Scholarship Guidelines

Scholarship students must enroll in Individual Courses (PVS Part-time). Because our Full-Time option is a district-wide public school option (like any other brick-and-more public school in the district), students enrolled in this option are not eligible for scholarships, as they are not private or homeschool students.

Course Approval: Before beginning the enrollment process, private school students should discuss taking PVS courses with their school administration.

School Year: Scholarship funding follows the state's fiscal calendar, which runs from July 1 through June 30.

Create a New PVS Account in the Virtual School Administrator (VSA)

Follow the steps outlined on the enrollment webpage or in this video to create a new account.

Note: Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarship recipients must select the "PEP Pinellas Virtual" school during the enrollment process.

Update an Existing Account - Personalized Education Program (PEP) Scholarship Recipients Only

1. Have your child log in to his/her Pinellas Virtual School account.
2. From the Dashboard (home page), click the three lines in the top left corner of the screen, and a menu will appear on the left side of the screen.
3. Click "Student Records"
4. Click "Academic Profile."
5. Update the Physical School by selecting the Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarship, select "PEP Pinellas Virtual"
6. Click "Save" in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

• Course Tuition for scholarship recipients/private pay students is $350 per half-credit (one-segment).
• State guidelines require that scholarship funds must be used to pay for the students private school tuition and fees. Any remaining scholarship funds may be applied to PVS course tuition. 

Pay with Scholarship Funds/Assigning Funds in EMA

Funds must be available in your scholarship account. To check the status of available funds, log in to the account provided by Step Up for Students. 

1. Log in to the Education Market Assistant (EMA) Portal.
2. Click on "Marketplace."
3. Click "Find Providers."
4. Select your student from the drop-down menu.
5. Then select the "Service Category": and click "Search"
6. Search for "Pinellas County Schools"
7. Choose a grade level in select a location "Pinellas Virtual School."
8. Update quantity of segments or full-year courses. Ex: 1 semester = Quantity 1
9. Click "Add to Cart" and then "Go to Cart."
10. Follow the steps in your cart to "Reserve Funds." Click Reserve Funds, Check Box to grant permission and click "Confirm"

Step-by-Step Guide

Once the funds are reserved, Pinellas Virtual School will process the request so your child can be assigned to the classroom. This can take up to 7 business days.

Direct Pay option not currently available.

No refunds will be granted.

Scholarship-Specific Questions: Each scholarship has individual requirements for both eligibility and access to Pinellas Virtual courses. If you have any questions on how to use your awarded scholarship, contact Step Up Students.