Medical students are finally getting the financial help they've been after for years.

The Government's announced they'll extend the student loan support available, from the previous cap of seven years, to eight.

The extension applies for those studying long-term programmes, in medicine, optometry, dentistry, and veterinary science.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said it's a response to growing student numbers.

"In this particular instance, as I said, because of the extra number of graduate entry medical students, because of the increased number of students that were training we've decided it can be possible to make a change and we've done it."

Despite this, Mr Joyce warns it's unlikely to be extended to other students.

"I'm never saying never - but I think we're in broadly the right space.

The calls continue, however, for the cap to be lifted entirely.  

Labour's health spokesperson Annette King said this change is a good start, but more needs to happen.  

"We're talking students that are at the very end of a very long study.  The idea that they would want to muck around for more years, I think, is fanciful."