TL;DR: New families have until November 15, 2026 to apply for the Private School Scholarship (FTC/FES-EO) or the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) for this school year, and until December 15 to accept the award. The county where you live, not the county of the school, sets the amount. PEP applications for 2026-27 are already closed.
What must an Orlando family finish before November 15, 2026?
A new family must submit the scholarship application through Step Up For Students or AAA by November 15, 2026, because that is the last day Step Up lists for new private-school and Unique Abilities applicants in 2026-27.
- Pick the program: the standard scholarship for a child who will enroll full-time in a private school, FES-UA for a child with a documented diagnosis or IEP.
- Gather the Florida residency proof and, for FES-UA, the diagnosis or IEP.
- Submit the application with the Orange County address, since the county on the application sets the amount.
- Tell the school you applied, so it can submit your enrollment in EMA.
The Private School Scholarship page explains the amounts, and the funding check takes two minutes.
Which county's award applies to a Seminole, Osceola or Lake County family with a child in an Orlando school?
The county of residence applies, so a Seminole family gets the Seminole amounts at an Orange County school, and the school's location does not change the award.
| County of residence | Grades K-3 | Grades 4-8 | Grades 9-12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | $8,420 | $7,831 | $7,639 |
| Seminole | $8,377 | $7,793 | $7,602 |
| Osceola | $8,336 | $7,752 | $7,561 |
| Lake | $8,282 | $7,698 | $7,507 |
The figures come from Step Up's 2026-27 district table. Our commuting guide goes through the cases, such as a family that moves counties mid-year.
What happens after November 15?
After November 15, a new student must accept the award in EMA by December 15, and the school must submit the enrollment for the quarter the family wants funded.
Step Up's calendar lists December 15, 2026 as the Quarter 3 enrollment deadline and February 15, 2027 for Quarter 4, which applies to transfer students already funded at another private school. For a student who misses the Quarter 3 deadline, Step Up names January 15, 2027 as the last enrollment date that still allows any 2026-27 funding. Money for each quarter arrives at Step Up on the funding date and reaches accounts up to two weeks later.
Is there a switching window open right now?
Yes, but only for two more days: Step Up lists October 2 to October 30 as the window for any student to switch programs before Quarter 3.
A family weighing FES-UA against the standard scholarship, or moving from the standard scholarship to PEP, should read the rules before switching, because PEP's 2026-27 applications are closed. A move to PEP is not possible this year, so the realistic choice today is between the two programs that are still taking applicants. Read the switching rules on Step Up's site, confirm with the school how its billing changes, and check how it affects the quarter dates above.
How do the PEP and federal credit dates differ from the Private School Scholarship?
They differ a lot: PEP applications for 2026-27 closed on April 30, 2026, and the federal scholarship tax credit does not start until January 1, 2027.
| Program | Where it stands on Oct 28, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Private School Scholarship (FTC/FES-EO) | New applications open until November 15 |
| Unique Abilities (FES-UA) | New applications open until November 15 |
| PEP | 2026-27 applications closed April 30, 2026; 2027-28 dates not yet posted |
| Federal credit scholarship | Starts January 1, 2027; Florida opted in on January 28, 2026 |
Step Up had not posted 2027-28 dates when this was written, so a February 1, 2027 opening is an expectation based on this year, not a promise. Spanish-speaking families can read the same dates in our guía en español.
What if a family cannot finish everything by November 15?
Submit the application anyway and ask Step Up what is still missing, because an application that is started and flagged for follow-up is better than none at all.
The dates in this post come from Step Up's published 2026-27 calendar, and they are firm for new applicants. Documents are the usual snag: a diagnosis letter that has not arrived, a residency proof in a different name or an IEP that is out of date. Those can often be uploaded after the application is in, but only Step Up can say what it will accept, so contact its family support line as soon as you see a gap, not on November 14.
It also helps to decide the school question in parallel. The scholarship does not pay until the school submits an enrollment, so a family that has applied but not yet chosen a school should aim to finish the school visits before December 15. Siblings can be a complication, since each child needs a separate application and a separate enrollment, and a household with children in different grades will see different award amounts for each. Write down every child's grade, county of residence and school before you start, and keep the confirmation emails in one folder. Use the directory to shortlist, and the funding check if you are unsure which program fits your child. If you are applying for next school year instead, 2027-28 dates have not been posted, and the dates we list for it are labelled as expected.
Related questions
- What are all the 2026-27 dates?
- How does Step Up's calendar work?
- What is the federal scholarship tax credit?
- How much will my family receive?
Frequently asked questions
What must an Orlando family finish before November 15, 2026?
A new family must submit the scholarship application through Step Up For Students or AAA by November 15, 2026, because that is the last day Step Up lists for new private-school and Unique Abilities applicants in 2026-27.
Which county's award applies to a Seminole, Osceola or Lake County family with a child in an Orlando school?
The county of residence applies, so a Seminole family gets the Seminole amounts at an Orange County school, and the school's location does not change the award.
What happens after November 15?
After November 15, a new student must accept the award in EMA by December 15, and the school must submit the enrollment for the quarter the family wants funded.
Is there a switching window open right now?
Yes, but only for two more days: Step Up lists October 2 to October 30 as the window for any student to switch programs before Quarter 3.
How do the PEP and federal credit dates differ from the Private School Scholarship?
They differ a lot: PEP applications for 2026-27 closed on April 30, 2026, and the federal scholarship tax credit does not start until January 1, 2027.
Sources
- Step Up For Students, FAQs for 2026-27 Scholarship Deadlines and Payment Schedules
- Step Up For Students, 2026-27 Scholarship Amounts: FTC, FES-EO and PEP by District
- Step Up For Students, PEP scholarship page
- Florida Phoenix, Florida to tap in to Big Beautiful Bill school choice tax credit
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