Before You Apply
In order to prove their eligibility, households must complete AAA Scholarship Foundation’s application and provide supporting documentation by the stated deadline. The households must meet both the state and AAA’s requirements.
After You Apply
During our busiest times of the year, initial processing of applications may take up to 10-12 weeks after submission. AAA Scholarship Foundation will email you if there is any additional documentation or information needed to make a determination. Please check the status of your application and your email box regularly. If your status is “On Hold,” we have sent you an email. Please respond to it by the deadline stated in the email.
Once a Determination is Made
Once ALL required documentation has been received, the application fee (if applicable) has been paid, and processing is complete, you will be notified by first-class mail of our determination in 4-6 weeks.
Households that are determined eligible AND have received funding for the upcoming year will receive:
- Scholarship Award Letter delivered by mail, and
- A School Commitment Form (SCF) for income-based scholarships in the mail directly from AAA.
- A copy of all payment forms and instructions, for the Florida Gardiner Scholarship only, in the mail directly from AAA.
Those that are determined ineligible will receive a denial letter in the mail directly from AAA.
If eligible, you must confirm your acceptance of the scholarship
The use of a scholarship cannot be postponed. For a private-school scholarship, the household must first find an eligible and appropriate private school for their child(ren). It is the parent/guardian’s right and responsibility to read and understand a private school’s admission and conduct policy before requesting to enroll their child(ren) in an eligible private school. The parent/guardian should not rely solely on the fact that a school meets the state eligibility requirements to determine whether the school is appropriate for their child(ren). Likewise, parents/guardians should be aware that private schools set their own admission and conduct policies and are not required to enroll a student solely on the basis of their eligibility for a scholarship.
Learn about 3 Easy Steps for Selecting a School here.
Failure to meet the deadline stated on the SCF will result in a forfeiture of the awarded scholarship. Families should make a copy of the blank SCF form before taking it to an eligible private school in case they decide to transfer to a different eligible private school later in the year. By completing the SCF, both the parents and the school agree to abide by the terms of the AAA Parent/School Handbook.
Schools should not accept any students without an SCF unless the household:
- is willing to self-pay their tuition and fees until they are awarded a scholarship and
- will self-pay if they are not.
If a household receives an SCF in error or their eligibility is revoked, the private school that has enrolled the student will be notified as soon as possible. By accepting the scholarship student(s) and scholarship payment(s) the private school agrees to repay any incorrectly made or overpayment of funds on behalf of the student(s), regardless of the reason. Households that document eligibility but are placed on a waitlist do not have a scholarship unless they receive a Scholarship Award Letter and SCF at a later date.
Scholarship payments are disbursed during the year
Four times during the year, AAA sends the school a verification report to the school to ascertain whether the student remains enrolled and is current on any funds personally owed to the school. If the verification report is returned to us by the deadline, AAA then disburses one-quarter of the scholarship award in the form of a check, made payable to the parent/guardian but for deposit only by the school. The parent/guardian must restrictively endorse the check over to the school before it can be deposited.
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