Abstract. Perceived social support is pivotal in fostering students’ motivation and resilience. Student’s social ties with their friends, family, and significant others are crucial as they receive support. Moreover, social support enhances belief in one’s ability to achieve goals and manage difficulties. This belief is crucial for motivation and academic performance, influencing how students tackle tasks and respond to setbacks. Grit is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. It focuses on sustained effort, enabling individuals to remain motivated despite ongoing challenges. Despite the growing body of literature on perceived social support, grit, and self-efficacy, there is a dearth of studies examining these factors within the local context, where cultural and societal conditions may influence these associations. This research quantitatively explored the prediction between perceived social support, grit, and general self-efficacy among undergraduate students (n=342) in a state university in Pampanga, Philippines. The sample size was determined through the Raosoft application, and the respondents were selected through a stratified proportionate sampling technique. JAMOVI application was used to run the analysis. The findings revealed a significant and weak positive relationship (p. <0.001, R=0.41) between perceived social support and general self-efficacy. Furthermore, grit and general self-efficacy have no significant relationship (p. <0.76, R=0.2) among undergraduate students. However, the subdomains of grit revealed that consistency of interest had a positive but weak association with general self-efficacy (p. <0.001, R=0.37). In contrast, the second subdomain, perseverance of effort, showed a negative and weak relationship with general self-efficacy (p. <0.001, R=-0.44). Furthermore, the regression analysis revealed that perceived social support, perseverance of effort, and consistency of interest are significant predictors of general self-efficacy, with each variable explaining 16%, 20%, and 14% of the variance, respectively. These findings suggest that maintaining perceived social support and consistency of interest can enhance academic performance and boost students' self-efficacy. Perseverance efforts, which lead to poor outcomes, can negate the self-efficacy of undergraduate students. This can serve as a basis for interventions and school counseling programs that enrich students' general self-efficacy, fostering well-being and academic success.

Keywords: Counseling; General self-efficacy; Grit; Perceived social support; Undergraduate students.