What is an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)?

EMA is a weekly payment for students aged 16 who are planning to continue in further education.

From September 2011, EMA will be replaced with a new £180m bursary scheme.

New bursary scheme
If you’re aged between 16 and 19 years and face financial hardship while you’re in full-time education you may receive a bursary.

EMA arrangements for 2010/11
If you currently receive EMA, you’ll receive weekly EMA payments for the rest of the 2010/11 academic year while you’re studying as long as you continue to meet the standards laid out in your EMA Agreement.

Arrangements in 2011/12
You’ll receive payments while you study in 2011/12 if:
• you first applied for EMA in 2009/10 (you’ll receive the same weekly payment)
• you first applied for EMA in 2010/11 and you receive the maximum EMA payment of £30 (reduced to £20 a week in 2011/12).

If you’re in care, a care leaver or on income support your weekly EMA payments will be replaced with a guaranteed bursary of £1,200 a year from September 2011.

Have your say
You can tell the Department of Education what you think of the plan to replace EMA with bursaries by taking part in a 'Financial support for 16 to 19 year olds in education and training' e-consultation.

http://bit.ly/k6ynX5

The closing date for the e-consultation is 20 May 2011.