Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is there to help you financially if you want to stay on at school or college, after you’re 16. EMA in England closed to new applicants on 1 January 2011 and has been replaced by a Bursary fund to help you if you’re studying or starting a course and face financial hardship.
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales continue to have their own EMA schemes.
EMA is a weekly payment of £10, £20 or £30, depending on your household income.
You will need to provide evidence of your household income and one of the easiest ways to do this is with a Tax Credit Award Notice from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
You will find all the information you need to make an application for EMA in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales and applying for financial help from a Bursary fund if studying in England on the Directgov web site.
