Once your scholarship is approved, how does the money actually reach the studio? Here is how EMA, the Marketplace, direct provider payments, and reimbursement work when you pay for ballet with Step Up.
You have been approved for a Step Up For Students scholarship — congratulations. Now comes the practical question every parent asks: how does the money actually pay for ballet class? The answer runs through EMA (Education Market Assistant), Step Up’s online funding portal.
Your Funds Live in an EMA Account
For the education-savings-account programs — PEP and FES-UA — your scholarship funds are deposited into your student’s EMA account in installments across the year. From there, you have three main ways to spend them.
Three Ways to Spend Your Scholarship
01
The Marketplace (MyScholarShop)
An in-EMA storefront of pre-approved goods and services. Purchases draw directly from your balance — no out-of-pocket cost and no paperwork.
02
Direct pay to an approved provider
An approved provider bills your scholarship account through EMA. You reserve funds for the service, the provider submits an invoice, and Step Up pays them directly — so you never front the money.
03
Reimbursement
You pay a provider yourself, then upload the invoice and proof of payment in EMA to be repaid. Turnaround is typically a few weeks.
How It Works for Ballet Tuition at BBA
For tuition, most families use the direct-pay path: you reserve funds in EMA for your dancer’s classes, and payment flows to the studio through the portal. When you enroll at Brevard Ballet Academy using Step Up, our team will help you understand the steps so your classes are covered correctly. The key is that enrichment providers must be approved in the Step Up system, and the specific expense must be an eligible one — so it is always worth confirming both before your first payment.
What About Shoes, Tights, and Dancewear?
Depending on your program and its rules, certain instructional materials and supplies may be purchasable too. We cover this in detail in using your Step Up funds for dancewear and tuition. As a Nikolay Partner School, BBA can also help families access professional-grade pointe shoes and dancewear.
For the full picture, see our Step Up For Students page and our step-by-step application guide.
We’ll Help You Navigate the Process
Using Step Up at BBA? Contact us and we’ll walk you through enrollment and payment in Melbourne, FL.
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