Applications to study nursing in the UK have slumped to their lowest level since records began, prompting renewed warnings over NHS staffing.
The most recent figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service show 37,170 applications to study nursing in 2025 — a 30% drop compared with 2021, when figures peaked at 53,280.
The data to the end of June showed a continued downward trend since the current collection methods began in 2019.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) described the figures as “devastating news for the 10-Year Health Plan” and urged the government to “get a grip” on the staffing crisis.
‘New Deal’ for Students Needed
“Students can see that nursing is one of the most undervalued professions in the NHS,” said Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary and chief executive.
“Those pursuing the career face poverty during study and sky-high debt on graduation, only to endure low pay and a lack of career progression once they start work. This cannot go on.”
Ranger called for “a new deal for nursing students” to tackle the crisis. This should include “loan forgiveness for those who commit to working in the NHS and public services, alongside universal, uplifted maintenance grants, and guaranteed jobs after graduation.”
The RCN is currently consulting its 345,000 members on whether this year’s 3.6% pay award is sufficient, with the ballot due to close this weekend.
The college recently published an analysis showing that starting salaries for nurses are now £8000 lower than they would be if wages had kept pace with inflation since 2010.
Challenging Stereotypes
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is hoping to increase the appeal of a career in nursing for young people through its This Nurse Can campaign. The initiative highlights the breadth of nursing careers on offer and challenges stereotypes about the profession.
It features nurses working in diverse roles, including air ambulance services, cruise ships, and ophthalmology.
Simon Rose, a paramedic and UEA’s director of admissions and recruitment, launched the campaign after becoming concerned by the year-on-year decline in applications to study nursing, as well as regional figures showing a sharper drop than the national trend.
While working as a paramedic, he quickly discovered “there are quite fixed views of what a paramedic and what a nurse is,” he told Medscape News UK.
“Nurses are often seen as working on a ward or in a hospital and while that can be true, careers in nursing have really expanded. I don’t think people are necessarily aware of the diverse range of employment options there is.”
UEA has already seen higher engagement at open days, although Rose said it was too early to judge whether applications would rise.
“What we have had over the last 3 or 4 years is year-on-year decreases and failing to hit our targets,” he added. “Sometimes, when you’re in a year-on-year deficit, just to hit target is a result and we’re forecasting for this at the minute. But if you have a year where there is an issue with A-level grades, for example, that can change everything. Admissions is quite a difficult one to predict at this stage.”
Early Engagement Matters
Lorna Mayles, the RCN’s professional lead for students, described the decline in applications as “really disheartening.”
She said that student members enjoy working alongside registered nurses and appreciate the variety of placements on offer, ranging from residential care and schools to hospitals and GP practices.
“Nursing is such an incredible career, and it offers many opportunities,” Mayles said. “It’s important we break down some of those stereotypes that exist in the media that can portray nurses as being women in uniform.”
She added: “Anyone can be a nurse. You can come from a diverse background or enter nursing as a second career. It’s a career that is open to everyone.”
Mayles thinks more should be done to promote nursing to children — even in primary schools. “We need to get people thinking much earlier that nursing is a potential career opportunity,” she said. “It’s spreading the word on that positivity much earlier than we currently are.”
Calls for Financial Support
One possible solution could be a scheme similar to the NHS Wales Bursary, which offers financial support for tuition fees. It also provides a contribution towards living costs for UK students who enrol in an eligible healthcare course, such as nursing in Wales. Students must commit in advance to work in the NHS in Wales for 2 years (for degree students) or 18 months (for diploma students) after they qualify.
“I don’t necessarily see a situation where our current government would return to fully funding courses in England,” said Rose. “Yet, if the NHS could offer a similar initiative to NHS Wales — where nurses would be coming into the NHS for a guaranteed number of years — this would surely be an investment worth supporting.”
Julie Penfold is a freelance journalist specialising in healthcare and medical content. Her work regularly appears in titles such as Medscape, Doctors.net.uk, and Hospital Healthcare Europe.