Can a Palm Beach County family pay for school tuition, fees, uniforms & books with scholarship funds?
It depends on the program: Unique Abilities and Private School Scholarship can pay for it; PEP can pay only with conditions. The cards below give each program's rule.
Tuition and a list of school fees such as application, athletic, book, club, registration, technology, test and basic-uniform fees.
Covers part-time tuition and fees alone, since a PEP child may not be enrolled full time. Hybrid attendance means at least two full in-person days weekly.
Tuition plus the eligible fee list. The school files enrollment in EMA, and the parent signs off on every quarterly payment.
Which rules apply to school tuition, fees, uniforms & books?
- Next year's application and registration fees can be paid the spring before.
- Uniform costs include basic pieces bought from the vendor the school requires, athletic uniforms too.
What is not allowed for school tuition, fees, uniforms & books?
- Annual funds, giving funds and fundraising fees
- Food fees
- Before- and after-school care
- Optional fees
- Shoes and accessories
- Scholarship-management fees
How does school tuition, fees, uniforms & books work for a Palm Beach County family?
Comparing two Palm Beach schools goes faster if each hands over a fee schedule with eligible lines split from family-paid ones. That split can move the bill by several hundred dollars a year.
How does a family buy school tuition, fees, uniforms & books?
Look in MyScholarShop first, because its listings are pre-approved. Next try Find Providers in EMA, which lets the account pay tutors, therapists and instructors directly. If neither fits, pay by card, hold the itemized receipt and file for reimbursement. A purchase the guides do not list as eligible needs pre-authorization before you spend.
What can the funds pay for, and what can they not?
For this category, the table sets allowed purchases next to excluded ones.
| Can pay for | Cannot pay for |
|---|---|
| Unique Abilities: Tuition and a list of school fees such as application, athletic, book, club, registration, technology, test and basic-uniform fees. | Annual funds, giving funds and fundraising fees |
| PEP: Covers part-time tuition and fees alone, since a PEP child may not be enrolled full time. Hybrid attendance means at least two full in-person days weekly. | Food fees |
| Private School Scholarship: Tuition plus the eligible fee list. The school files enrollment in EMA, and the parent signs off on every quarterly payment. | Before- and after-school care |
| Optional fees | |
| Shoes and accessories | |
| Scholarship-management fees |
Related questions
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Sources: Step Up For Students purchasing guides for FES-UA, PEP and FTC/FES-EO (2025-26 editions) and its "Program Handbooks and Purchasing Guides: Summary of Changes" page (last modified October 22, 2026). These are summaries, not legal advice; your scholarship funding organization's current guide controls.