Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) Statistics

The Government announced in the Spending Review that the Education Maintenance Allowance Scheme (EMA) in England will stop at the end of academic year 2010/11. No new applications will be accepted from the start of January 2011. EMA currently provides up to £30 per week for students from low income households to encourage them to stay in education beyond the end of compulsory education. This note includes data on expenditure, the number of recipients, types of students who receive EMA and looks at the evidence on its impact on participation. The EMA section of the Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) website gives information about eligibility criteria and how to apply. It also includes data on take-up and research into the impact of EMA and the effect of some of the changes to the scheme. It looks at the scheme in England only.