Education

Demand for UK nursing degrees rises by a third in pandemic


The Covid pandemic has inspired a new generation of students to become nurses, with a third more applying to study the subject at university than last year, though professional leaders say the rise only brings numbers back to the level of five years ago.

Figures show that applications to enrol in nursing degrees have reached more than 60,000, a rebound after years of decline following the removal of government support for tuition fees and living costs.

Mike Adams, a director of the Royal College of Nursing, said the increase was still insufficient to fill tens of thousands of NHS nursing vacancies. “This starts by providing full tuition funding and living cost support to make sure none of these students are forced to leave because of financial pressures,” he said.

Nursing is especially popular among mature students, where there was a 39% rise in applications. But there were increases in applications across all age groups in the UK, with a record 16,560 applications from 18-year-old school leavers, an increase of 27%.

The rise in nursing applications is part of an overall increase in applications to start undergraduate courses in the UK from September, according to figures from Ucas, the university admissions service.

Overall applications rose by 8% to reach a record 616,360 before the deadline for universities to consider applications equally. Last year 161,000 applications were received after the initial deadline.

There was strong demand from mature applicants aged 21 and over, with numbers rising by 24%, reflecting a trend identified by Ucas towards older age groups opting for further education during periods of economic slowdown.

Despite a chaotic year in which students across the UK have voiced anger with their universities’ and the government’s handling of the pandemic, applications from British 18-year-olds increased by 11%, to reach nearly 43% of the age group for the first time.

Clare Marchant, the Ucas chief executive, said applicants should not be concerned about increased competition for places. “We expect offer rates to remain at the high levels of recent years as universities and colleges have several months to plan and be flexible to accommodate the increase in applicants.”

EU student applications plummeted by 40% following the UK’s withdrawal from the bloc in January, which will require them to pay higher international fees rather than domestic fees at UK universities.

This is a particular concern in Scotland, where EU students were previously eligible for free tuition. The popularity of some universities among EU applicants helped their courses remain viable.

Universities are awaiting a Scottish government announcement on whether it will redirect some of the £92m that previously underwrote EU fees towards scholarships, with the result that some have not yet announced what fees they will charge for 2021/22.

The University of Aberdeen, which has the highest proportion of EU students in the UK, has unveiled its own £8,000 annual scholarship.

Alastair Sim, the chief executive of Universities Scotland, said: “The drop in EU student numbers is not as dramatic as many feared, although we don’t know how this will impact individual universities and courses. This makes the need for scholarships for EU students from the Scottish government even more vital.”

Peter Mathieson, a vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said a significant proportion of EU applicants and students shared the same status as British students, owing to relatives with UK residency or citizenship, enabling them to be eligible for domestic fees of £9,250 rather than higher international fees.

The Ucas data showed strong demand from international students outside the EU despite the pandemic, with applicants rising by 17% to reach a record 85,610.

Nick Hillman, the head of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said: “The warmer approach from the government towards international students is having a positive effect on demand, particularly from India, which is long overdue.”



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