Educational & Social Services

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

Do you want to stay in education but you're worried about money?

If you decide to stay on at school or go to college from August 2010 you may be able to get an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

What is an EMA?

It is a weekly payment of £30 for students who are planning to continue in post-compulsory education from August 2010.

Please note that there are no bonuses payable for session 2010/11.

Payments will be made direct to your bank account.

Who will be eligible for an EMA?

You could get an EMA if:

You were born between 1 March 1991 and 28 February 1995.

Your household income is £20,351 or below (for households with one dependant child)

Your household income is £22,403 or below (for households with two or more dependant children).

You are on a non-advanced further education course at school or FE college.

What do I need to do?

You must attend all your course sessions and sign an EMA Learning Agreement with your school or college. This agreement will set out what is expected of you in terms of:

Attendance

Coursework

Progress

When do I apply?

If you are eligible to receive EMA from August 2010, you must submit your application by 30th September 2010. Otherwise payments will only be made from the date the application was received.

If you are eligible to receive EMA from January 2011, you must submit your application by 28 February 2011. Otherwise payments will only be made from the date the application was received.

For session 2010/2011 the cut-off date for processing application forms is 31 March 2011.

How do I apply?

You can download an application form and/or guidance notes by clicking the link above or by using the contact information below.

If you attend college you should contact the college bursary office.

The Scottish Ministers reserve the right to review the EMA programme at any time. The programme will be reviewed in December 2010. Any award made will only be guaranteed up to the end of December 2010.

Contact Information