Applications to undergraduate nursing degrees in England have fallen by 13%, according to figures published today by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
A total of 29,390 people applied for a nursing course at the time of the 15 January 2018 deadline, compared to 33,810 in January 2017.
It is the second consecutive year since the scrapping of the nursing bursary that applications to nursing undergraduate courses have fallen.
The biggest drop was seen in the mature students – those aged 25-29 (19%), those over 35 (17%), and those aged 30-34 (16%).
Applications have also dropped in Northern Ireland and Wales, by 6% and 2% respectively compared to January 2017, while applicants from the EU have fallen by 9%.
But there was a 13% increase in the number of applicants from non-EU countries – increasing to a total of 450 – compared to this time last year.
The figures follow the UCAS end of cycle report in December, which reported on applications as of September 2017, describing the fall in people wanting to take a nursing undergraduate course as ‘the biggest on record’.
| Place of applicant | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| England | 43,800 | 33,810 | 29,390 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,700 | 2,510 | 2,350 |
| Scotland | 4,800 | 4,630 | 4,820 |
| Wales | 2,970 | 2,640 | 2,590 |
| EU (excluding UK) | 1,480 | 1,110 | 1,010 |
| Non-EU | 340 | 400 | 450 |
Source: UCAS summary statistics of nursing applicants (2018 cycle applicant figures)
