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Education Maintenance Allowance

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The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) Scheme has been introduced to ease the financial pressures experienced by young people staying on in further education and to reduce the drop-out rate among 16-year-olds.

EMA entitles students (aged between 16 and 19 years) who continue in further education and who live in a household with an annual income of £30,000 or less to £10, £20 or £30 paid directly into their bank accounts, in return for regular attendance on their courses.

EMA was made available to a further 65,000 young people on Learning and Skills Council funded Entry to Employment (E2E) and Programme Led Pathways (PLP), replacing the existing Minimum Training Allowance (MTA) they currently receive.

The weekly EMA payment is intended to help cover the day-to-day costs students have to meet when staying on at school or college, such as travel expenses, books and course equipment.

Key features of the EMA

  • Weekly payment bands of £30, £20 and £10 per week, depending on the household income.
    Bonus payments of £100 (worth up to £500 in total over 2 years).
  • Available for both academic and vocational courses, including GCSE retakes, GNVQs, NVQs, as well as AS and A2s, and LSC-funded E2E and courses that lead to an Apprenticeship.
  • No other household benefits are affected.
  • Young people can still have a part-time job.

For more information on the EMA scheme call (free) 0808 101 6219 or visit the EMA website.

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Comments



1. On 11 March 2010 12:01, marysam wrote:

hi
what are the criteria for receiving EMA?

my son is studying for his AS levels, but has dropped 2, so is only currently attending lessons for Maths, Physics and half his General Studies lessons,(cos he hates one of the teachers.

is he still entitled to EMA?

thanks
marysam

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