Are school choice scholarships like Step Up for Students for college?
No. Step Up for Students (Florida), the Opportunity Scholarship (North Carolina), the Hope Scholarship (West Virginia), the Promise Scholarship and GOAL (Georgia) and Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (Arizona) pay for K-12 education such as private school tuition or homeschool costs. None of them pays for college. For college, families should look at each state's college programs, such as Florida Bright Futures, Georgia HOPE and Zell Miller, West Virginia PROMISE, NC Next and Arizona Promise.
Why these names cause confusion
Several states call their K-12 school choice programs "scholarships." They help families pay for private school, homeschooling or other K-12 education. They share names with college programs (Georgia has a HOPE Scholarship for college, West Virginia has a Hope Scholarship for K-12), so parents of high schoolers often find them while searching for college money.
The six programs, in plain terms
| Program | State | What it pays for | College? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step Up For Students | Florida | Private school tuition and fees for K-12 students; therapies and tutoring for students with unique abilities | No |
| Opportunity Scholarship | North Carolina | Tuition and required fees at registered private schools, roughly $3,000 to $7,000 a year depending on household income | No |
| Hope Scholarship | West Virginia | An education savings account for K-12 students, projected at $5,435.62 per student for 2026-27 | No |
| Promise Scholarship | Georgia | Up to $6,500 a year for K-12 education expenses such as private school tuition | No |
| GOAL Scholarship | Georgia | Private school tuition scholarships funded by state tax credits | No |
| Empowerment Scholarship Account | Arizona | K-12 education expenses, open to all Arizona K-12 students | No |
Each program is run by a state agency or an approved scholarship organization, and the rules change often. Check the official program site for current amounts and deadlines.
If your teen is in high school and you are planning for college, these programs are not the ones to track. The college money in these states comes from different programs, listed below.
The college programs to look at instead
- Florida: Bright Futures Florida Academic Scholars and Florida Medallion Scholars, plus the full list of Florida awards
- Georgia: HOPE Scholarship and Zell Miller Scholarship (all Georgia awards)
- North Carolina: NC Next Scholarship (all North Carolina awards)
- West Virginia: PROMISE Scholarship (all West Virginia awards)
- Arizona: Arizona Promise Program (all Arizona awards)
How Solyo helps
Solyo's scholarship directory covers state college aid in all 50 states plus DC, checked against each program's official page. Signed in, Solyo matches your student to the state and national awards they qualify for and tracks the deadlines.
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