quality education more inclusive and accessible.

Launched last year by the UP Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA), the Lingap Iskolar Program supported 194 scholars in its inaugural year. This year’s expansion will provide more opportunities for students from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas to study at any of UP’s 17 campuses nationwide.

Landbank will also sponsor four professorial chair grants and collaborate with UP on its Expanded Cash Lite-Campus Program, further enhancing academic and digital learning resources.