Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

a new application form must be completed at the start of a new academic term – therefore any pupils who have previously been in receipt of an EMA need to re-apply now!

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) will continue in Scotland for the 2011/2012 Academic Session. EMA has been discontinued in England, however bursary payments may be available to young people from low income families who wish to continue in further education.

EMA is part of the Scottish Executive's agenda of encouraging access to, and participation in, further and higher education by young people from low-income families.

EMAs provide financial support for 16 – 19 year olds who stay on in full time non advanced education after their statutory school leaving date (i.e. those continuing in post-compulsory education).

To be eligible for an EMA in 2011/2012 the student must:

Have been born between 1 March 1992 and 29 February 1996.
Have a household income of £22,403 or below (for families with more than one dependent child in the household) (Dependent children are all those up to the age of 16 and those over the age of 16 and up to the age of 25 if they are still in full-time education)
or
Have a household income of £20,351 or below (for families with a single dependent child in the household)

Following assessment of the application, weekly payments will be paid at £30.

Students are eligible for an EMA at the beginning of the school term if they are 16 years of age between 1 March 2011 and 30 September 2011 or eligible from January 2012 if they are 16 years of age between 1 October 2011 and 28 February 2012. Eligibility is re-assessed each academic year.

To be eligible for weekly payments the student must complete a learning agreement with the school.
Payments are made fortnightly in arrears to the student's bank account depending on attendance and compliance with the requirements of their learning agreement.

Application forms (210KB MS Word doc) are available from all Dundee City Council schools and The Shore as well as from Tayside House (Dundee House, 50 North Lindsay Street from August 1st onwards). A form can also be downloaded from the links below. Completed forms should be sent to the address shown on the front of the application form.