More Flintshire families will qualify for £40-a-week student allowance after Welsh Government threshold rise
Around 1,500 more 16 to 18-year-olds across Wales, including students in Flintshire, will be eligible for a weekly £40 education allowance from September after the Welsh Government raised the household income thresholds that determine who can claim it.
The Education Maintenance Allowance, known as EMA, helps young people in further education cover the cost of travel, meals and study materials.
It is paid to students in sixth form or college, not to parents, and requires attendance requirements to be met.
The income limit for households with one dependent child will rise from £23,400 to £24,570.
For households with two or more dependents, it increases from £25,974 to £27,273.
Both changes take effect from the start of the 2026/27 academic year in September.
The Welsh Government says more than 18,000 students in Wales currently receive EMA.
First Minister Eluned Morgan said the support “can be the difference which enables a young person” to go on to sixth form or college.
Minister for Further and Higher Education Vikki Howells said she had “heard directly from learners about the real difference” EMA had made and urged 16 to 18-year-olds and their families to check whether they qualify.
EMA is a Wales-only scheme.
It was ended in England in 2011 and is available in Scotland and Northern Ireland at £30 a week, £10 less than the Welsh rate.
Applications for EMA for the 2026/27 academic year open on 27 April 2026.
Students and families can check eligibility and apply at the Student Finance Wales website, or speak to their school or college.
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