Applications to study nursing in England at ‘new low’

Applications to study nursing in England are at the lowest levels recorded since 2019, latest data from the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) has revealed.

Some 41,890 applications to study nursing across the UK have been received before the 30 June deadline – a marginal increase from 41,520 in 2024.

Nursing applications made before the 30 June deadline vary across the four nations, with England being the only country to report a fall. Further applications can and are likely to be made in the clearing process post-exam results.

In England, there were 33,450 applicants – down 0.3% since 2024.

While the decline was bigger (-8%) between 2023 and 2024, the figures show that applications in England are at the lowest they have been since before the Covid pandemic in 2019.

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary and chief executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said the situation was putting the government’s recent 10-year plan for the NHS at risk, especially its plans to increase domestic nurse recruitment.

‘As ministers talk up increasing domestic nurse recruitment, today we see applicants [in England] fall to a new low,’ she said.

‘These figures are devastating news for the 10 Year Health Plan and alarm bells should be ringing in government.

‘You simply cannot transform care while a broken education model chokes off growth and puts off the nurses of the future.’

Professor Ranger added that ministers should have prioritised improving domestic nurse numbers before cutting overseas recruitment and ‘leaving patients adrift’.

‘The success of the government’s reforms, and the very safety of patients, now rests on ministers delivering a workforce plan worthy of the name, with fully funded measures to supercharge domestic recruitment,’ she added.

Separately, this year, Scotland saw a small rise in applications, with only 10 more applications in 2025 compared with 2024, from 6,040 to 6,050.

The figures also show that the number of applicants for nursing courses in Scotland is down by 17% when compared to the levels of applicants before the pandemic.

Colin Poolman, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland executive director described the findings as ‘extremely worrying’ and a ‘desperate situation’.

‘This flatlining in the number of applications at this stage in the cycle is an extremely worrying trend that Scottish Government needs to reverse,’ he said.

‘Scotland does not have the number of nurses now that it needs to meet the demand for care.

‘Thousands of registered nurses are missing from health and social care teams across Scotland, impacting on the quality and safety of patient care,’ Mr Poolman said.

In Wales, there was a 13% rise in applications, from 3,870 last year to 4,370 in 2025.

RCN Wales education and lifelong learning advisor Rachel Hadland said the increase comes at a ‘crucial time’ when Wales must focus on expanding its workforce and tackling vacancies.

She said that while higher application rates were welcome, ‘we will need to look closely at the acceptance data in August to see how many students take up places to study nursing in Wales’, especially following concerns about the potential to end nurse education at Cardiff University.

‘Only that acceptance data will tell us what impact this will have had on applicants’ decision making,’ Ms Hadland said.

She stressed that improved pay and conditions were vital for bringing more people into nursing careers.

‘These latest UCAS figures underscore the need for the Welsh Government to continue to invest meaningfully in the nursing profession,’ she said.

‘This means not only fair pay and flexibility, but also strong career progression opportunities and a culture of continued professional development. These are essential to attract and retain talent.’

In Northern Ireland, there were 2,370 applications in 2025, up 2% from 2,320 in 2024.

Total applications to study nursing across the UK this year are much lower than peaks seen during the pandemic of 56,630 in 2021 and 52,150 in 2022.

Slight increase in younger applicants

There was a small rise in those aged 17 and under, and those aged 18 applying to study nursing in 2025 compared to the year before.

In 2024, 340 17-year-olds applied to study nursing in the UK in 2025, up from 310 in 2024.

There was an 9% rise among those aged 18 – with 11,900 in 2025 compared to 10,950 in 2024.

This year also saw an 8% rise in applications from 19-year-olds – with 4,900 in 2025 compared to 5,290 in 2024.

Decline in older applications

At the same time, the number of applications from older students appears to have fallen – with an 11% decrease in applications from those aged 30 to 34 between 2024 to 2025. There were 3,550 applications in 2024, above the 3,170 seen in 2025.

Applications from those aged 35 and over also fell 9% – from 9,660 in 2024 and 8,780 in 2025.

This is despite last month’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) data showing that nurses are joining the register later than ever before.

Earlier in July, the government launched its long-awaited 10-year health plan for the NHS which included major plans for the nursing profession, from leading neighbourhood health services to expanding community nurse consultant posts.

Last month, Nursing in Practice exclusively reported that England’s domestic supply of learning disability nurses is projected to end by 2028.

At RCN Congress in May, nurses warned of the ‘incredibly miserable’ consequences of the government’s plan to ban the recruitment of care workers from overseas.