Step Up Scholarship Florida Program: Everything To Know
Florida parents now have more education options than ever. Step Up For Students administers the four largest scholarship programs in the state, covering private school tuition, homeschool curriculum, tutoring, and specialized services for Florida students.
Florida residents wondering whether their child qualifies are not alone. The application rules, income thresholds, and award amounts for these scholarship programs changed significantly after the state expanded eligibility to all K-12 students in Florida, regardless of household income.
Our guide walks you through the available scholarship programs, who qualifies for each, how much each is worth, and how to apply through the EMA portal. We'll also cover what families typically miss, including the priority-tier system that determines who gets funded first when demand exceeds the number of available scholarships.
Key Takeaways
Step Up For Students administers four scholarship programs. FTC, FES-EO, FES-UA, and PEP each have different eligibility rules and approved uses, from private school tuition to therapies for K-12 students in Florida.
A priority tier system determines who gets funded first. Renewing recipients receive top priority, followed by new applicants, with priority given to those with household incomes below the federal poverty level, so applying early matters.
FES-UA serves more than 16,000 students with unique abilities. Awards average roughly $10,000 per year for therapies, curriculum, and approved services through an Education Savings Account.
Families can use FES-UA funds for online speech-language services. Working with an approved direct payment provider means zero out-of-pocket cost for the family.
What is the Step Up Scholarship?
Four Scholarship Programs Administered by Step Up For Students
Eligibility Requirements by Scholarship
How to Apply Through the EMA Portal
How Families Use Step Up Scholarship Funds
What We See Working with Florida Families
What is the Step Up Scholarship?
Step Up For Students is a scholarship funding organization that administers four Florida scholarships for K-12 students. The funds give families the flexibility to attend private schools, homeschool, learn online, or use specialized services such as speech therapy and tutoring.
Florida has expanded educational opportunities for all K-12 students, regardless of household income, using a tiered priority system to allocate scholarship funds when demand exceeds supply. Priority goes first to renewing recipients who received funds the prior year, followed by new applicants based on income thresholds.
The program is especially significant for families of children with unique abilities. The FES-UA scholarship functions as an Education Savings Account, allowing parents to direct funds to the mix of services their child actually needs.
A Brief History of School Choice in Florida
Tampa businessman John Kirtley founded the Step Up For Students program in 1998 to help low-income students access private schools. In 2001, Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program into law, allowing corporations to redirect tax dollars to private scholarship funds. The Florida Department of Education oversees compliance and approves participating schools.
Since then, the legislature has added scholarships for students with disabilities, struggling readers, and families leaving public school. In 2023, House Bill One expanded the FTC and FES-EO programs to all Florida K-12 students, removing the prior income cap and opening educational opportunities across income levels.
Step Up For Students publishes annual handbooks for each scholarship that cover the application process, deadlines, and detailed purchasing rules. Each handbook is updated every cycle, so families should reference the current year's version when planning purchases.
Four Scholarship Programs Administered by Step Up For Students
Step Up For Students administers four Step Up Scholarships in Florida. Each program has its own eligibility criteria, average award amount, and approved uses for private school tuition, therapies, and curriculum.
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC)
The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, initiated in 2001, provides low-income students with financial support averaging about $7,000 to attend participating private schools. Funding comes from private corporate donations rather than direct state appropriations.
To qualify for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, students must live in a household with an income that does not exceed 260 percent of the federal poverty level. Hope Scholarship recipients now apply through the FTC track following the House Bill 1403 consolidation.
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO)
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options funds private school tuition and fees at participating private schools. Since the 2023 expansion, any Florida K-12 student can apply, with priority given to lower-income families and those meeting other priority criteria.
The program replaced and consolidated several older educational options under a single track.
The Hope Scholarship and Its Merger Into FTC and FES-EO
The Hope Scholarship was originally a separate program for students who experienced bullying or violence at a public school. Under House Bill 1403, it merged into the FTC and FES-EO programs, so families previously receiving that funding now apply through one of those tracks. The bullying and victimization criteria continue to receive priority consideration within current scholarship programs.
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA, Formerly Gardiner Scholarship)
Formerly known as the Gardiner Scholarship, FES-UA provides financial support to more than 16,000 Florida students and offers an average award of $10,000 per year. The Gardiner Scholarship funds are deposited into an Education Savings Account that families control to support students across a wide range of educational needs.
Eligibility is for children with a documented diagnosis from a qualified Florida professional. Qualifying conditions include autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, childhood apraxia of speech, specific learning disability, hearing or visual impairment, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and many other conditions defined under IDEA.
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities
Check out this blog to learn more about FES-UA.
Personalized Education Program (PEP)
The Personalized Education Program is the newest of the four Step Up Scholarships and is designed to support students whose families are not enrolling them in full-time public or private school. It functions like an ESA and gives parents flexibility to assemble a customized study plan using approved providers and curriculum.
Applications for the Personalized Education Program close on April 30. Submissions must be in by August 31 to receive full funding. Applying later in the cycle can result in a reduced award amount, so timing matters.
Eligibility Requirements by Scholarship
The Every Step Up scholarship requires that a Florida resident not be enrolled full-time in a public school. Beyond that broad eligibility, each program has its own rules.
FTC and FES-EO (Private School Track)
Any Florida K-12 student who resides in the state and is eligible to enroll in public school can apply for Step Up For Students scholarships under the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship or FES-EO. There is no longer a hard income cap on these private school tuition and fees awards, but priority tiers determine who gets funded first when demand exceeds supply.
Priority is awarded in this order: renewing recipients from the prior year, then new applicants with household incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, then households up to 400 percent. Children in foster care, homeless kids, dependents of active-duty military relocating to Florida, and applicants who experienced bullying also receive priority consideration.
FES-UA Eligibility (Disability Track)
Students must be between the ages of three (including children turning three during the application year) and grade 12, or up to age 22, whichever comes first. There is no household income requirement for FES-UA.
An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) from a public school or a diagnosis of a qualifying disability from a Florida-licensed physician or psychologist is required. The list of qualifying conditions is broad and is updated each handbook cycle.
If your child receives speech therapy for autism or services for Down syndrome, those costs are typically reimbursable through the FES-UA Education Savings Account. Children ages three to five can use the funds for early intervention services.
PEP Eligibility
Students must be Florida residents in kindergarten through grade 12. They are not allowed to be enrolled full-time in a public or private school during the scholarship year. Parents enrolled in this Step Up For Students program take responsibility for directing their child's education through approved providers.
How to Apply Through the EMA Portal
Step Up For Students program applications run through the Education Marketplace Account (EMA) portal. Parents must create the account and submit the application themselves. Private schools and service providers are legally barred from submitting applications on a family's behalf.
The application season typically opens on February first each year. For most programs, the priority application window closes well before fall, so applying early is the first step toward securing funds before financial constraints limit availability.
Step-by-Step Application Process
Create your EMA account: Register on the Step Up For Students website using a parent's email address.
Choose your scholarship: Select FTC, FES-EO, FES-UA, or PEP based on your child's eligibility and needs.
Complete the application: Provide details about your child, household, and intended educational use of the funds.
Upload supporting documents: Birth certificate, proof of Florida residency, tax documents for income-priority scholarships, and an IEP or diagnosis letter from a physician or psychologist for FES-UA.
Submit and track status: Monitor your EMA portal for award notifications and follow-up requests.
Important Deadlines to Remember
February first: Application season opens for most programs.
April thirtieth: PEP application window closes for that cycle.
August thirty-first: PEP deadline for full funding. Later submissions often receive a reduced award.
How Families Use Step Up Scholarship Funds
Step Up For Students scholarships cover private school tuition, homeschool curriculum, specialized therapies, tutoring, and approved scholarship programs. For FES-UA and PEP families, the Education Savings Account model offers the most flexibility.
Families using ESAs can access funds through direct payment for ongoing services like early intervention speech therapy, occupational therapy sessions, and tutoring. They can also request reimbursement for one-off purchases, such as curriculum, technology, and approved instructional materials.
To make the funds stretch, families should create a clear budget that prioritizes essential costs, such as curriculum and academic support, before allocating money to enrichment activities. Knowing how the students' scholarships will be spent in advance prevents end-of-cycle scrambling, especially for speech and language services for articulation disorders in children and other communication-related diagnoses.
The Reading Scholarship
Separate from the four main programs, the Reading Scholarship offers $500 to parents of students in grades three through five who need help with literacy skills. Eligible students must have scored a one or two on their most recent Florida Standards Assessment, or have attended a school listed in the bottom 300 public schools the previous school year.
What We See Working with Florida Families
Florida families usually get the most from the FES-UA scholarship when they use it to build consistent support around the child’s real communication needs.
One family used scholarship funding for ongoing speech therapy for a child with apraxia and language delays. Because sessions were held consistently at home, parents could carry the same strategies into reading, writing, and everyday conversations throughout the week. Over time, the child became easier to understand and more willing to participate during homeschool activities and social situations.
We also work with many homeschooled teens preparing for employment, college, and more independent communication demands. One student came in working on ADHD-related language organization, articulation, reading comprehension, and verbal expression at the same time.
The scholarship allowed the family to remain consistently supported through high school, rather than stopping after short-term progress. Sessions focused on real situations the student was already facing, presentations, class discussions, interviews, and organizing thoughts under pressure, which made the work feel practical instead of disconnected from daily life.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Step Up Scholarship
1. Who qualifies for the Step Up Scholarship in Florida?
Any Florida K-12 student eligible to enroll in public school can apply. FTC, FES-EO, and PEP have different priority criteria, while FES-UA requires a qualifying disability diagnosis or IEP and has no household income limit.
2. How much is the average scholarship award?
FTC awards average about $7,000 per year. FES-UA awards average roughly $10,000 annually through an Education Savings Account. Actual amounts vary by grade level, county, and scholarship type.
3. Can I use Step Up funds for speech therapy?
Yes, FES-UA funds cover speech-language services for children with qualifying diagnoses. Families can pay providers directly through the EMA portal or request reimbursement for approved purchases. Step Up For Students scholarships are accepted by online speech therapy providers that are on the approved list.
4. When does the application open and close?
Applications typically open on February first each year. PEP closes on April 30, and submissions by August 31 receive full PEP funding. Step Up For Students publishes specific cycle dates on its website.
5. Can my child's private school or speech therapist apply for me?
No. Parents must create and submit the application themselves through the EMA portal. Private school staff, public school administrators, and service providers are legally barred from submitting scholarship applications on a family's behalf.
6. What documents do I need to apply?
Most applications need your child's birth certificate and proof of Florida residency. Income-priority scholarships also require recent tax documents, and FES-UA applications require an IEP or diagnosis letter from a Florida-licensed professional.
How Connected Speech Pathology Can Help
Connected Speech Pathology has been a certified DIRECT Family Empowerment Scholarship provider since 2018. We deliver online speech-language therapy and evaluations to FES-UA students across Florida with zero out-of-pocket cost to families, since scholarship funds cover 100 percent of approved services.
Our team of certified speech-language pathologists works with children and teens who have articulation and phonological disorders, expressive and receptive language difficulties, stuttering, apraxia of speech, voice problems, and social communication challenges. Each child is matched with a specialist whose experience fits their needs.
Online delivery eliminates the drive, the waiting room, and the scheduling hassle. Florida families in rural areas, those managing multiple appointments, and those balancing work, get consistent speech therapy without the logistics. We handle the EMA portal reimbursement process directly, so parents can focus on their child rather than paperwork.
Ready to use your FES-UA scholarship for speech therapy? Book Your Free Consultation to talk with our lead speech pathologist about your child's needs.
Summary
The Step Up Scholarships in Florida offer families four distinct funding paths through the Step Up For Students program: FTC and FES-EO for private school tuition, FES-UA for students with unique abilities, and PEP for personalized education plans. Applications open on February first each year through the EMA portal, with priority going to renewing recipients and lower-income applicants.
For children with qualifying diagnoses, the FES-UA scholarship covers speech-language services, occupational and physical sessions, and other approved care. Online providers like Connected Speech Pathology accept direct payment from the scholarship, making expert support accessible regardless of where in Florida a family lives.
About the Author
Allison Geller is a communication coach, speech-language pathologist, and founder of Connected Speech Pathology, an international online practice providing professional communication coaching and speech therapy for children, teens, and adults. With more than two decades of experience, she has worked in medical and educational settings, published research on aphasia, and leads a team of specialists helping clients improve skills in public speaking, vocal presence, accent clarity, articulation, language, fluency, and interpersonal communication.
