TL;DR: The National Competitive Examination is how you get into the Philippine Science High School System, and it is taken in Grade 6, once. Eligibility hinges on Grade 5 report card grades: 85 percent or better in Science and Mathematics, or documented proof of standing in the upper 10 percent of the batch. Applying costs nothing for public school pupils and Php 300 for private school pupils. The exam is a four-hour aptitude test in four parts. Slots are fixed per campus, from 240 at the Main Campus down to 90 at four regional campuses, and choosing a regional campus removes you from Main Campus alternate consideration. Scholars get free tuition, textbooks on loan, and a monthly grant of between Php 500 and Php 4,000.
Pisay is a government scholarship, not a school you pay to attend. The Philippine Science High School System sits under the Department of Science and Technology, offers a six-year Grades 7 to 12 curriculum specialising in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and admits its students almost entirely through one exam sat by eleven- and twelve-year-olds.
That structure creates unusual pressure and a lot of misinformation. This guide works from PSHS's own admissions pages, its published FAQs, and its own official NCE reviewer, and flags what PSHS does not publish. If you are weighing PSHS against other options, our best STEM senior high schools roundup and STEM strand guide cover the wider field.
Eligibility: Six Criteria, All Required
PSHS states that "a grade 6 elementary pupil from a duly recognized school by the Department of Education" who meets the following is eligible to apply. All six apply, not most.
- A final grade of 85 percent or better in Science and Mathematics, evidenced by the Grade 5 report card. If either grade is below 85, the applicant must provide evidence of belonging to the upper 10 percent of the batch.
- Filipino citizenship, with no pending or approved application as an immigrant to any foreign country.
- Not more than 15 years old by 30 June of the admission year.
- At least a satisfactory rating, or its equivalent, in the Grade 5 character rating on the report card.
- Not having previously applied for admission to PSHS.
- In good health and fit to undergo a rigorous academic programme.
Criterion 5 is the one to sit with. This is a single-attempt exam. There is no repeat sitting and no second application in a later year, which is why the eligibility documents matter so much.
Criterion 1 has a built-in escape hatch that many families miss. A pupil with, say, an 83 in Science is not automatically out; a certification that the pupil belongs to the upper 10 percent of the batch keeps the application alive. That certification has to come from the school, so it is worth requesting early.
A few edge cases PSHS answers directly:
- Homeschooled pupils are eligible as long as the school is accredited and recognised by DepEd, with the certification or accreditation submitted alongside the application.
- Pupils studying abroad may apply if the school follows the same prescribed curriculum and is recognised by DepEd.
- If the school is not DepEd accredited, PSHS states the application form will be rejected.
- Dual citizens are eligible, with an unexpired Philippine-issued passport as the additional requirement.
- There is no minimum age. A pupil who is young for Grade 6 can still apply.
One inconsistency worth knowing about: PSHS's general FAQ page phrases the age rule as "not more than 15 years old by August of the following school year", while its cycle-specific eligibility page states the cut-off as 30 June of the admission year. If your child's birthday falls near either date, ask the PSHS Admissions Office rather than picking the reading that suits you.
Applying: Online or Walk-In, and the Php 300 Question
There are two routes. Online, you create an account at nce.pshs.edu.ph, fill out the application form, and upload documents. Walk-in, you submit to the nearest PSHS campus, DOST Regional Office, or Provincial Science and Technology Office. PSHS notes that parents or guardians may submit on the applicant's behalf, and that walk-in submissions are evaluated immediately on receipt.
What you submit online:
- A scanned or digitised recent 1x1 picture
- A scanned certified true copy of the report card for the relevant school year, certified by the class adviser or principal
- Where Science or Mathematics grades are below 85, scanned proof that the pupil belongs to the upper 10 percent of the batch
- Certification from the private school if the applicant is on full scholarship
- The processing fee, where applicable
What you submit as a walk-in: the same set, plus a fully accomplished application form.
The fee. PSHS is precise here: the processing fee is free for public school students and for private school students on full scholarship, and a non-refundable Php 300 for private school students, based on the applicant's Grade 5 school. Online applicants may pay after completing the form; walk-in applicants can pay cash at the cashier's office. The application form itself is free of charge regardless of route.
You will also need the pupil's Learner Reference Number, the 12-digit number DepEd assigns to each student and which normally appears at the top of the report card or Form 138. It follows the child across school transfers.
The Exam Itself
PSHS's own official reviewer, published by the Office of the Executive Director, describes the NCE as "a four-hour aptitude test designed to assess higher-order thinking skills of student applicants" that "is conducted simultaneously across the country."
That reviewer is organised into four parts:
| Part | Section title in PSHS's official reviewer |
|---|---|
| Test I | Quantitative Ability |
| Test II | Verbal Aptitude |
| Test III | Scientific Ability |
| Test IV | Abstract Reasoning |
Practice items in the reviewer carry five answer options, A through E, which is worth noting because most Philippine practice material for younger pupils uses four.
What PSHS does not publish: an item count per section, a time allocation per section, or a passing score. The word "aptitude" in PSHS's own description is doing real work here. The exam is not a Grade 6 curriculum test, which is why drilling past lessons alone is a weak strategy.
PSHS distributes its reviewer free in both print and digital form, noting that "the print version reaches remote areas with limited internet access, while the digital format is conveniently accessible through the PSHS System websites." It is marked not for sale. If someone is charging you for the official PSHS reviewer, that is a flag.
PSHS's own test-taking advice is sensible and free: build a study plan, allocate time per subject, understand the test structure rather than just the content, manage time per section, start with the easier items, read carefully, proofread if time permits, and stay calm.
Slots, Campus Choice, and the Trade-Off Nobody Explains
This is the part of PSHS admissions that most affects outcomes and is least understood.
You check a campus of choice on the application form. PSHS then applies two rules:
- The Top 240 qualifiers are invited to enrol at the PSHS Main Campus in Diliman.
- Applicants outside the Top 240 are considered for ranking at the regional campus they chose.
And then the catch, in PSHS's own words: "once you choose a regional campus, the child will not be considered as an alternate qualifier in the Main campus."
Slot counts are fixed and differ substantially by campus:
| Slots | Campuses |
|---|---|
| 240 | Main Campus |
| 120 | CALABARZON, Central Luzon, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, Southern Mindanao, SOCCSKSARGEN, CARAGA, Bicol Region, Central Visayas, Central Mindanao |
| 90 | Cordillera Administrative Region, MIMAROPA Region, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Region |
Because slot counts vary and the applicant pool differs by region, the effective standard is not the same everywhere, and PSHS does not publish per-campus cut-offs in advance. The decision is genuinely strategic, and it is worth making with the family's relocation appetite in mind rather than prestige alone. PSHS operates residence halls at each campus, subject to availability of rooms and beds, which changes the calculation for families far from a campus.
Results are published in newspapers and posted on pshs.edu.ph, and qualifiers are notified by campus registrars.
What the Scholarship Actually Pays
PSHS lists the scholarship privileges as free tuition, free loan of textbooks, a monthly stipend, uniform, transportation and living allowances for low income groups, and dormitory accommodation where applicable.
Its FAQ puts numbers to the monthly grant, classified by the scholar's socio-economic status:
| Category | Stipend | Living allowance | Total per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full | Php 500 | Php 3,500 | Php 4,000 |
| Partial 1 | Php 500 | Php 3,000 | Php 3,500 |
| Partial 2 | Php 500 | Php 2,000 | Php 2,500 |
| Partial 3 | Php 500 | — | Php 500 |
Every scholar receives the Php 500 stipend. The living allowance is the part that scales with household circumstances.
For families comparing this against private school costs, our scholarships for senior high school guide covers the other options available at this level.
Where PSHS Came From, and Where It Is Going
The system's legal spine is worth knowing because it explains its design.
Republic Act 3661 (1963) established the original Philippine Science High School "to offer on a free scholarship basis a secondary course with special emphasis on subjects pertaining to the sciences with the end in view of preparing its students for a science career." It also empowered the Board of Trustees to set admission criteria "which shall include, among others, national competitive examinations." The NCE is written into the founding statute.
Republic Act 8496 (1998) created the PSHS System, defining PSHS campuses as "secondary schools offering scholarships to deserving students who shall be admitted and trained under a curriculum specially designed to prepare them for careers in S & T," and placing the system under DOST administrative supervision.
Republic Act 9036 (2001) amended that Act to require that "only one (1) PSHS campus shall be established in each of the administrative regions of the country," which is why the campus map looks the way it does.
Republic Act 12310, the PSHS System expansion law, is the current chapter. PSHS publishes both the Act and its implementing rules on its own site, and the system now spans 16 campuses.
Practical Advice for Families
- Start in Grade 5, not Grade 6. Eligibility is decided by the Grade 5 report card. That is the year that matters, and no amount of Grade 6 effort changes it.
- If Science or Maths sits below 85, get the top-10-percent certification. It keeps a strong applicant in the running, and it takes school action rather than pupil action.
- Use the free official reviewer. PSHS publishes it in print and digital form and marks it not for sale.
- Prepare for aptitude, not recall. Quantitative, verbal, scientific, and abstract reasoning are trained by doing varied problems, not by rereading Grade 6 notes. Our DepEd science curriculum guide is useful for identifying gaps, but it is not the exam.
- Choose the campus deliberately. The Main Campus alternate rule is a one-way door.
- Have a plan for not qualifying. With one attempt and fixed slots, most applicants will not get in, and that is a statement about capacity rather than about the child. Our Philippine education system guide lays out the alternatives.
- Watch the calendar. PSHS publishes an application window that runs for months and an examination date months later. For the SY 2027-2028 intake, PSHS published an application period of 6 April to 7 November 2026 with the examination on 30 January 2027. Cycle dates change, so confirm yours on pshs.edu.ph or nce.pshs.edu.ph rather than from a blog post.
Eligibility criteria, fees, slot counts, and scholarship amounts are set by the DOST-PSHS System and can change. Verify current details with the PSHS Admissions Office, a PSHS campus, or a DOST Provincial Science and Technology Office before applying.
Comparing science high schools? Browse schools on SchoolFinderPH to see programmes, fees, and reviews.
Sources
- DOST-PSHS System — Application for Incoming Grade 7 Students (NCE eligibility, requirements, dates)
- DOST-PSHS System — National Competitive Examination (NCE) FAQs
- DOST-PSHS System — Reviewer for the PSHS System National Competitive Examination (official, 2024)
- DOST-PSHS System — NCE Online Application System
- Republic Act No. 3661, establishing the Philippine Science High School (LawPhil)
- Republic Act No. 8496, PSHS System Act of 1997 (LawPhil)
- Republic Act No. 9036, amending RA 8496 (LawPhil)
