Yes, as long as Florida residency is legally maintained. Please note this option is only available to renewal students on the FES-UA or PEP scholarships. Active-duty military with change of station orders out-of-state may apply for, or renew their FES-UA or PEP scholarships, if they can prove maintenance of Florida residency. You will not be eligible to keep FTC or FES-EO scholarships to attend private schools out-of-state.
The 2025-26 award amounts are not available at this time. They should be released later in the summer.
If you had an FTC, FES-EO, FES-UA, or PEP scholarship and enrolled in a public school, your scholarship will end, and the remaining funds will be returned to the state. As a public-school student, you may be eligible for a New Worlds Scholarship Account or a Transportation Stipend.
If your student was found eligible for the Private School Scholarship (FTC/FES-EO) and you would like to switch to a Personalized Education Program (FTCPEP) or vice versa, do not decline their scholarship in EMA. After accepting the scholarship, call us at 1-877-735-7837 to request this switch.
If your student was found eligible for the Private School or PEP scholarship and you are interested in different scholarship or vice versa, you must decline the scholarship they are currently eligible for before submitting an application for the other scholarship program. To decline the scholarship, please log in to EMA and use the "Decline Scholarship" button.
No. Florida law prohibits applying for more than one FTC or FES scholarship at a time for an individual student. You can apply for a new scholarship once you’ve been denied or have declined an awarded scholarship. However, you may apply for both the Transportation Stipend and New Worlds Scholarship Account if your student qualifies.
Yes. If you are active-duty and have been given permanent change of station orders to move to Florida, you will be eligible for the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO), Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), Personalized Education Program (PEP), or Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) before you make your move. You can apply with your newly assigned base address or new Florida residential address (if you have one) and upload your permanent change of station paperwork with your application.
Yes. You can have FES-UA and VPK to pay for preschool tuition and fees.
Yes, you can pay for preschool tuition and fees at an eligible private school.
Official scholarship values will be posted once the new budget is approved by the Governor.
The 2025-26 award amounts are not available at this time. They should be released later in the summer. The 2024-25 award amounts can be found here.
FES-UA scholarships vary by grade, county and severity of need. The average scholarship is about $10,000, though children with matrix scores of 254 or 255 will see between $22,000 and $34,000 on average.
Yes. The legislature approved an increase of more than 20,000 students. The enrollment cap exemptions, such as being enrolled in a public school in the prior year, remain in place.
Family Empowerment Scholarship
for Unique Abilities
Applications for the 2025-26 school year are now available!
Attention Renewal Families: The deadline to apply with renewal status is April 30. After this date, you're application will be processed as a new family.
A Unique Education
For A Unique Child
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) enables families to personalize the education of their students by directing funds to where they’re needed most. The funds can be used for a combination of programs and approved expenses including therapists, specialists, curriculum, private school, a college savings account and more.
How Does It Work?
Families have the option to purchase products through MyScholarShop or services through EMA without having to pay out of pocket. However, they can still use providers or vendors outside of MyScholarShop and EMA for pre-approved purchases by paying upfront and submitting a reimbursement claim.
Apply for a scholarship through Step Up For Students. You will need to show proof of your child’s age, diagnosis, and residency. Here is a checklist of documents you may need.
Go to MyScholarShop to find pre-approved and products or log in to your EMA account to explore services.
Payments to providers and vendors are made directly from the ESA.
Purchase pre-approved services and products for your child’s education and request reimbursement.
To learn more about reimbursements, please review the Unique Abilities scholarship handbook and the Reimbursement How-to-Guide links below.
Working with Providers
Specialized services by approved providers include but are not limited to the following:
Specialized services providers must be one of the following:
Are We Eligible?
Autism spectrum disorder
Being a high-risk child
Cerebral Palsy
Down syndrome
Emotional or a behavioral disability
Hearing impairment, including deafness
Hospital or homebound
Intellectual disability
Language impairment
Muscular dystrophy
Orthopedic impairment
Other health impairment
Phelan-McDermid syndrome
Prader-Willi syndrome
Specific learning disability
Speech impairment
Spina bifida
Traumatic brain injury
Visual impairment, including blindness
Williams syndrome
Award Amounts
Other Helpful Documents
Stepping Up To Success
