MyScholarShop
A pre-approved store inside EMA. Vendors are paid straight from your account — nothing out of pocket, no receipts, no waiting. Start here whenever what you need is stocked.
✓ No money upfront
EMA = Education Market Assistant
Your EMA account, one tap away.
EMA is where Florida scholarship families log in, approve their funds, and pay for education. This is the independent guide: the real login, what your money can buy, and a 30-second check on any message that smells wrong.
The one real login
apply.stepupforstudents.org
Log in to my EMA account
Opens the official Step Up portal in a new tab — this page stays open behind it.
We never see your password, and we never ask for it.
This is the independent guide: the real login, what your money can buy, and a 30-second check on any message that smells wrong.
Locked out? “Forgot Username” and “Forgot Password” are on that same screen. Stuck on the security code, call 1-877-735-7837 (Mon–Fri, 8–5 ET) · full troubleshooting guide
Is this a scam?
30-second check
Got a text, email, call, or link about your scholarship? Two quick questions.
What is it asking you to do?
Where did it come from?
Scam
This is almost certainly a scam.
This runs entirely in your browser — nothing you tap is sent anywhere, by us or anyone else. When in doubt, call Step Up For Students at 1-877-735-7837.
Straight answers, in one line each
- Where do I log in to my EMA account?
- At apply.stepupforstudents.org — the Step Up For Students portal. That is the only real EMA login. This site is an independent guide and hosts no login of its own.
- What does EMA stand for?
- Education Market Assistant. It is the online account Florida scholarship families use to approve funds and pay for approved education costs.
- Is EMA the same as Step Up For Students?
- EMA is the account system run by Step Up For Students. Families often call it the Step Up login, the SUFS login or the Florida Choice Scholarships account — all the same thing.
- Which scholarships use the EMA account?
- The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC), the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) and for Unique Abilities (FES-UA), the Personalized Education Program (PEP), New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, and the Transportation Stipend.
- When does Step Up deposit scholarship money?
- Four times a year for 2026–27: August 1 (renewing students), September 1 (new students), November 1, February 1 and April 1. You must log in and approve each deposit.
- Is there an official EMA app?
- No. EMA is a website used in a browser. Step Up’s rules prohibit third-party software from touching a family’s account, so any “EMA app” is not official.
- Where do I report a Step Up scholarship scam?
- Email a screenshot to concerns@sufs.org, leaving out account and Social Security numbers, or call Step Up For Students at 1-877-735-7837.
- Who runs this site?
- It is published independently by Teddy Dupay. It is not Step Up For Students, not the Florida Department of Education, and not a government agency.
Your money
When the next deposit lands
Funds arrive four times a year on a rolling schedule. You log in to EMA to approve each one.
Next deposit date
—
Once the state releases the money it can take up to two weeks to reach every account. Watch
your email and your EMA account — you have to approve or deny each deposit.
Renewing studentsQuarter 1 — if you enrolled by June 15
New studentsQuarter 1 — if you enrolled by July 15
Quarter 2Enrollment deadline September 15
Quarter 3Enrollment deadline December 15
Quarter 4Enrollment deadline February 15
Dates published by Step Up For Students for 2026–27 and can change — always confirm inside your account. Every deadline for this school year →
Where to spend it
163 places your funds can go
Every company on Step Up’s own MyScholarShop vendor list, sorted into plain-English categories so you can actually find what you need. Free to browse, no account, no login.
Two of these cost you nothing upfront
All three live inside EMA. Most families lose money by defaulting to the slowest one.
Find Providers
In your EMA dashboard, open Marketplace → Find Providers to book approved tutors, schools, therapists and coaches who bill the scholarship directly.
✓ No money upfront
Reimbursement
You paid out of pocket for an approved expense. Upload the receipts in EMA and get repaid by direct deposit, check or PayPal. Keep every receipt — missing paperwork is what stalls these.
Allow up to 60 days · use the checklist
There is no official EMA app
Put your EMA login on your home screen
Step Up has no app, and any “EMA app” you find is not official — using third-party software with your account actually breaks their user agreement. This is the safe version: a plain shortcut to this page, one tap from your home screen, straight to the real login.
- ✓Installs nothing and asks for no permissions
- ✓No account, no password, nothing stored about you
- ✓Works offline — the login link and the phone number are always there
EMA Account
Help Guide
Help Guide
So what exactly is EMA?
1
It is your scholarship account portal
EMA — Education Market Assistant — is the website run by Step Up For Students where Florida families apply, watch their funds, and pay for approved education costs. One parent profile holds every student in your family.
2
It covers every Florida Choice scholarship
The same account handles the Private School scholarships (FTC and FES-EO), the Unique Abilities scholarship (FES-UA), the Personalized Education Program (PEP), New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, and the Transportation Stipend. You may see the umbrella name Florida Choice Scholarships on newer paperwork.
3
It is a website, not an app
You use EMA in a browser at apply.stepupforstudents.org. There is no official app, and Step Up’s rules forbid third-party apps and services from touching your account — including any business offering to upload your receipts for you.
4
You approve the money as it arrives
Funds land four times a year and you log in to review and approve or deny each deposit before you can spend it.
Real Step Up vs. a scammer
Taken straight from Step Up For Students’ own Security Center.
Step Up will never
- Ask for copies of your debit or credit card — not for reimbursement, not for MyScholarShop
- Text you asking for personal details
- Start a social media conversation to request sensitive information
- Ask for your account credentials or banking information by phone, text or email
- Charge you a fee to apply, or ask for a gift card
The real thing looks like
- Email from a @sufs.org address — look closely, fakes add one extra character
- A login page at apply.stepupforstudents.org and nowhere else
- Phone support at 1-877-735-7837, Monday to Friday, 8–5 ET
- Documents hosted at go.stepupforstudents.org — that one is legitimate
- A message you can also find waiting inside your own EMA account
The newest scam is a “helper” business.
Step Up is warning families about businesses on social media offering to upload your receipts or manage your
expenses for you. Using any third-party software with your account breaks their user agreement — and hands
over your login. Never share your EMA username or password with any business or app, including us.
Report a suspicious message with a screenshot to concerns@sufs.org (leave out account and Social Security numbers),
or call 1-877-735-7837.
Source: Step Up For Students Security Center, checked August 2, 2026.
EMA account questions
Where do I log in to my EMA account?
Only at apply.stepupforstudents.org. Use the button at the top of this page, or type the address yourself. Never log in from a link in a text or an email. If you are locked out, the “Forgot Username” and “Forgot Password” links are on that same screen.
What does EMA stand for?
Education Market Assistant. It is the online portal Step Up For Students families use to apply, manage funds, and pay approved providers. It now sits under the state’s Florida Choice Scholarships umbrella, so you may see both names.
Is there an official EMA app I should download?
No. EMA is a website you use in a browser — there is no official app in either app store. Step Up’s own Security Center goes further: using any third-party software with your account breaks the user agreement. If an app or a business offers to manage your account or upload your receipts for you, walk away. You can still put a one-tap shortcut to this page on your home screen — that is only a bookmark and touches nothing.
When do my scholarship funds show up?
Four times a year, on a rolling schedule tied to when you enrolled. For 2026–27 that is August 1 (renewing students), September 1 (new students), then November 1, February 1 and April 1. Once the state sends the money it can take up to two weeks to land in every account, and you log in to approve each deposit. See every date.
How do I actually spend the money?
Three ways, all inside EMA: MyScholarShop (a pre-paid store — no money out of pocket), Find Providers in the Marketplace (approved providers bill the scholarship directly), and reimbursement (you pay, upload receipts, get repaid). Browse what you can spend on.
How long does reimbursement take?
Step Up asks you to allow up to 60 days after all required documents are in. In practice most families see 7–14 business days outside of peak season. Payment comes by direct deposit, check, or PayPal. Use the checklist so nothing is missing — incomplete documents are the number one reason a request stalls.
Someone is asking me to pay a fee — is that normal?
No. Applying is free, and Step Up never asks for a fee, a gift card, or copies of your card. Run the message through the scam checker, send a screenshot to concerns@sufs.org, and call 1-877-735-7837 if you are unsure.
Which scholarships use EMA?
All of them: the Private School scholarships (FTC and FES-EO), the Unique Abilities scholarship (FES-UA), the Personalized Education Program (PEP), New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, and the Transportation Stipend. One parent profile holds every student in your family.
Are you Step Up For Students?
No, and we never will be. We are an independent guide with no affiliation to Step Up For Students, EMA, or any government agency. We host no login and collect nothing about your account. Everything we state links back to an official source so you can check it yourself.
Stay in the know
Deposit reminders and scam alerts
A short email a few times a year: when funds are about to land, when a deadline is close, and when a scam is going around. Nothing else.
✓ You are on the list. Check your inbox for the safety card.
Scholarship help and scam alerts only. We never sell your address and never ask about your account. Unsubscribe any time.
For businesses
Do Florida scholarship families spend with you?
Tutors, therapists, coaches, microschools, curriculum sellers — parents are searching for you right here and there is no public list of providers anywhere. Get listed, free.