Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

Applications are now open for 2023/24.

The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is:

  • for students from low-income families, who are in full-time education after the statutory school leaving age.
  • for students attending full time and part time non-advanced college education
  • a means tested weekly allowance based on school attendance.
  • £30 per week, paid fortnightly into the student's bank account. Payments are only made when students have 100% of agreed weekly attendance.

Full details are on the EMA Scotland website.

Who can apply

Qualifying students must be:

  • over 16 on 1 March and stay on at school from August
  • from households with one dependent child and annual income under £24,421
  • or from households with more than one dependent child and annual income under £26,884

If you are leaving school to attend a Further Education College, please apply directly to the college.

If you attend a school outside Midlothian, contact the local authority where the school is located.

Apply

Important: please follow this advice to reduce the risks of sending personal information by email:

  • Do not use a shared device to send your email.
  • Do not use an unsecured or public WiFi network to send your email.
  • Before sending, double check the email address you are sending to is ema@midlothian.gov.uk 
  • After sending, delete your personal documents from your sent email.