What is happening about EMA?

The national EMA scheme closed for all new applications on 31st December, 2010. Learners who received an EMA Agreement before 31st December, 2010 but who have not yet had a College EMA Induction can still receive EMA until the end of the 2010/11 Academic Year but should ensure that they book an induction with Student Services as soon as possible. This also applies to learners who receive their EMA Agreement from 1st January, 2011 onwards.Payment of EMA will then be dependant on the learner satisfying the College’s attendance and behaviour rules and regulations.
Learners currently in receipt of EMA will continue to receive it until the end of the 2010/11 Academic Year, subject to them also continuing to satisfy the College’s attendance and behaviour rules and regulations.

“The EMA scheme was due to be withdrawn entirely at the end of this academic year. However, at the end of March, 2011 the government unexpectedly announced that EMA will still be available for the 2011/2012 academic year for two groups of students. The students who will be able to get EMA next academic year are as follows:-

1) All students who first successfully applied for EMA in 2009/10. These students will continue to receive payments at the same level as currently received (£10, £20 or £30 week) until the end of the 2011/12 academic year, subject to meeting College attendance and behaviour requirements.

2) All students now in the first year of post-16 study who are in receipt of the maximum weekly EMA payment of £30. These students will be eligible for £20 for each week that they are in education until the end of the 2011/12 academic year, provided that they are aged under 19 on 1/9/2011 and satisfy College attendance and behaviour requirements.

We haven’t been informed yet how students in the two groups shown above will be notified of their eligibility for EMA for next Academic Year. As soon as we receive this information we will publish details.

These revised arrangements only apply to the two groups of students mentioned above, and for the 2011/12 academic year only. There will be no EMA payments for any student after the end of the 2011/12 academic year.