Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) Who gets this?

[Chinghehuang]

My DD currently in 6th form and is not entitled to a Education Maintenance Allowance because the parental househould income is more than £30,810. DD goes to a 6th Form College where boarders from overseas attend, one of these boarders is from Nigeria and is somehow eligble for the EMA of £120.00 per month, on the basis (apparently) that they have a relative living in the UK, but parents living in Nigeria. Now I am confused, according to the rules the allowance is based on the parenatal income, so how can a foreign student whose education as a boarder is paid for by her parents overseas be entitled to this UK benefit? Surely the Nigerian parents would of needed to declare their income to obtain this benefit for their child? Is this EMA benefit offered to all overseas students?
Can anyone shed any light on this as I feel like writing to my MP to complain, why should UK taxpayers fund overseas students when their own children are not entitled to the same benefits, I think this is wrong.

Your child is not entitled because your income is too high. Do you know all the personal details of the Nigerian student? If not, you're not really in a position to say if it's unfair or not.

my dd gets this....which i'm a bit cross about really,as she has now decided its not worth doing her 'chores' for the £15 a week i used to give her as pocket money!!! she gets £30 a week in her bank for doing nothing. so her 'chores' really are a chore now

no idea how people from abroad get this if based on a relative living here

Like Pixie.
Our DC get the full whack of EMA, and are v appreiciative of it. I bet this other student appreciates it too, and you have no clue about her personal finances and arrangements.

Once our DC got EMA they didn't get pocket money any more.

DD3 is a t 6th form college and doesn't get EMA because our income is over the limit. We and heher actually think this is unfair as out income isn't much over the limit and know why could we afford to give her £30 a week or the bonus that those getting EMA get every term if they do thier work. What about my DD and others in her situation her always work hard and turn up on time for college. Don't they deserve some recognition/

It's not about recognition for turning up and working hard (though it is expected of those who get the money). The EMA is a benefit paid to those students whose families have a very low or limited income, who might otherwise struggle to stay on at college for sixth form: it helps with the costs of books and equipment and for travel expenses. It helps when the student might consider leaving school with just GCSE's because financially, leaving to get a job, might help support the family more. If a teen leaves after GCSE's they are however more likely to end up on the dole than finding work (particularly at the moment) and it is cheaper to encourage them to stay in education than to pay the dole money for an unemployed and possibly unemployable 16 yr old.

But mostly it is to help those on a low family income to manage those years financially. One of the close mates of one of my kids got EMA and needed every penny to survive and get travel and pay for books. Even with it he had hardly enough money to buy paper and pens - my DC provided some for him - and although he did well in A levels, couldn't afford to go to uni.

The closer you get to the cut-off limit, the less money you get anyway. Only those with a combined parental income of less than £20,000 get the full £30. And that seems fair enough.

DandyDan. Some of my DD's friends have a job and also get EMA and they have far more money than she gets. Also some friends have parents who are seperated. The EMA is given on the income of the parent they are living with but the other parent gives them money.

Well, that's as maybe. If parents are separated, then the EMA cn only take into account the finance figures of the parent they are living with. There will be some account taken of support payments from separated partners, but if people cheat the system by not declaring their separated partner's child-support contributions, that's another issue altogether and nothing to do with the fairness of EMA itself.

Whether a young person has a job has nothing to do with it - it's not calculated on 16- 18 yr olds' earning power, because that is sporadic, limited, not relevant to how much is coming into the family home to actually support the student staying on in eduation. Under-18's in households with a limited income get the money to assist them with the things I have mentioned above. That is fair. You feel your daughter should have more money - does she have a job?

I don't know about overseas students but obviously they are entitled to some assistance if their families cannot provide it.

DD is due to get EMA, by the way, anyone know why she hasn't had a payment yet, all the paperwork has gone in and we have been told she has been accepted.

She also has a job although not sure for how long now that winter is arriving.

I'm really struggling atm, more so than I have ever done, so am pleased she is entitled to this help. I cannot afford to give her pocket money so she pays for nearly everything herself. I will buy her the odd top etc if I have the money.

One of mine hasn't received any of theirs yet either, despite the paperwork being approved and getting all the lessons signed for by teachers. I'm going to ask them to ask at the school finance office about it.
Mine doesn't get pocket money now, and the Saturday job they had has just suddenly come to an end (the place has decided to close down).

This is to allow those who may otherwise not be able to afford it to stay on at college without the pressure of having to work because their family can't afford to subsidise them.i think its greaat

We will check with school office as they said they were sending their part in.

DandyDan. No she doesn't have a job but htat is not for the want of trying, I've lost count oif how many jons she's applied for a how often she has been round to shops and other places in town asking about jobs and giving CV's in. My point is that a lot of her friends get giben allownces by thier parents on top of their EMA and some have jobs aswell. We do give her £30 a month but we can't aford to give her more than that.
The students on EMA do get a bonus every half term for good work so yes it is partly about working hard. I have nothing against those who do get EMA but it's just unfair on those who don't.

Sorry for all my typos. I don't know whats going on this evening.

"why should UK taxpayers fund overseas students when their own children are not entitled to the same benefits"

I agree that there should be something about this Nigerian student that you don't know about. In many other cultures it is often the grandparents who raise the children as the parents emigrate to work. Sometimes children are sent away of the country to keep them safe. Perhaps this child has been living with the grandparent for a long time, and if so, I think is only fair for him to get assistance as he may need it, are you sure that he is an overseas student? what if he was originally from Nigeria but now is a British Citizen? I guess that unless you are totally informed about his situation it would be very bad of you to complain about it.

And please don't chastise international students, the very high fees they pay (4x home fees) sponsor many projects and other home students. There is so much money brought to universities by international students that most universities have full and very active departments dedicated to their recruitment.

Sorry your DD can't get a job - one of my kids had the same: looked for a year and a half before getting anything; the other looked for a year, and some Saturday jobs applied for had over 60 applicants.
Obviously it must 'seem' unfair if other students get EMA but just because some of those students have been lucky enough to get a part-time job, doesn't mean their family income is enough to support further study. There is a financial reason behind it which is fair and sound. The other students I've known who've received it, have been grateful as it has really helped them through hardship.

The bonus for EMA is every term, rather than every half-term.

DandyDan sorry I got that wrong about the bonus. I do know what you mean about helping young people through college and I'm glad that those who deserve it get it, But my DD looks at some of her firends who get given far more money from thier parents then we can aford to give her and thses same young people also get EMA. We just tell her life is unfair sometimes and she is generally very good about it.we have 2 older DD's one who has been through uni and the other one has just started her 2nd year. We don't support DD1 any more but we do suppoer DD2 by contibuting towards her rent. That is partly why I thinl EMA is unfair as it takes no acount of parents supporting other children.

cat64, it is tapered. Those where the household has a total income of approx £25,000-£30,000, get £10 per week. Those from £25,000-£20,000 get £20/week, and those under £20,000 get £30/week.