How to Apply for DSWD Educational Assistance Program

Every year, the Department of Social Welfare and Development or DSWD provides educational assistance to students who need financial help in their schooling. This initiative is called the AICS Educational Assistance Program. It is intended to help Filipino students who are struggling and they will be given cash aid from 1,000 to 4,000 Philippine pesos, depending on the level of their education.

The acronym AICS stands for “Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations,” a DWSD program that provides aid to people in crisis, be it food, medicine, transportation, and other support services. In this case, the aid pertains to educational assistance. Let’s learn more about the program: its beneficiaries, qualifications, requirements, and procedures.

Table of Contents

How to Apply for DSWD Educational Assistance Program — Image Credit: Department of Social Welfare and Development / Facebook (DSWD logo)

What is AICS Educational Assistance?

As the term implies, the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) – Educational Assistance Program provides financial aid to students. They can use this money to pay for school fees, school supplies, projects, daily allowance, and other expenses.

According to DSWD, the funding for this program is limited, so the agency is focusing on helping those who are categorized as “students in crisis.”

Qualifications

What exactly does it mean to be a “student in crisis”? According to the DSWD, a student in crisis is one who is a:

Working student;

Breadwinner of the family;
Child of a solo parent;
Child whose parents are unemployed;

Child of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW);
Child of a parent with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV);
Orphaned/abandoned child living with relatives;

Victim of abuse; or
Victim of calamity or natural disaster.

Benefits

How much educational assistance does the program provide? Qualified beneficiaries can expect to receive the following financial aid, depending on their school levels:

Elementary — PHP 1,000.00
High School — PHP 2,000.00
Senior High School — PHP 3,000.00

Vocational/College — PHP 4,000.00

Requirements

To apply for DSWD’s Educational Assistance, you’ll need to prepare certain requirements, as follows:

School ID of the student;

Valid ID of parent or guardian;
Certificate of Registration/Enrollment; and
Statement of Account indicating the name of the school and the student’s miscellaneous fees.

NOTE: The student’s parent or guardian will be the one who will get the educational assistance. Make sure that the documents are authentic and not fake. Those who will submit false documents will be subject to the rule of law.

Procedure

There are two (2) ways to apply for DSWD’s Educational Assistance Program: by going directly to the DSWD Central Office or Field Office, or via email.

A. By Walk-In

To apply by “walk-in,” just go to the nearest DSWD office (central office or field office) and submit the requirements. The DSWD Central Office in Quezon City opens at 7:00 am. Meanwhile, DSWD Field Offices in different regions across the Philippines open at 8:00 am.

UPDATE: The walk-in process is now being discontinued in MOST DSWD field officers. So you have to go through the online application wherein you will need to register your information in a QR code registration form. Wait for an SMS message from DSWD for further updates to get an appointment.

B. Via Email

To apply via email, send a message to this address: ciu.co@dswd.gov.ph. Wait for a text confirmation from DSWD, stating the date and place where you can avail of the assistance, along with the requirements that you need to bring.

At the DSWD office, your application will undergo initial assessment by a Social Worker — for verification and approval — before payout of the educational aid.

As for the schedule of “Educational Assistance Payout,” this will be held every Saturday, on the following dates: August 20, August 27, September 3, September 10, September 17, and September 24, 2022 — at the DSWD Central Office and Field Offices.

C. Online Registration Form QR Code

Please take note that according to the announcement as shared by DSWD, walk-ins are no longer accepted. Applicants will need to follow the QR Code registration process in filling out an application form online. The reason is that there has been an overflow of applicants that walk-ins cannot be accommodated in the office anymore. So in order to register online, you need to follow the latest update instructions from the specific field offices of DSWD in your region. Please check out the list of procedures for each region in the Philippines below:

Apply for DSWD NCR Educational Cash Assistance

Follow the official Facebook Pages of each DSW Field Office so you can get updates on the latest announcements and procedures from the official sources themselves. We have compiled the list below:

DSWD Field Office I – facebook.com/dswdfo1
DSWD Field Office II – facebook.com/DSWDDos

DSWD Field Office III – facebook.com/dswdfo3
DSWD Field Office IV-A – facebook.com/dswdfo4a
DSWD Field Office IV-B – facebook.com/dswdfomimaropa

DSWD Field Office V – facebook.com/dswdfo5
DSWD Field Office VI – facebook.com/dswd06
DSWD Field Office VII – facebook.com/dswdfo7

DSWD Field Office VIII – facebook.com/dswdeasternvisayas
DSWD Field Office IX – facebook.com/dswdfo9
DSWD Field Office X – facebook.com/dswdfo10

DSWD Field Office XI – facebook.com/dswdfo11
DSWD Field Office XII – facebook.com/people/DSWD-XII/100069260497757/
DSWD Field Office NCR – facebook.com/dswdfoncr

DSWD Field Office CAR – facebook.com/dswdfocar
DSWD Field Office CARAGA – facebook.com/dswdcaraga

Video: DSWD’s Educational Assistance Programs

To know more about the program, check out this video where DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo talks about the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) – Educational Assistance Program, as shared via the agency’s official Facebook page:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Meanwhile, here are some commonly asked questions and answers about DSWD’s AICS Educational Assistance Program:

1. How much educational assistance can I get?

The amount of financial assistance depends on the student’s school level, as follows: (a) elementary – PHP 1,000.00; (b) high school — PHP 2,000.00; (c) senior high school — PHP 3,000.00; and (d) vocational/college — PHP 4,000.00.

2. How do I know if I am qualified for educational assistance?

As mentioned earlier, the program focuses on “students in crisis” only. You are considered as a student in crisis if you are a: (a) working student; (b) breadwinner of the family; (c) child of a solo parent; (d) child whose parents are unemployed; (e) child of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW); (f) child of a parent with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV); (g) orphaned/abandoned child living with relatives; (h) victim of abuse; or (i) victim of calamity or natural disaster.

3. How can I apply for educational assistance?

You can apply for DSWD’s Educational Assistance by going directly to the nearest DSWD office (central or field office), or by sending an email message to ciu.co@dswd.gov.ph. Your application will undergo assessment by a Social Worker before getting approved for educational assistance.

4. When is the pay out of the educational assistance?

Payout of DSWD’s Educational Assistance will be held every Saturday on the following dates: August 20, August 27, September 3, September 10, September 17, and September 24, 2022. Submission of applications and pay out at the DSWD Central Office starts at 7:00 am, while DWSD Field Offices across the country start at 8:00 am on the said dates.

5. Who can I call to ask about the program?

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints regarding the program — along with other services of the DSWD, for that matter — you can call their Agency Operations Center (AOC) through the following Hotline Numbers:

Smart — 0943 464 8026 / 0943 464 8086 / 0932 933 3251
Globe — 0995 715 3926 / 0995 715 3934

NOTE: The above numbers are available from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm every Monday through Friday, and from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm every Saturday, Sunday, and during holidays.

Contact Information: DSWD Central Office

For further inquiries, you can get in touch with the DSWD Central Office through the following contact details:

Address: Batasang Pambansa Complex, Constitution Hills, Quezon City, Philippines, 1126
Telephone: (02) 8931 8101
Email: inquiry@dswd.gov.ph
Website: https://www.dswd.gov.ph/

Google Map Location

The DSWD Central Office is located at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City. Here is the office’s location on Google Maps, for your reference:

Summary

So far, as of 20th August 2022, DSWD has provided financial aid to more than 48,000 students through its AICS Educational Assistance Program. This amounts to more than PHP 141 million worth of assistance that these students can use for their school expenses. If you think you or your children qualify for this program, do not hesitate to inquire with the DSWD office nearest you!

DISCLAIMER: The above guide is presented for general, information-sharing purposes only. For more information about DSWD’s Educational Assistance Program, please visit the agency’s official website and Facebook page.