📋 Tender Overview
A total of 16,148 pre-selected candidates will be able to participate in the last stage of the competition. Methodologies are used that order the scores in strict order of merit and prioritizable criteria.The application for the first moment of the Beca 18 selection stage, call 2026, ends on March 6. Starting on March 31, the first winners will be known, who will be able to study a professional career with coverage of academic and non-academic costs financed by the State. In this context, the National Scholarship and Educational Credit Program of the Ministry of Education explained the criteria that will be used to define the beneficiaries.
In accordance with the contest rules, the algorithm orders in descending order the final score obtained by each preselected person who has applied to the selection stage by meeting the requirements, among them, having proof of definitive admission to an eligible institution, having completed secondary school with high academic performance - depending on the modality - and proving, in the ordinary modality, the current condition of poverty or extreme poverty.
The Minister of Education, Erfurt Castillo, highlighted that the contest prioritizes academic performance to maximize the impact of public investment in the training of professionals who contribute to the development of the country. Beca 18 rewards academic excellence and guarantees complete coverage of the studies of the 5,184 new winners during all years of training, he noted.
The maximum final score reaches 170 points in most modalities; in Intercultural Bilingual Education it reaches 175 and in the Children of Teachers modality, it reaches 180. The main criterion considered is the result of the national preselection exam, which grants up to 120 points. Added to this is the assessment of the prioritizable conditions accredited during the pre-selection stage, which can grant up to 20 points, or up to 25 in the Intercultural Bilingual Education modality.
Likewise, the educational quality of eligible institutions is evaluated. If the institution belongs to group 1, 10 points are assigned; if it corresponds to group 2, 8 points; and if you are part of group 3 --applicable only to universities--, 6 points. Due to the type of management, entering a public institution grants 10 points, while entering a private institution adds 5 points.
Regarding the chosen career, 10 additional points are assigned to those who enter careers with high labor demand, according to the 2026 Occupational Demand Survey, in Technological Higher Education institutions. In the Children of Teachers modality, 10 points are awarded if the Education or Pedagogy major is chosen in any of its specialties.
In addition, up to 10 additional points will be given in two new criteria that seek regional growth: to those who choose to study in a region that has fewer students enrolled in higher education, either because they studied their last two degrees of secondary school in the same region (regional permanence) or because they are moving to it (student mobility). The detailed distribution of these scores appears on page 29 of the contest rules.
Once the score is obtained in strict order of merit, prioritized criteria are applied, such as the delivery of at least 30% of the total scholarships to applicants who enter public institutions, the prioritization of the most in-demand careers, the allocation of 0.5% to those who prove disability, and others.
If you have any questions, those interested can write to the Facebook channel www.facebook.com/PRONABEC, to the institutional WhatsApp 914 121 106, or call the toll-free line 0800 000 18 or the telephone exchange (01) 612 8230.
Watch the tutorial on how to apply for the Scholarship Selection Stage 18-2026: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kafLVm0l00M&feature=youtu.be
This news belongs to the compendium News about Beca 18
