Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
If you decide to stay on at school or go to college in Northern Ireland you may be able to get Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). EMA is a fortnightly payment of up to £60 for students who are aged 16, 17, 18 or 19 years.
It is paid directly to young people from households with an income of £33,950 or less who stay on in education after they reach statutory leaving age (i.e. after the end of their compulsory schooling).
More information
More information can be found on the Education and Maintenance Allowance pages on NIDirect. This information relates to applications for the 2012/13 academic year.
- Money to Learn Education Maintenance Allowance (NIDirect)
- The little book of EMA 2012-13 (PDF 237KB) (all you need to know for academic year 2012/13)
EMA Customer Services Helpline
- Telephone: 0845 601 7646 (from 8.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday)
- email: ema_ni@slc.co.uk
Information for schools and colleges
More information on the Education and Maintenance Allowance for schools and colleges can be found from the link below.
