Education Maintenance Allowance

Wondering if Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is for you?

Find out what to expect before and after you make an application.

Applications for EMA in 2024 to 2025 are now open! Find out how to apply.

Stage 1

Before you apply

What is Education Maintenance Allowance and who can get it?

What is EMA?

A payment for 16 to 18 year olds living in Wales, who want to continue their education after school leaving age.

Tell me more about EMA

Eligibility for EMA

There are four main things that determine if you can get EMA.

Show me who qualifies

Information for parents, guardians and partners

We’ve included a section to help answer questions that parents might have about EMA.

Find out more
Stage 2

Making an application

Find out how to apply for EMA, what evidence you may need to provide and how we calculate how much you can get.

How and when to apply

Ready to apply? Make sure your EMA application is assessed and ready for the start of term.

Show me more about applying

Household income

Eligibility for EMA depends on your household income and family circumstance.

Tell me more about household income

Evidence

We may ask for evidence of some information you provide on your application.

Show me more about application evidence
Stage 3

What happens after you apply

Your application has been assessed and we have everything we need, so what happens next?

Getting your EMA payments

There are a few things that need to be in place before you get your first payment.

Tell me more about getting paid
Stage 4

During your course

If your circumstances change during the academic year, you’ll need to update your application. Changing your application may affect how much student finance you can get.

Changes in your circumstances

Find out how to keep your account up to date and what changes you need to tell us about.

More on changes in your circumstances

Additional Evidence

We may ask for further evidence from you during your course to make sure you’re still entitled to EMA.

 

Show me more about application evidence