The University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) has published a series of data resources as part of the 2025 End of Cycle release. It includes the number of applicants and number of accepted applicants across the higher education sector in the UK and covers statistics based on different applicant demographic characteristics applicants, types of provider and subject.

The statistics show that there has been a slight decrease of 0.7% compared to 2024 in the number of accepted applicants to undergraduate nursing courses to 26,315. There has been an increase of 3.1% compared to 2024 in the number of accepted applicants to undergraduate midwifery courses to 4,140. The Council has produced a briefing summarising this data.

Ed Hughes, CEO at the Council of Deans of Health said:

“The 2025 end of cycle figures show that the number of acceptances onto nursing and midwifery courses in the UK are very comparable to 2023 and 2024. However, there are variations across regions and nations across the UK which impact local workforce needs.

For both nursing and midwifery, the 2025 cycle has again seen a fall in mature students applying and being accepted onto programmes, especially those aged over 25 years. It is concerning that this to see this continuing downward trend and clear that the current incentives for mature students to enter these vital professions are not working. We need concerted action to address this as for some of our underserved communities, mature students will be a large part of the potential future workforce.

The financial implications of entering higher education, especially in the context of a cost of living crisis, are an ongoing factor in student choices. This has a particular impact on healthcare degrees which are intensive courses that see limited opportunities for students to take on part-time work and additional financial burdens such as meeting the upfront costs of travel to placements. The Council will continue to work with members to support student recruitment and retention, to ensure the right workforce is in place to serve local communities and to fulfil national ambitions.

Collaboration across health and education is essential in securing the education workforce and infrastructure needed for universities and colleges to continue to provide high quality programmes.”