Thousands more post 16 learners in colleges and sixth forms will receive the Education Maintenance Allowance following a Welsh Government decision to uplift the household income thresholds resulting in more families being able to apply.
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a weekly grant of £40, designed to support 16 to 18-year-olds from eligible households with further education costs, such as transport or meals. EMA was ended in England in 2011, and is retained at a lower rate of £30 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Currently over 16,000 students receive EMA but starting from the new academic year in September an estimated 3,500 more learners will benefit from the uplift.
The threshold for households with one dependent child is currently £20,817 and this will increase to £23,400, meaning families with a household income of £23,400 or less will be eligible to receive EMA.
The threshold for households with two or more dependents is currently £23,077 and this will increase to £25,974,meaning families with a household income of £25,974 or less will be eligible to receive EMA.
Minister Further and Higher Education, Vikki Howells, said: “Wales already delivers the most generous Education Maintenance Allowance in the UK, helping post-16 learners to continue studying academic or vocational courses, and this change means we will now be supporting thousands more learners.
“We are very proud of our record in maintaining and increasing the Education Maintenance Allowance. We are clear that our Draft Budget is a budget for a brighter future and the uplift to EMA eligibility is one of the ways we are delivering this. The announcement means thousands more learners will now benefit from further financial support to continue or start their further education journey.”
Deio Owen, President of NUS Cymru, said: “NUS Cymru welcomes the Minister’s announcement today. Raising the household income threshold for EMA will enable more than 3500 young people to engage with post-16 learning. That’s 3500 young people that we will now hopefully see continue with their education and continue to equip themselves for a better future.”, said Deio Owen, President of NUS Cymru.
“We have been campaigning for this for quite some time, and we are delighted that the Welsh Government have finally listened to student voices. I look forward to working ever closer with the Minister in the coming months on areas where we can further strengthen the student offer in Wales.”
