Isabela’s provincial scholarship is built around a policy no other province states so plainly: one scholar per farming family. If your parents are small farmers, the province guarantees a college scholarship slot — it is not a competitive lottery in the way most provincial grants are.
This guide covers the three components of BRO-Ed, the exact allowance amounts by honor level, the free tuition and miscellaneous fee coverage, the postgraduate track, and the ordinances that back it all.
What Is BRO-Ed?
Bojie-Rodito Opportunities for Education (BRO-Ed) is the flagship Provincial Scholarship Program of the Provincial Government of Isabela. It sits under the wider Bojie-Rodito Opportunities (BRO) programme of the provincial government and is administered by the BRO Office at the Isabela Provincial Capitol in Ilagan City.
Its founding purpose is agricultural: to make sure that a small farmer’s child is not shut out of college by cost, and in doing so to keep farming families motivated and productive. The program has since widened to cover indigent and marginalized families more broadly, and to reach postgraduate study.
The legal basis
BRO-Ed is not a discretionary handout — it rests on a chain of provincial ordinances, which is why it has survived across administrations:
- Ordinance No. 04, s. 2008 — established the Revised Provincial Scholarship Program
- Ordinance No. 09, s. 2015 — further amended the 2008 ordinance
- Ordinance No. 07, s. 2018 — adopted a new policy grant to adjust to the needs of Isabeleño youth
- Ordinance No. 2020-04-1, s. 2020 — widened the scope to include postgraduate students
The Three Components of BRO-Ed
1. Academic Scholarship Program
For senior high school graduates who finished with distinction. The semestral allowance scales with the honor received:
| Honor received | Allowance per semester |
|---|---|
| With Highest Honors | ₱5,000 |
| With High Honors | ₱4,000 |
| With Honors | ₱3,000 |
Earlier cycles of the program framed the academic track around class ranking — Valedictorian through 12th Honorable Mention — before the honor-based senior high school system replaced it. If your school still issues ranking certifications, bring both.
2. Non-Academic Scholarship Program
This is the component that makes BRO-Ed unusual. It exists specifically for students who graduated without academic honors but still want to pursue college. It provides ₱3,000 per semester as a book and lodging allowance.
Most provincial programs use a GWA cut-off as a gate. Isabela’s non-academic track deliberately removes that gate for farmers’ children — the qualifying condition is the family’s circumstance, not the applicant’s honor roll status.
3. Expanded Scholarship (Postgraduate)
Added under the 2020 ordinance, this component covers students pursuing postgraduate study in Master’s degrees, Law, Medicine, and Religion and Theology. A semestral allowance of ₱10,000 is granted for those taking a Doctorate, Medicine, Law, Theology, or Religious course, with a separate rate for Master’s degree students.
Free Tuition and Miscellaneous Fee Coverage
Beyond the allowances, the son or daughter-scholar of a small farmer is entitled to:
- 100% free tuition fee, up to a maximum of ₱3,000 per semester, at any campus of Isabela State University and other partner colleges and universities in the province
- Free miscellaneous fees, up to a maximum of ₱3,000, if the scholar is enrolled in an agriculture-related course
These are deducted immediately at the partner institution once the province endorses the scholar — the money does not pass through the student’s hands, which removes the delay most LGU grants suffer from. Philippine Normal University has also been named among the institutions where regular scholars’ tuition benefit applies.
Taking an agriculture-related course is worth real money here. The miscellaneous fee waiver of up to ₱3,000 per semester applies only to agriculture-related programs. Combined with the tuition waiver, that is up to ₱6,000 per semester in fees covered before any allowance is counted.
Who Can Apply
- Sons and daughters of small farmers in Isabela — the core target group
- Students from indigent and marginalized families in the province
- Senior high school graduates, whether or not they finished with honors
- Postgraduate students taking Master’s, Law, Medicine, Doctorate, or Religion and Theology programs
- Bona fide residents of the Province of Isabela
The one-scholar-per-family rule
BRO-Ed adopts "One Scholar per Farming Family" as policy. The guarantee is a slot per family, not per child. If an older sibling is already an active BRO scholar, the family’s slot is taken until that scholar graduates or exits the program. Plan sibling applications around this rather than assuming both can hold grants simultaneously.
Documents to Prepare
- Proof of the parent’s status as a small farmer — typically a certification from the municipal agriculture office, barangay certification, or registry listing such as the RSBSA
- Barangay certificate of residency in Isabela
- Senior high school report card or diploma
- Certification of honors received (for Academic Scholarship applicants)
- Certificate of enrolment or registration at Isabela State University or a partner institution
- PSA birth certificate
- Recent ID photo and valid school ID
- For the Expanded Scholarship: proof of enrolment in the qualifying postgraduate program
How to Apply
- Confirm which component fits you — Academic, Non-Academic, or Expanded. This determines both your documents and your benefit amount.
- Secure your farmer certification first. This is the document that most often delays applications, because it comes from the municipal agriculture office rather than your school.
- File with the BRO Office at the Isabela Provincial Capitol in Ilagan City, or through the channel announced for the current intake on the official provincial website.
- Enrol at Isabela State University or a partner institution so the tuition and miscellaneous waivers can be applied at source.
- Watch for the payout schedule. The province has historically distributed allowances municipality by municipality on an announced schedule, with scholars and parents claiming in their own towns rather than travelling to the Capitol.
How Big Is the Program?
BRO-Ed operates at genuine scale. In one semester alone the province released educational allowances to 13,480 BRO scholars, distributed across their home municipalities. That volume matters for applicants: a program funding five figures’ worth of scholars is one where a qualified farmer’s child has a realistic chance, unlike merit programs capped at a few hundred slots.
Other provincial scholarships
What to Stack With BRO-Ed
Because the BRO-Ed tuition waiver is capped at ₱3,000 per semester, students at institutions charging more will still have a gap. Isabeleño students commonly pair it with:
- Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), which covers a far larger share of costs at SUCs and LUCs
- DOST-SEI scholarships for students in science and engineering programs
- Agriculture-specific scholarships, which pair naturally with BRO-Ed’s miscellaneous fee waiver for agriculture courses
- Isabela State University’s own institutional grants, including its LandBank scholarship for agriculture-related programs
Declare every grant you hold. Programs differ on whether they permit double-funding of the same fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a farmer’s child to qualify for BRO-Ed?
The program is built around children of small farmers, and that is the group given a guaranteed slot. Coverage has also extended to indigent and marginalized families in the province, so it is worth applying and letting the BRO Office assess your case rather than ruling yourself out.
Can I get BRO-Ed if I did not graduate with honors?
Yes. That is exactly what the Non-Academic Scholarship Program exists for, and it carries a ₱3,000 per semester book and lodging allowance.
How much does a BRO-Ed academic scholar receive?
₱5,000 per semester for With Highest Honors, ₱4,000 for With High Honors, and ₱3,000 for With Honors.
Does BRO-Ed cover postgraduate study?
Yes. Under the 2020 ordinance, students taking a Doctorate, Medicine, Law, Theology, or Religious course receive a ₱10,000 semestral allowance, with a separate rate for Master’s students.
Which schools can I attend as a BRO scholar?
Any campus of Isabela State University and other partner colleges and universities in the province. Philippine Normal University has also been named for the regular scholars’ tuition benefit.
Can two siblings both be BRO scholars?
The program’s stated policy is one scholar per farming family, so the guaranteed slot belongs to the family rather than to each child. Confirm your specific situation with the BRO Office.
Why does an agriculture course get extra benefits?
The miscellaneous fee waiver of up to ₱3,000 applies specifically to agriculture-related courses, reflecting the program’s origin as support for farming families and the province’s agricultural economy.
Is BRO-Ed a loan?
No. BRO-Ed is a grant-based scholarship program established by provincial ordinance, not a study-now-pay-later loan scheme.
Contact Information
Office: BRO Office (Bojie-Rodito Opportunities), Provincial Government of Isabela
Address: Isabela Provincial Capitol, Ilagan City, Isabela
Official site: provinceofisabela.gov.ph
Sources: Official Website of the Province of Isabela (provinceofisabela.gov.ph), BRO Office program pages and accomplishment reports, and Provincial Ordinances No. 04 s. 2008, No. 09 s. 2015, No. 07 s. 2018, and No. 2020-04-1 s. 2020. Verified September 2026. Benefit amounts and partner institutions are adjusted by ordinance — confirm current figures with the BRO Office before applying.