• Posted on: 23 May 2025

Financial support and academic awards for UPPI graduate students


UPPI offers fellowships and tuition support grants for graduate students in Demography and Population Studies.

1. UPPI-DRDF Fellowships

UPPI offers a limited number of fellowships through the UPPI Endowment Fund, and the Demographic Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (DRDF). The Fellowship covers tuition, monthly stipend (PhP 10,000), and internet allowance (PhP 2,000).

Applicants for the Fellowship must satisfy admission requirements. He/she should be a Filipino citizen, of good moral character, and should display a high level of interest and intention to work in a population-related field upon completion of training.

The following are the additional requirements for MADEM and MPOPS Fellows:

  • A fellow must enroll in not less than 12 units per semester.
  • A student who incurs a grade of INC in a semester must complete it before the next registration period; otherwise, he/she shall be disqualified from the fellowship program.
  • Any student who incurs a grade below 2.0 in any subject shall be disqualified from the fellowship program.

The UPPI also offers tuition support grants for part-time graduate students. This is renewable every year. To continuously qualify for the tuition support grant, the grantee should be enrolled in not less than 6 units, have no grade lower than 2.0 and no incomplete grade in all courses taken.

2. John B. Casterline Fellowship

Beginning Academic Year 2024-2025, the UPPI in partnership with the Demographic Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (DRDF) offers the John B. Casterline Fellowship (JBCF). The JBCF was established through the generous donation of Dr. John B. Casterline, distinguished demographer and professor Emeritus at the Ohio State University (OSU). This fellowship is intended for the promotion of the study of demography and population studies in the Philippines at the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI).

The Fellowship covers matriculation fees, monthly stipend (PhP 18,000), internet allowance (PhP 1,500 per semester), allowance for thesis or pre-print research paper reproduction (PhP 2,500), and one-time transportation fee to Metro Manila for grantees residing outside NCR, CALABARZON and Central Luzon.

An applicant who wishes to apply for a JBC fellowship must:

  • be accepted to any of UPPI’s graduate programs;
  • not a recipient of other scholarship/fellowship grants;
  • be willing to study full-time for two years;
  • have a good moral character, and
  • display a high level of interest and intention to work as a demographer, whether as a researcher, teacher, or planner/implementer of population-related programs/activities, upon completion of the degree.

To know more about the fellowship requirements, please visit the DRDF website.

3. Josefina V. Cabigon Memorial Scholarship

The Josefina V. Cabigon Memorial Scholarship (JVCMS) started during the first semester, AY 2020-2021 and it is sponsored by the family of Dr. Josefina V. Cabigon, a former professor and director of the UPPI from 1999 to 2002. The JVCMS is open to continuing graduate students enrolled in the MA Demography and Master in Population Studies at UPPI.

JVCMS offers a grant (PhP 50,000) to support the writing of MADEM thesis or MPOPS pre-print research paper. Preference is given to scholars who are financially in need and who are committed to public service.

To be eligible for the JVCMS, applicants must have defended their thesis or pre-print research paper proposal. Grantees must complete their thesis or pre-print research paper within the semester the grant was awarded.

4. The UPPI Academic Excellence Award

The UPPI Academic Excellence Award was established in 2014 during its 50th Anniversary. The award aims to inspire UPPI students towards academic excellence.

For every semester, an awardee is selected from among UPPI students based on the General Weighted Average (GWA). For a student to qualify, he/she should have enrolled in a minimum of nine (9) units in the previous semester and with no incomplete grade. The student with the highest GWA (at least 1.5) gets the award. In case of a tie, the student enrolled in the highest number of units will be awarded the grant. In the case of a second tie, the grant will be divided between or among the students with tied GWAs. The award comes with a certificate and a cash prize (PhP 5,000).

There have been 16 recipients of the award: Joshua Mariano (MPOPS), Maria Rowena Campos (MPOPS), Klarriness Tanalgo (MPOPS), Jaycel Hurley (MPOPS), Denise Hyacinth Joy Musni (MADEM, 1st and 2nd Sem A.Y. 2016-2017), Alberto Marin (MADEM), Lyka Manglal-lan (MPOPS), Karlene Cabaraban (MADEM, 1st and 2nd Sem A.Y. 2018-2019), Sanny Afable (MADEM), Katrina Guanio (MPOPS), Jsydney Pascual (MPOPS), Anna Amalia Vibar (MPOPS), Maria Louissie Ynez Lavega (MPOPS), Jann Blair Salinas (MADEM), Leila Marie Magno (MPOPS, 1st and 2nd Sem A.Y. 2023-2024), and the latest Maria Fe Abalos (MPOPS).

Other opportunities for UPPI graduate students

UPPI graduate students have the opportunity to attend local and international seminars, lectures, and workshops. They also have the opportunity to participate in and help organize the annual Philippine Population Association (PPA) International Scientific Conferences and other conferences.

The UPPI also offers exchange programs in collaboration with universities and research institutions abroad. For example, exchange programs with the University of Namur in Belgium.


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