Step Up For Students Deadline: Every Application, Renewal, and Funding Date That Matters

The Application and Renewal Window

For 2026–27, PEP new and renewal applications and FES-UA renewal applications were due April 30. FES-UA new applications could be submitted through November 15. Renewals receive first priority; after them, new PEP applicants are prioritized by household income and foster or out-of-home care status.

For 2026–27, applications or acceptances after the renewal deadline lose renewal priority and are treated as new applications. Late applications are subject to each program's remaining application window and available funding.

For 2026–27, PEP award acceptance and the PEP Student Learning Plan were due May 31. FES-UA renewal acceptances were due May 31, while new FES-UA acceptances were due December 15.

Withdrawal and Verification Deadlines

If your child is transitioning from a public or charter school, you need to complete formal withdrawal and verify it in the SFO portal by July 31 to qualify for Quarter 1 funding.

The SFO cross-checks state enrollment databases to confirm non-enrollment. If your withdrawal verification isn't finalized by the July cutoff, your first quarterly disbursement gets delayed.

For the 2026–27 year specifically, SFOs must submit their lists of verified, eligible enrollees to the FDOE by the July 15 cutoff to prevent payment holds on the SFO's end.

Quarterly Funding Release Dates

Step Up For Students receives state payments on these dates and credits student accounts within two weeks:

Mid-year enrollees entering through later application windows receive prorated funding based on the remaining active quarters.

The Reimbursement Deadline

For 2026–27 PEP reimbursements, purchases must be made by June 30, 2027, and requests must be submitted by July 31, 2027. Don't wait until the final month to batch all your receipts for the year.

Renewal Priority

For 2026–27, renewal applications were due between February 1 and April 30. If you missed the April 30 deadline, you did not automatically lose eligibility, but your application was treated as new and lost renewal priority.

Set a reminder for January to gather renewal documents. The portal typically opens for renewal submissions on February 1, and early submission within the window costs nothing.

Account Activity and Forfeiture

Accounts with no spending activity for two consecutive fiscal years (July 1 through June 30) are closed, and unspent funds revert to the state.

Maximum rollover balances also apply: $24,000 for PEP accounts and $50,000 for FES-UA accounts. If your balance hits these caps, the state pauses quarterly funding transfers until you spend down below the threshold.

Our Florida FES-UA & PEP Scholarship Parent Guide includes a full academic-year deadline calendar with month-by-month action items, so you never miss a window that costs your family a semester of funding.

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