This insightful blog by Andrew Lelliott, Qualified Registered Adult Nurse In Recovery/Anaesthetic, highlights the urgent need for UK universities to better support mature healthcare students, who often juggle family, work, and financial pressures while pursuing demanding degrees. Drawing on personal experience, it champions flexible course models—like Swansea University’s innovative nursing programme—as key to unlocking the potential of this vital and under-supported group.

Universities in the UK have made steps to welcome and support mature students into healthcare courses, but from my experience as an ex-nursing student (now a qualified nurse), there’s a lot more that could be done to help people like us thrive in these demanding programmes.

Starting or returning to education as a mature student is a big commitment, often involving a complex balancing act of childcare, employment, caring responsibilities and the demands of family life.

My route to studying my adult nursing degree was via a funded route from the Health Education in Wales (HEIW), which funded a small amount of Health Care Support Workers to study their nursing degree, part time whilst also working in their Health care support worker roles. The benefit of this, was receiving my Health Care Support Worker salary whilst studying. This reduced the financial burden that so many students I met whilst on placement were experiencing, whilst studying full time health related courses. There’s a misconception that mature students have more resources or stability, but in reality, many students had to leave secure jobs to train in their health care related roles, and often fell through the cracks of traditional funding arrangements. Additionally, I frequently met mature students who were studying full time and running jobs alongside. This led to many missing out on quality time with their families and the risk of burning out. The stress of keeping up with bills while working long placement shifts was very real. Universities could do more by providing targeted bursaries or flexible hardship funds for mature students, so they are not forced to choose between completing the course and supporting their families.

One recent positive development is the introduction of Swansea University’s flexible nursing degree. This course was developed and rolled out in 2024, shows exactly the kind of innovation that could benefit so many mature students. Designed with shorter study weeks, timetabling aligned with school terms, and placements that take personal circumstances into account, it removes so many of the logistical barriers that make nursing inaccessible if you have commitments at home, but also being mindful of the commitment to our future careers in the professional field. I only wish this had been available sooner, and it’s a model I’d love to see rolled out in more universities across the UK.

Beyond structural changes, practical support like early releases of timetables, access to on-site childcare, and mature students’ support groups would help foster a sense of belonging and make it easier to manage the competing demands of home, work, and study.

If the healthcare workforce is to keep pace with demand, it’s crucial that universities recognise the strengths and circumstances of mature students. Adopting models like Swansea University’s flexible route to nursing is a promising start, and with more innovation, the path into nursing and healthcare can become accessible to a wider, more experienced cohort of people who bring both passion and invaluable life experience to healthcare professions.