The Ministry of Higher Education of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is preparing to formally recognize outstanding academic performers across the nation by awarding a total of 82 merit-based scholarships tied to 2026 results from the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) and accredited associate degree programmes. As confirmed by the state-run Agency for Public Information in a Tuesday official statement, the highly anticipated 2026 National Scholarship Programme awards ceremony, paired with an official cocktail reception, is scheduled to take place this Thursday, with full live streaming access provided via all local state media platforms to allow families, educators and community members across the archipelago to follow the proceedings in real time. The 2026 scholarship portfolio covers a tiered suite of recognition packages: 8 prestigious national scholarships, 18 exhibition scholarships, 1 one-off special academic award, and 55 targeted bursaries, marking a deliberate restructuring of the 2025 programme, which distributed 19 national scholarships, 18 exhibition scholarships and 43 bursaries for the same total of 82 awardees. The high-profile event will feature keynote addresses from two senior government leaders: Prime Minister Godwin Friday, who will deliver special opening remarks and personally present the coveted Prime Minister’s Gold Medal, and Minister of Higher Education Terrance Ollivierre, who will outline the administration’s long-term strategy to expand accessible tertiary education for Vincentian youth. The Prime Minister’s Gold Medal, the programme’s highest honor, is reserved for the student who delivers the strongest overall academic performance across all eligible assessments; the top performer will not only receive a full national scholarship, but also a one-time cash prize of $20,000 alongside the commemorative gold medal. The second-highest-ranked students will receive a $10,000 cash bonus on top of their standard national scholarship benefits. Structured to cover varying lengths of tertiary study, national scholarship recipients are granted full funding equivalent to five years of tuition and associated fees at the University of the West Indies, while exhibition scholars receive coverage for up to three years of study at the regional institution. Notably, the 2026 bursary scheme has received a significant financial boost: annual support for bursary recipients has been raised by EC$5,000 to reach EC$30,000 per academic year, available for a maximum of three years of study, a meaningful upgrade from the 2025 bursary value of EC$25,000 per year. The government’s investment in the expanded scholarship framework underscores its ongoing commitment to reducing financial barriers to higher education and nurturing local talent to drive national development.
Government to announce 82 higher education scholarships
