The University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) has published a statistical release providing core numbers for the January equal consideration deadline 2026. The Council has published a briefing which summarises some of the key headlines for the whole higher education sector as well as for nursing and midwifery. There has been a small decrease (0.7%) in applicants to undergraduate nursing courses across the UK and a small increase (0.9%) in applicants to undergraduate midwifery courses. However, these changes should be set against larger increases in overall application rates, largely driven by the increase in the 18-year-old population.

Ed Hughes, Chief Executive at the Council of Deans of Health, said:

“The latest UCAS data shows some stability in application numbers, although there are geographical differences and variances in applicant demographics. For both nursing and midwifery, there has been a fall in mature students applying, 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.

There has also been a trend over the last few years which shows that mature students apply later in the application cycle as this is not the last opportunity for aspiring healthcare professionals to apply for degree programmes. Our members will continue to work hard over the next few months to recruit students to healthcare programmes that lead to a broad range of fulfilling careers.”