Education Maintenance Allowances (EMA): 2015-2016

The EMA programme aims to provide support for young people aged 16 to 19 from low income families to overcome financial barriers to stay on in education.

This document is part of a collection


 

Summary of Key Findings

  • 31,735 school pupils and college students received EMA payments in Scotland in the academic year 2015-16, a decrease of 4% (1,445) from 33,180 in 2014-15 ( Table 1).
  • School pupils account for 68% of young people in receipt of EMA payment, with the remaining 32% being college students.
  • Of all 16-19 year old school pupils in Scotland, 31% (21,620) received EMA payments in 2015-16. This is the same proportion as seen in 2014-15 (31%, 22,530).
  • Of all full time 16-19 year old college students, 21% (10,115)* received EMA payments in 2015-16. This is the same proportion as seen in 2014-15 (21%, 10,650).
  • The proportion of EMA recipients living in Scotland’s 20% most deprived areas in 2015-16 remained stable at 35% (11,015), although the actual number of recipients decreased by 575 from 11,590 in 2014-15 ( Table 3). Among school pupils receiving EMA, 33% (7,210) were living in the 20% most deprived areas, while 38% (3,780) of college students receiving EMA were living in the 20% most deprived areas.
  • The total amount spent on EMA payments in 2015-16 was £24.8 million, a decrease of £1.7 million from £26.5 million in 2014-15. Of this, £17.4 million (70%) was paid out to school pupils, and the remaining £7.4 million (30%) paid out to young people attending college ( Table 4). This trend is consistent with previous years.

 

*This was originally published as 11,015 (23%), representing an increase of 2pp. This has been corrected on 8th November 2017.

Contact

Email: Scott Dickie

Phone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

Back to top