Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has revealed that postgraduate students will soon be able to access substantially higher tuition fee loans.

The current maximum loan of £6,500 available to students from the north is set to increase to £10,000.

This 54% uplift, which follows a recent public consultation, is scheduled to take effect from the 2026/27 academic year and aims to help more students meet the full cost of their tuition. The Minister said: "Despite the financial pressures my Department is under I'm determined to keep education as affordable as possible. To that end my Department has kept student fees at half the level of Britain and previously increased student maintenance loans by 20%. Today I am announcing a 54% increase in loans for Postgraduate students. This will enable more students to undertake postgraduate study and gain the higher-level skills that are vital for the growth and productivity of our economy."

Ben Friel, President of NUS-USI, welcomed the news: "Making higher education more accessible and affordable can only ever be a positive, for students, for universities and for Northern Ireland. Today's announcement will be welcome relief to many students who strive to pursue professions which require a postgraduate degree but may have been fearful due to experiencing the financial pressures of completing their undergraduate course.

"Finance should never be a barrier to those who are ambitious and capable of furthering their education no matter the level of study. As more students are able to access postgraduate courses, it is also important that they are supported with the cost of living while studying.

"We look forward to engaging with the Department during the upcoming Higher Education Funding Review to ensure students have the support they need to succeed."