How to Apply for the Unique Abilities (FES-UA) Scholarship (2026–2027)

Welcome and thank you for joining us today. We will walk through the Unique Abilities Scholarship new application process step by step so you know exactly what to do in EMA and what documents to prepare. We'll move slide by slide and you'll leave with clear next steps for applying and tracking your status. Let's begin. If you would rather view information in Spanish, you can change the language on our website. Use the video referenced here to see exactly where to click so your navigation and key resources display in Spanish. A student cannot be enrolled in a public school at the same time they are receiving and using scholarship funds, so parents and guardians should ensure proper public school withdrawal. Here are a few key reminders before you Families can apply for only one scholarship per student at a time. Each time you log into emma, you will complete Multi Factor Authentication, so use a phone you can easily access for codes. You will receive updates by email when your application review is complete. Also, students who turn age 3 or 4 before December 31st of the school year they are applying for may be eligible and you will submit a birth certificate along with proof of residency and diagnosis documentation. Please review the Student Application checklist before you begin. Proof of residency must now include two different document types and be provided by either the primary or secondary guardian. Use the checklist to confirm you have everything ready before you upload. This slide highlights the legislative update Expanding Eligibility if Your student turns 3 or 4 by December 31st of the school year you are applying for the they may be eligible for ua. Be prepared to upload the child's birth certificate, proof of residency, and diagnosis documentation to support the application. To apply begin at stepupforstudents.org select the apply Login button at the top of the page. This takes you into emma, the Education Market Assistant platform where you can log in or create an account if you are applying for Unique Abilities Scholarship, you will begin from this Apply Login button. If you possess an EMA account, please input your username and password, then proceed to slide 22 in the presentation. To complete your application. New applicants should navigate to the next slide. To retrieve a forgotten username, click on Forgot Username. If you need to reset a lost password, Save select Forgot Password. If you are a new user, enter your email address and click Send Code. This starts the account creation process. Check your email for the verification code. You will use that code on the sign up screen. To continue, enter the code from your email into the verification box, then click Confirm. This verifies your email address so that you can proceed. After confirming your code, click Continue to Move to the Account Setup screen. Complete all open fields on this page. Select Parent Guardian as the account type. Create your username, enter your legal first and last name and create a secure password that meets the listed requirements. Next, choose three security questions and provide answers you will remember. These questions help verify your identity. When you contact Step up for Students for support, you will now set up two Step Verification. The primary phone number must be compatible with Multi Factor Authentication. We recommend using a cell phone and avoiding a number that answers as a recording. Review the Step up for Students privacy policy using the link provided. Once you have read and agree, check the box to certify and then click ok. Complete your Guardian profile. This is a one time setup and also where you will update items like your address. If you want everything in Spanish, set your primary language to Spanish here. Enter your contact information on this screen. If you want someone else to be able to call on your behalf, click Add a Caller, set a four digit PIN and make sure that person knows the pin. All fields are required and once complete, click Add. Also note if proof of residency is in a different parent's name, that parent should be listed as the primary parent. Next is Manage Consents. This section gives Step up for Students permission to contact you. Read each item carefully and select yes or no for each consent. Set your contact preferences such as selecting Text. If you want text messages, click Save. When finished, then confirm the Data Collection and Usage statement by checking the box and clicking Save again. After you click Save, you will be taken to the My Students section. Here you can find Renewal students if applicable, and you can also add a student to begin a new application for the unique abilities Scholarship Applications A student's Social Security number is required to expand the Student section of the application. Click the View Details link to expand and complete the necessary fields. Please complete all fields for your student and verify that everything is accurate. Before saving, use your student's legal name as it appears on official documents and avoid nicknames. When you are finished, click Save. At any time during the application process, you can choose Save as Draft. When you do, a confirmation message will appear letting you know your progress has been saved. This is helpful if you need to step away and return later to finish the application. From the Dashboard tab on the left panel, scroll down to the Available Scholarships section. Click the red button for the scholarship you want to apply for to begin the application. Please remember that students cannot apply for both FESEO ftc, including FTCPAP and and FESUA at the same time. Before you begin, Confirm all students you plan to apply for are already listed in the My Students section. On this slide you will see a required question asking whether anyone in your household holds decision making authority in a qualified non profit scholarship funding organization also called an sfo. Please answer this question carefully and honestly. Your response helps ensure the application meets program requirements. Select the student or students you want to apply for by sliding the toggle to the right. For each selected student, answer whether the student has graduated from 12th grade and whether the student has completed a high school equivalency such as a ged. When finished, click Continue in the bottom right corner. Please review your answers carefully. If you select YES to either the graduation or GED question, your student will not be eligible for funding for the next school year. After you select the student or students you are applying for, go to the bottom right corner of the screen and click Continue. This takes you forward in the application so you can complete each required section for the selected student or students. Once submitted, you cannot add additional students until the application has been processed. This screen asks you to confirm that you have selected all students you want to include on this application. Please double check before moving forward. Once you submit, you will not be able to add additional students until the application has been processed. When you click Continue or Save as Draft, you you may see a confirmation modal if the application was previously saved as a draft. If you choose Remove Student, the application will save and the student will be removed successfully. If you notice fields that are grayed out and you need to make changes, you cannot edit them on the screen. Instead, go to the My Students page, select the student and update the information there. This includes items like race and ethnicity. If you select your relationship as other student or child, you will be prompted to upload documentation showing you have legal custody or legal responsibility for the student. Examples include a court order, notarized affidavit, or adoption papers. If you need to add an existing student before submitting, click Continue to return to your dashboard and add the student and My students. This is your chance to make sure every student you want included is listed before final submission. Here you will enter enrolled school information. Indicate the type of school your student is attending for the 2025-2026 school year and select the county where the school is located. Now enter expected school information for the 2026-2027 school year, including grade level. If you are using funds for Pre K tuition and fees, select Pre K. If your child is three or four years old, the system will automatically select the appropriate grade level for you. To be eligible, students must be three or four by December 31st of the school year for which they are applying. This slide explains high risk status and documentation requirements. A high risk child is a 3 to 5 year old as of September 1st of the school year with a developmental delay in cognition, language or physical development. Some students, including those who are hospital bound, homebound, dual sensory impaired or high risk, may be required to renew disability documentation over time. High risk status applies only until age 6 and after that the student must have a new qualifying diagnosis to remain eligible. After you select your student's disability, you may be required to complete the additional Diagnosis Details section. Certain diagnoses require additional information and may require extra documentation, so please complete this section carefully when prompted. This slide explains what proof is required to support the selected diagnosis. You must upload one valid document, such as a current iep, a diagnosis from a licensed Florida physician or psychologist, or a diagnosis from a licensed provider in another US State or territory, District of Colombia, or Puerto Rico. This documentation is used to confirm eligibility and allows your application to move forward. Select which type of document you will submit as proof of diagnosis, either an Individualized Education Plan or a diagnosis from a licensed medical or mental health provider. As you answer the questions in this section, certain selections may require you to upload supporting documents. If you are asked to upload, please ensure files are not password protected. When you are finished with the sections, click Continue to Proceed or Save as Draft to Return later. If you check a box and a green box appears, that is a helpful indicator that the documentation is already on file. In that case, you do not need to upload additional documents for that item. Continue when ready or save your work as a Draft to Return later. You will be prompted to enter your Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number number and provide proof of residency. If any fields are grayed out and need updating, click the profile icon in the upper right corner to make changes. Keeping your information current helps prevent processing delays. Proof of residency must now include two different document types and be provided by either the primary or secondary guardian. Both documents must come from the same guardian. Make sure your documents are valid and current. If you are using a recurring bill or statement, it should be dated within the last two months. The documents must match the guardian's full name and the physical street address listed on the application. If your student is a dependent child of an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces and your family is moving into or out of Florida on permanent change of station orders, additional documentation may be required. If your student is a dependent of a currently active member of the US Armed Forces. Select yes, you can click See more for the definition of what qualifies as active service. After that, choose your current residency status so the application can route you to the correct instructions. If you are currently stationed in Florida, please note your current mailing address. If you have orders to move into Florida but haven't secured a physical address there yet, you can temporarily use the address of your military base. Once you have a valid Florida address, be sure to return to your guardian profile to update it accordingly. If you select we have orders to move out of the State of Florida, you are required to submit a Permanent Change of Station PCs Verification Request. Please note that only renewal, FESUA or FFPEP students are permitted to relocate or reside outside the State of Florida. If you choose, we will live in another state, territory or country outside of Florida. Please ensure you upload the following supporting 1. Verification request for approved PCs orders 2. Leave an earnings Statement if you are a military family receiving permanent Change of Station orders to relocate from Florida, submit a PCs verification request as outlined at the bottom of the dashboard. Clicking on View Past Requests allows you to access any requests on file or gives you the option to add a new request. Submitting this keeps your scholarship active and updates your address. If you're relocating to Florida and applying for a scholarship, your documents will be incorporated into the application process. If you choose the option we are currently stationed in the State of Florida and have orders to move out of the state. Please ensure you upload the following supporting 1. Approved permanent change of station orders verification request 2. Leave an earnings Statement Here you can find your previous verification requests for Permanent Change of Station Orders related to out of State relocation. Once your request receives approval, you will have the opportunity to renew your FESUA and IRF BEPEP application as well as add an out of state address to your Guardian profile. By clicking on the hyperlink associated with the Permanent Change of Station Orders Request id, you will be taken to a page where you review the start and end dates of the PCs orders. Check the estimated Move move date, see the State or Territory of residence, access the Permanent Change of Station Orders and Leave and Earnings Statement documents on file. If you need to cancel your previously submitted Permanent Change of Station Orders, just click the Cancel Request button found in the upper right corner. A prompt will appear allowing you to choose whether to retain the request or proceed with the cancellation. You are now on the Application Summary page which shows an overview of the sections you have completed. Review everything carefully, make edits as needed, and use the headers to navigate back to any section that needs attention. Before submitting, read the Terms and Conditions and check each box to confirm your agreement. In addition to the general Terms and Conditions, you will complete the Sworn Compliance Statement. Please read the information carefully. When you reach the bottom, click the checkbox to confirm you have read and agreed to the Terms. This confirmation is required to move forward in the application. Type your name and sign in the Signature box. Click Keep to save the signature. If you need to redo it, click Clear or use the Redo option, then sign again. When you are ready. Click Submit to finalize your signature. When you click Submit, your application is sent for processing. You will receive a confirmation notice on your screen which confirms that your submission was successful. To check your application status at any time, go to my Recent Application and click Track Progress. This is the best place to see updates and any next steps needed from you. The Application Details section is where you can see your current application status and track your progress through the review steps. If you are checking your account for updates, this is one of the best places to start because it provides the status at a Glance For a comprehensive overview of the Scope Scholarship Award and Funding process, please click the link as displayed on the slide. If information or documentation is missing, your application may show on hold. The comments section will tell you exactly what is needed so you can upload the missing items and keep your application moving. To better understand where your application is in the overall process, you can click View Scholarship Journey this feature shows the progression from application submission through eligibility and funding steps so you can see what has been completed and what comes next. To view more details for an application that is in a pending status, click the arrow on the right side of the application entry. The window will expand and you will be able to see which students are connected to that application and any additional details available at that stage. Once a scholarship decision is available, guardians can choose Accept Scholarship or Decline Scholarship from this screen. You may accept or decline while applications are still open for the school year. If you are ready to move forward, select Accept Scholarship for the Student. If you decline, the student will be removed from the program and may apply for other scholarships if available. After declining, you will see Scholarship declined next to the student's name, follow the steps shown before applying again. Here are the common application statuses you may see in EMA Draft means your application is not yet complete. You still need to finish required sections, upload documents, and submit Submitted means the application has been sent but has not yet been reviewed. Pending Approval means the application is under review on hold means additional information or documentation is required before review can continue. This slide outlines scholarship eligibility and funding statuses. Eligibility under review Awarded Eligible but not yet funded Funds available for use in EMA at capacity Eligible but no funds currently available Declined Will not use the scholarship this year Treated as a new applicant for future applications Withdrawn Received funding but chose not to continue Denied not deemed eligible Contact us to verify documentation after your student is awarded. Contact an eligible participating school if you plan to use the scholarship there and begin the school's enrollment process. Process EMA enrollment is optional for UA students. If you choose EMA enrollment, private schools can invoice scholarship funds directly from the student's account each quarter and payments are issued within seven business days after both the school and the parent or guardian approved the invoice in ema. On this screen you will see two important identifiers. Your Student ID is your student's unique ID identification number that the engagement center can use to locate the application. Your award ID should be shared with the eligible private school you choose. The school will use that number to enroll your student. Once the school submits the enrollment in their system, you will receive an email notification. Log in to EMA to review and respond to the enrollment request. Review the enrollment details carefully. If the amount due to school matches your total annual obligation scholarship plus any out of pocket amount, confirm enrollment. If the amount is incorrect or your student will not attend, decline the enrollment request. For the 2026-2027 school year, guardians must review and approve school payments each quarter. You can view, approve or deny payments directly from your dashboard and no payments will be issued until you take this action. This slide is a reminder to mark your calendar for application deadlines. We encourage families to apply early and avoid waiting until the last day, especially since documents may take time to gather and upload. If you need help, support is available Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm Eastern. You can call 877-735-7837 or use the contact options listed, including chat support. Please reach out if you have questions. We're here to help you complete your renewal successfully and as always, thank you for watching.