The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) program is an annual scholarship that provides parents/guardians of children with specific disabilities the opportunity to better meet the individual needs of their eligible children.
2026-27 School Year – FES-UA Applications
Applications for Florida scholarships for the 2026-2027 school year opened on Sunday, February 1, 2026.
Renewal Priority applicants:
1) AAA sent you an email at 9 am on Sunday, February 1, 2026 with instructions on how to re-apply for 2026-27. Renewing families must use that invitation that AAA emailed to you to apply. Check the junk folder in your email system if our email is not in your inbox. Contact us if you need the email resent.
2) The renewal priority application submission deadline is Thursday, April 30, 2026.
3) Once awarded, you needed to Accept or Decline your student’s renewal priority scholarship award by Sunday, May 31, 2026.
4) FES-UA applications submitted by renewing applicants after the April 30th deadline will be processed as new (“non-priority”) applicants.
Renewal non-priority applicants:
1) FES-UA applications submitted by renewing applicants after the April 30th deadline will be processed as new (“non-priority”) applicants. See below for new applicant instructions.
2) All renewing families must use the invitation that AAA emailed to you to apply.
New applicants:
1) Beginning Sunday, February 1, 2026, new families may click here to begin the 2026-2027 application process.
2) The new application submission deadline is Sunday, November 15, 2026.
3) Once awarded, you will need to Accept or Decline your student’s new scholarship award by Tuesday, December 15, 2026.
4) Did your student attend a public or charter school in 2025-2026? If so, ask that school to complete this Standard Withdrawal Form for you then return it to AAA.
Transferring to AAA from SUFS? Welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Current SUFS students transferring to AAA will retain their renewal status. Transferring students will apply as “New” and the state will notify us which student statuses need to be moved to “Renewal.” Please see the “New applicants” information above for important deadlines.
Active-duty members of the United States Armed Forces who do not have a Florida residential address at the time of application but have received Permanent Change of Station orders must: 1) provide a copy of their orders with their application, and 2) list the Florida address of the unit to which they are being assigned.
Have you already submitted your application? Click here to check the status.
Need to log back into the SMP? Click here to log back in
Need more help applying? Watch our helpful tutorial videos
Scholarship Management Platform (“SMP”)
Our secure, online SMP is where you will apply for AAA scholarships and then manage your student’s scholarship account.
FAQ #1: I received an email to log into the SMP for a new message about my scholarship. Where do I find the message?
Answer #1: Messages can be found in the top right corner of your SMP account once you’ve logged in:
Have more questions about the SMP? Please visit our helpful SMP FAQ page.
Need to log back into the SMP? Login – AAA Scholarships
Already submitted your 25-26 application? Click here to check the status.
Have a question about the SMP? Please leave us a message at 888-707-2465 so we can call you back or send us a message on the Contact Us page of our website.
3 easy steps for using your 2025-26 AAA FES-UA scholarship for private school
Step 1. Application Submission – Applicants must first submit their scholarship applications to AAA by the designated deadline and be found eligible.
Step 2. School Commitment Form (SCF) – Both the parent and school must confirm the student’s enrollment by submitting SCFs to AAA.
Step 3. Scholarship Payments – Once the student’s account is funded by the state of Florida, both the school and parent will complete a Verification Report (VR) to verify continued enrollment and attendance before each scholarship payment may be released.
Have a question? Please let us know on the Contact Us page of our website or leave us at message at 888-707-2465 so we can call you back.
3 easy steps for using your 2025-26 AAA FES-UA scholarship for home school
Step 1. Application Submission – Applicants must first submit their scholarship applications to AAA by the designated deadline and be found eligible.
Step 2. Pre-Authorizations and Payment Request Forms – Once the student’s account is funded by the state of Florida, the parent will complete and submit a pre-authorization form and/or payment request form to AAA along with supporting documentation.
Step 3. Scholarship Payments – AAA will process the submission and contact the parent if more information or clarification is needed. Otherwise, the scholarship payment will be included in our weekly payment run.
Have a question? Please let us know on the Contact Us page of our website or leave us at message at 888-707-2465 so we can call you back.
General Information and Forms:
FES-UA 2025-2026 Scholarship Values
FES-UA Parent & School Handbook
FES-UA 2025-26 Hard Copy Scholarship Payment Forms
Email to submit hard copy payment forms and support: plsa@aaascholarships.org
FES-UA 2024-25 Private School Payment Schedule – See below
FL DOE Private School Directory
Need help finding a school? GreatSchools.org and our new Private School Navigator may be able to help
FES-UA Information about requesting an IEP for your child
FES-UA Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
FL DOE FAQs about home education
Collection and Use of Social Security Numbers
Links to Employment & Related Services for Persons with Disabilities:
Florida Division of Blind Services
Florida Association of Centers for Independent Living
Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities
Inclusive Postsecondary Program Information
Email to submit Handbook Acknowledgments: AAAGardiner@aaascholarships.org