The Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA), explained

Who qualifies for the Unique Abilities Scholarship

Your child may qualify for FES-UA if you live in Florida, your child is in the age range, and your child has one of the qualifying diagnoses on Step Up’s list. Step Up reviews each application and makes the eligibility decision, not a school or a tutor.

The details come from Step Up’s eligibility page. The Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) is for Florida residents ages 3 to 22, or through grade 12, whichever comes first, who have one of 23 qualifying diagnoses. These include Specific Learning Disability (which includes dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia), Language Impairment, Speech Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Other Health Impairment (which includes ADHD).

I’m a Florida-certified teacher and an approved Step Up For Students provider, and this is an independent guide. I can explain how the scholarship works, but I can’t tell you whether your child qualifies.

The qualifying diagnoses in plain words

Step Up’s list has 23 qualifying diagnoses, and many of them are medical or physical rather than about learning. The categories most tied to reading, writing, math, and focus are Specific Learning Disability, Language Impairment, Speech Impairment, Other Health Impairment, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

These are plain-language descriptions, not legal definitions. A category on Step Up’s list is about funding rules; it does not tell you how your child learns best.

The rest of the list covers physical and medical conditions, genetic syndromes, hearing and vision differences, and situations such as a child who is hospital or homebound. Here is the full list as Step Up publishes it.

Please read this list as information, not as a to-do list. You don’t need a diagnosis to work with a tutor, and Step Up, not this guide, decides who qualifies. If you homeschool and FES-UA doesn’t fit, the Personalized Education Program (PEP) may be worth a look.

What to gather before you apply

New FES-UA families gather proof of Florida residency, Social Security numbers, a birth certificate for younger children, and documentation of the diagnosis. Step Up's application checklist has the current list, so open it before you start.

The checklist is specific about the details. Step Up's application checklist asks new families for two different proof-of-residency documents dated within the last two months, Social Security numbers, a birth certificate for FES-UA students ages 3 to 6, and, for new FES-UA students, documentation of the qualifying diagnosis.

If you are not sure your paperwork fits the rules, call Step Up family support at 1-877-735-7837 before you apply. Step Up reviews the documentation and decides eligibility.

How much the Unique Abilities Scholarship is worth

FES-UA awards are about $10,000 on average, and your child’s amount depends on grade, county, and level of need. In Palm Beach County for 2026-27, awards are $11,054 (ages 3-4 and K-3), $10,452 (grades 4-8), and $10,255 (grades 9-12) at the base need level.

Students at higher need levels receive more. The official 2026-27 award amounts (PDF) has the full table. Your child’s actual award shows in your Education Market Assistant (EMA) account.

Funds arrive in quarterly payments, so your balance grows through the school year. The key dates page lists this year’s funding schedule.

What FES-UA can pay for, including tutoring

FES-UA can pay for many approved education costs, and tutoring is one of them. The Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) and the Personalized Education Program (PEP) can pay for part-time tutoring and Choice Navigator services. They are also the only two scholarships that pay for full-time private tutoring.

For every eligible category, check the FES-UA purchasing guide. Step Up also explains how to use funds on its Unique Abilities spending page.

Tutoring is a common choice. In 2025-26, 147,728 students were funded through FES-UA, and more than 25,000 providers took part. In 2024-25, FES-UA families spent $43,467,237.64 on part-time tutoring.

Part-time tutoring

Part-time tutoring happens alongside school or homeschool, often after school or on weekends. It is capped at 720 hours a year for grades K-3 and 900 hours a year for grades 4-12, and a schedule of two sessions a week stays well under that.

You pay through direct pay in EMA, so you don’t pay out of pocket. To find a tutor, you open Marketplace, select Find Providers, and choose an approved provider who bills the scholarship directly. The EMA guide walks through each screen.

Full-time private tutoring

Full-time private tutoring replaces school entirely and has much stricter rules. The tutoring guide compares part-time and full-time tutoring side by side.

The 2026-27 hybrid school option

Starting this school year, FES-UA students have a new way to meet private school contact rules. Starting in 2026-27, FES-UA students may meet private school contact requirements in a hybrid setting, with teacher contact at a physical location at least two school days a week and a Student Learning Plan for the remaining instructional time.

In practice, your child would spend some school days at the school’s site and the rest following the learning plan. If you want tutoring to be part of that plan, ask the school how it runs hybrid schedules and check the official family handbooks first.

FES-UA or PEP: which one fits?

The biggest difference is who each scholarship is for. FES-UA is for students with a qualifying diagnosis, while PEP is for children who are not enrolled full time in a public or private school, at any income level.

Both can pay an approved tutor directly, so the choice usually comes down to your child’s situation, not the tutoring itself. If you are unsure, the eligibility quiz asks a few questions and suggests which scholarship may fit.

One rule applies to both if you are weighing public school. A student with a Private School, FES-UA, or PEP scholarship who enrolls full time in a Florida public school is no longer eligible for additional scholarship funding. Funds already in the account stay available in EMA.

Deadlines for new 2026-27 applications

New FES-UA applications for 2026-27 are accepted through November 15, 2026. If your child is awarded a scholarship, you must accept or decline it by December 15, 2026.

If you miss this window, plan for 2027-28. That window is expected in early 2027; not yet announced, and the how-to-apply guide has a reminder sign-up so you hear when it opens.

What happens after your child is awarded

After Step Up awards a scholarship, you accept it, wait for the first payment, and then set up spending in EMA. Knowing the order helps you plan tutoring without surprises.

Keep your login private through every step. Never share your EMA password or login codes with anyone, including a tutor.

How I help FES-UA families

I’m an approved Step Up For Students provider, and FES-UA families can pay for my tutoring through direct pay in EMA. My dyslexia tutoring uses structured, Orton-Gillingham-informed lessons for children who find reading and spelling hard.

It is educational support, not diagnosis or therapy. I start with educational skill checks and observation, set clear goals with you, and review progress every four weeks.

My rate is the same for scholarship and private-pay families. To talk about your child, book a free 15-minute fit call.