Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

You may be able to claim an Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) of £30 a week during term time if you are a 16-19 year old from a family with a low income and:

• you are staying on at school full time (you can only get an EMA if you’ve reached your school leaving age); or
• you take a full time or part time non-advanced course, up to and including SCQF Level 6, at a further education college or education centre; or
• you are taking part in an ‘activity agreement’.

To be eligible for an EMA starting in August 2022, your household income must be less than £24,421 a year for households with one dependent child, or £26,884 for households with two or more dependent children.

You must also have ordinary residence in Scotland to apply, which means that you live in one place. However, different rules can apply so you should contact your local authority or bursary office to check your eligibility.

The weekly allowance is paid fortnightly and goes directly into your own bank account.

You must normally sign up to a learning agreement which states that you will go to school (or college) regularly. If your attendance falls below a certain level, you lose the allowance.

Ask your school (or college) for an EMA application form. Also visit the mygov.scot/ema website for more information.