Educational Maintenance Allowance
What is EMA?
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a weekly payment of £40 to help 16-18 year olds with the costs of further education. Payments are made every 2 weeks as long as you meet your school or college’s attendance criteria.
We encourage all students who might be eligible to apply for EMA (Educational Maintenance Allowance). This includes anyone who has been eligible at any point for Free School Meals.
EMA is applied for through Student Finance Wales, who have produced a handy guidebook
little book of ema 2025 2026.pdf
How do I apply for EMA?
Wherever possible EMA should be applied for online. In order to do this you will need to set up an account with Student Finance Wales.
If you are unable to apply online for any reason, paper copies can be sent to Student Finance Wales. These can be collected from the school or downloaded here:
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