If you sell curriculum, instructional materials, or other eligible products and want Florida scholarship families to be able to buy from you directly, MyScholarShop is Step Up's marketplace for that. Here's what the process actually involves, based entirely on Step Up's own published materials.
The short answer: Becoming a MyScholarShop vendor means registering through Step Up's supplier portal (built on SAP Ariba), completing a vendor questionnaire, and publishing a product catalog. This is a different path than becoming a service provider (like a tutor), which uses a separate EMA provider account instead. Details below, sourced directly from Step Up.
As of this writing (July 2026), the process described here reflects Step Up's published vendor and provider materials. Because Step Up updates its systems and requirements periodically, always confirm current steps at stepupforstudents.org before starting your application.
First: are you a product vendor or a service provider?
This distinction matters and it's easy to get wrong. Step Up separates these into two different paths:
- Product vendors (curriculum, instructional materials, physical goods) go through MyScholarShop, which uses the SAP Ariba supplier portal for onboarding and catalog management.
- Service providers (tutors, therapists, evaluators, and similar) set up a provider account directly in EMA instead, no Ariba involved. If this is you, see our companion guide on EMA Business Account vs. Personal Account instead.
(Source: Step Up For Students Vendor Partnerships page)
The MyScholarShop application process
According to Step Up's own vendor page, the process runs like this:
- Submit initial contact information, including basic business details, a summary of the products you offer, and a link to your website.
- Step Up reviews and vets your submission to determine fit and eligibility for the platform.
- If approved, Step Up schedules an onboarding kickoff call and provides a setup guide along with a sample catalog template.
- Register on the supplier portal at supplier.ariba.com and complete the MyScholarShop vendor questionnaire.
- Publish your catalog, first through a test account to confirm everything processes correctly, then through your live account once testing is complete.
(Source: Step Up For Students Vendor Partnerships page)
What Step Up says about the value of the platform
Step Up positions MyScholarShop as a dedicated, education-only marketplace, not a crowded general marketplace, with over $4 billion in annual transactions and built-in marketing support: "MyScholarShop actively promotes the platform, driving traffic to your products." Their materials also note that once a family finds your product identical in price to something they bought elsewhere, Step Up is required to reimburse the difference to the family, worth knowing as you set your published pricing. (Source: Step Up For Students Vendor Partnerships page)
A few operational details worth planning around
A couple of specifics from Step Up's own provider materials that are easy to miss when you're just getting started:
- Direct payments through EMA are issued to your business account, not to individual employees, even if a specific credentialed staff member performed the service or fulfilled the order.
- Step Up's Provider Handbook notes that account creation does not guarantee approval, each account is reviewed for appropriate documentation before your offerings go live.
- Keeping your contact information, licenses, and credentials current in EMA matters, Step Up communicates primarily by email, and outdated information can delay approvals or payments.
(Source: Step Up For Students Non-School Provider Handbook, current as of July 3, 2026)
The bottom line
The MyScholarShop setup process has real steps and real waiting periods, a vetting review, an onboarding call, a test catalog, then a live catalog, but it's a documented, predictable process rather than a mystery. Following Step Up's own sequence closely is the fastest way through it.
While you're getting set up with Step Up, get discovered faster. List your business free on Florida Education Vendors so scholarship families searching for your category can find you immediately, no approval wait required to get started building visibility.
Sources cited in this article: Step Up For Students Vendor Partnerships page, Step Up For Students Non-School Provider Handbook (current as of July 3, 2026).