Can You Buy a Laptop With PEP Scholarship? Technology Rules for PEP vs FES-UA

PEP Prohibits All Digital Devices

The Personalized Education Program strictly prohibits laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and general digital hardware. This isn't a spending cap or pre-approval requirement — it's a categorical prohibition. A PEP reimbursement claim for a laptop or tablet is denied on contact.

This restriction is one of the most common sources of rejected claims. Parents in Florida homeschool groups routinely share advice about purchasing technology with scholarship funds without specifying which program they're on. A parent successfully buying a laptop under FES-UA doesn't mean a PEP parent can do the same. The programs have fundamentally different technology rules.

FES-UA Allows Technology — With Limits

FES-UA recipients can purchase digital devices including laptops, tablets, and desktop computers subject to the applicable two-calendar-year purchase-frequency rule. For example, after a laptop purchase on November 10, 2026, another laptop purchase is not eligible before November 11, 2028.

This two-year frequency cap also applies to televisions, projectors, drafting tables, and specialized classroom furnishings.

An ordinary device purchase does not need pre-approval through the portal. A replacement inside the two-year period requires preauthorization. The reimbursement receipt must meet the standard documentation requirements: vendor name, transaction date, line-item description, amount paid, and the student's full legal name as registered in the SFO portal.

Why the Rules Are Different

PEP and FES-UA operate under different sections of Florida Statutes with different spending frameworks. FES-UA serves students with qualifying disabilities whose educational needs often include assistive technology, adaptive devices, and specialized software. The legislature authorized technology spending to serve those therapeutic and educational requirements.

PEP and FES-UA have different approved-expense rules: PEP prohibits digital devices, while FES-UA permits eligible devices subject to its purchase-frequency rules.

What PEP Families Do Instead

Without scholarship-funded devices, PEP families typically:

• Purchase devices out of pocket — the scholarship doesn't cover it, but nothing prevents you from buying your own
• Use library computers and shared community resources
• Access online curriculum through family-owned devices not purchased with scholarship funds
• Use the SFO marketplace for digital curriculum subscriptions (the subscription is approved; the hardware to run it isn't)

If your child needs technology for therapeutic or adaptive purposes and has a qualifying diagnosis, FES-UA is the appropriate program. The technology funding alone can be worth the application effort — a $500 laptop every two years funded by FES-UA saves real money over a student's K–12 career.

Other Technology-Adjacent Purchases

Curriculum software and online program subscriptions are approved under both PEP and FES-UA. The prohibition is on hardware, not on digital learning platforms.

Calculators and basic educational tools that aren't laptops, tablets, or computers are generally approved as instructional materials.

Printers and printer supplies fall into a gray area. Check with your SFO before purchasing — these may be classified as general household goods depending on how the claim is submitted.

Our Florida FES-UA & PEP Scholarship Parent Guide includes the complete spending-category comparison between PEP and FES-UA, so you know what's approved before you buy — not after a rejected receipt.

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