Made on 19 March 2026 and coming into operation on 10 April 2026, the Education (Student Support) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 (S.R. 2026 No. 56) update the Education (Student Support) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009. New payment rates apply for any academic year beginning on or after 1 August 2026. (niassembly.gov.uk)
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) are extended to students undertaking exam or assessment only activity. This is achieved by amending regulation 41(1) so that support can be awarded for the “attendance on or undertaking of” a course, removing ambiguity around assessment‑only enrolments. (niassembly.gov.uk)
Alongside the eligibility change, the annual DSA maximum (excluding travel) increases from £25,000 to £27,500. The uplift applies across provisions for full‑time students (regulation 42(2)(a)), distance learners (regulation 112(6)(a)), part‑time students (regulation 130(5)(a)) and eligible postgraduates (regulation 146(2)(a)). (niassembly.gov.uk)
Redundant cross‑references are removed. The term “Scottish healthcare allowance” is deleted from the definitions and related provisions, and an outdated reference to the Regional Health and Social Care Board in regulation 39(6)(e)(i) is omitted. These are tidying amendments with no policy effect. (niassembly.gov.uk)
A new paragraph is inserted into regulation 59 to confirm that current system students on graduate entry courses do not qualify for the special support grant. The change aligns treatment with the maintenance grant, removing scope for inconsistent outcomes. (niassembly.gov.uk)
The Schedule updates a wide range of figures across the 2009 Regulations. Illustrative examples include amounts moving from £9,535 to £9,790 and from £4,855 to £4,985 under regulation 25, and revised figures under regulations 66 and 67 from £6,300 to £6,471 and from £11,391 to £11,699 respectively. (niassembly.gov.uk)
Further uprating applies to multiple support elements and thresholds, with substitutions spanning regulations 58, 60, 69, 110A, 117, 127A, 135 and Schedule 5. Providers and assessors should review the Schedule line‑by‑line to map changes into operational systems for 2026/27 starts. (niassembly.gov.uk)
A technical correction is made by revoking regulation 22 of the Education (Student Support, etc.) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025. This resolves a drafting issue from last year’s instrument and clarifies the intended effect. (niassembly.gov.uk)
For students, the practical effects are clear: assessment‑only students may access DSA subject to needs assessment; those on graduate entry courses should note the explicit exclusion from the special support grant; and uprated figures will flow through 2026/27 awards once local assessments are completed. (niassembly.gov.uk)
For higher education providers and Student Finance NI, the immediate actions are to update eligibility guidance, adviser scripts and calculators, configure the new £27,500 DSA ceiling, and implement the Schedule’s revised figures for courses beginning on or after 1 August 2026. Compliance teams should log the 10 April 2026 commencement date. (niassembly.gov.uk)