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Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

Financial support for 16 to 19-year-olds from low-income families who stay on in full time education after their statutory school leaving date.

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a means-tested weekly allowance of £30, usually for a maximum of 3 years. Students must have 100% attendance as agreed in their EMA learning agreement with the school or college. It's paid every 2 weeks, during term time, not in school holidays. Funding comes from the Scottish Government.

Dumfries and Galloway Council pays EMA to eligible school students. You must reapply each academic year.

How to qualify

Students can apply if they:

  • attend a school in Dumfries and Galloway; if you study somewhere else, you'll have to apply there
  • have a history of being home educated
  • attend a young persons activity with the Employability and Skills D&G Council
  • travel daily over the border to a school or college in England

To get EMA, your household income must be:

  • £24,421 or less for households with only one dependent child
  • £26,884 or less for households with more than one dependent child

Household income is the income of your parents or carers who live with you. 

Dependent children are:

  • age 16 or less
  • age 16 to 25 in full-time further or higher education

How to apply

You must apply before 31 March to get EMA for the current academic year. If you're at school you should apply here. If you're at college in Scotland you should apply at your college.

Apply for Education Maintenance Allowance

Read the application guidance notes for advice on the application process.

 

After you apply

The start date of EMA payments is dependent on the date of your sixteenth birthday:

  • if you are 16 on or before 30 September 2024 and we receive your application before 30 September 2024 we will pay your EMA from August 2024
  • if you are 16 between 1 October 2024 and 28 February 2025 and we receive your application before 28 February 2025 we will pay your EMA from January 2025.

Applications received after these dates will not be backdated. EMA will be paid from the start of the week in which we receive your application.

If you are successful then you will get an award letter sent to your school or personal email. 

After that you will need to fill out an EMA Learning Agreement which you can do by contacting your school directly. This needs to be done so you can start getting payments. If you don’t complete and return the Learning Agreement, you won’t get any payments.

 

Additional forms you may need

If we need any of these we'll email you after you apply. You can return the forms to ema@dumgal.gov.uk.

If you get any benefits

If you get any benefits ask your local Jobcentre Plus to complete Part C and return to us. This is not needed if you only get Universal Credit.

 

If you are self employed

If you are self-employed you must send us your self-assessment tax calculation (SA302) or part B - accountants certificate

 

Help with your application

Contact the education support team if you need help or advice: