PEP vs FES-UA: two Florida scholarship accounts, side by side.

• FES-UA (Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities) is for students with a qualifying diagnosis or an IEP. PEP (Personalized Education Program) has no diagnosis requirement.
• Where the student learns differs. FES-UA students must be in an eligible private school, a Hybrid eligible private school, or a home education program with a letter of intent on file with the district. PEP students register with Step Up instead and don’t file a letter of intent.
• What the money covers differs. FES-UA lists therapies, college savings plans, VPK, and job coaching. PEP doesn’t list those, and it can’t be used for digital devices.
• You can’t apply for both at once for the same student.
• Timing right now: FES-UA new applications for 2026–27 are open until November 15, 2026. PEP applications for 2026–27 closed April 30, 2026.

And the other “FES”? FES-EO (Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options) is one of Step Up’s private school scholarships, alongside the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC).

Sources for each row: Step Up’s 2026–27 PEP and FES-UA family handbooks, including the FES-UA handbook’s Appendix B chart of authorized uses by program.

From the FES-UA Family Handbook, a student must:

• Be a Florida resident, or qualify under one of the handbook’s military exceptions
• Be 3 years old on or before December 31 of the year the application is submitted, or be eligible to enroll in a Florida public school
• Be younger than 22 on or before September 1 of the year the application is submitted
• Have a validated qualifying diagnosis from an eligible licensed professional, or an official, district-provided IEP written within the past three years

Step Up’s Unique Abilities page lists the qualifying diagnoses, which include autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, hearing and visual impairments, intellectual disability, language and speech impairments, other health impairments (the page names ADHD), specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, and rare diseases, among others. The handbook says a “high-risk child” diagnosis ends at age 6, and renewal students who qualified that way must establish eligibility under another diagnosis.

For PEP’s own rules, see who PEP is for and how PEP differs from home education.

Both handbooks list instructional materials and curriculum, part-time tutoring, Hybrid eligible private schools, home education instructional programs, postsecondary tuition and dual enrollment, approved online providers, private-pay FLVS, testing fees, and contracted public school services. For tutoring rules on PEP, see using PEP for tutoring.

The FES-UA handbook’s eligible expenses also include items that aren’t on PEP’s list:

• Specialized services, such as applied behavior analysis, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and counseling by licensed professionals
• College savings contributions to the Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program and the Florida 529 Savings Program
• VPK and School Readiness provider tuition and fees
• Full-time private school tuition
• Specialized summer and after-school programs, job coach transition services, annual home education evaluation fees, horse therapy, and music and art therapy

On devices, the PEP handbook says that under Florida law, PEP students “cannot use scholarship funds to purchase digital devices, such as laptops, computers, and other digital periphery.” The FES-UA handbook explains its two-year purchase-frequency rule using a laptop: “a laptop may have a two-year purchasing frequency.”

For item-by-item PEP answers, see what PEP covers. For preschool and VPK specifically, see PEP for private school, college, and VPK.

The FES-UA handbook also says Florida law sets a maximum number of FES-UA scholarships each year, so eligible students may not all be funded, and it encourages families to apply early. For PEP’s own limit and when it ends, see is the PEP scholarship full?.

Switching from PEP to FES-UA is limited this year. The PEP handbook says PEP renewal students switching to FES-UA: “Switching is not allowed after June 15, 2026.” The FES-UA handbook describes a switching window between October 2 and the last business day of October. These two pages don’t say the same thing, so call Step Up before requesting any switch; both handbooks ask families to do that. More detail, including the Pending Review option, is in what’s new for PEP in 2026–27. For what happens to a PEP balance when a student switches, see do PEP funds roll over?

Switching into PEP from FES-UA must be done by PEP’s April 30 application deadline, according to both handbooks.