Education Maintenance Allowance

If you are 16 to 19 years old, in a school or college, and come from a low income household you may be eligible to receive financial assistance from an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

EMA is a weekly allowance of £30 per week payable during term time.

To be eligible, your family household income must be less than:

  • £24,421- for households with 1 dependant child
  • £26,884 - for households with 2 or more dependant children

Apply for an Education Maintenance Allowance

You must have a current signed learning agreement and you must adhere to the conditions of the learning agreement.

A new learning agreement has to be completed each academic year, and if you don't comply with your learning agreement, the allowance could be taken away.

Young adults attending college or university should apply direct to the college or university. For further information about EMA for young adults attending college or university, please contact the college or university direct.

Upload evidence or other documents online

If you need to submit documents as evidence, you can use our online form to upload photos or scans of your evidence.

Upload evidence for Education Maintenance Allowance