Preparing for your application

Applying for a scholarship is an exciting step toward unlocking educational opportunities for your child. In this video, we'll guide you through the key documents you'll need, share practical tips for a smooth application process, and help you avoid common delays. Here's what you need to know before starting your scholarship application. It's important to have the right up to date documents ready. Lets go over the essentials you'll need to show proof that you live in Florida. Provide one document from column A or two documents from column B. Just remember documents must match the name of the primary or secondary guardian if applicable. To find out which documents you'll need to provide, head to stepupforstudents.org click on resources, then Document Library and scroll down to the Scholarship Application Checklist to see the document lists in more detail. If you're applying for income priority, you'll need pay stubs from the 30 consecutive days before your application along with any other income sources like child support or Social Security. For younger students, you'll need to provide a birth certificate or a valid passport as proof of age. Have your student's Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number ready when you apply. If you're applying for Unique Abilities scholarship, you'll need to include a diagnosis report from a qualified professional or an individualized Education Plan. Having these documents ready will help make your application process quick and hassle free. If your child is renewing a scholarship, here's what you'll need to ensure everything stays on track. Just as with new applications, provide required up to date residency documents to verify your address matches the application. If your child initially qualified under a high risk diagnosis, you'll need to submit updated diagnosis documentation once they turn six. For students who qualified as hospital or homebound or dual sensory impaired, an updated IEP is required annually to maintain eligibility. And don't forget, renewal applications often have specific deadlines, so be sure to submit everything on time to avoid delays in processing. A smooth application process starts with good preparation. Here are some helpful tips to set you up for success. Double check that your child meets the scholarship criteria. You can find detailed information in the Parent Handbooks online. Keep all your required documents in one place and ensure they're valid up to date and ready for upload. Make sure your documents meet upload requirements, including a maximum size of five megabytes per file. And finally, remember to remove any password protection from your files before uploading to avoid delays. When you're Ready, head to stepupforstudents.org to start your application. We're here to help every step of the way.