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Nursing courses

Step 1: Choosing courses

Applications

You apply for nursing courses, whether at diploma or degree level, through UCAS.

You can choose up to five courses and can select a combination of degrees and diplomas. Use Course Search to find available courses.

Check the when to apply page to make sure that you apply by the relevant deadline. Some courses have earlier start dates than others, for example, some diploma courses can start as early as January. If you want to apply for a course that starts before September, you must check with the universities and colleges if you need to apply before the 15 January deadline.

CoursesSmiling students

Nursing courses vary between universities and colleges, but all higher education courses help to prepare candidates for admission to a relevant part of the NMC Professional Register. The degree courses, whilst covering the standard nursing practice and education, also incorporate areas of academic discipline such as psychology, sociology, biology and physiology not included in the diploma curriculum. Contact individual universities and colleges for further details.

New entrants to the nursing profession from September 2013 will have to study a degree. However, diploma courses will be phased out between September 2011 and early 2013. For example, some universities will only offer the new degree programme from September 2011, where others will continue to offer the diploma and current degree programmes throughout 2011 and 2012. By September 2013, all nursing programmes will be degree-only.

Find out more about degrees and diplomas on the NHS Careers website.

Click here if you are an international applicant applying for a nursing or midwifery diploma. (This will take you to the choices section of this website.)

Welsh-funded nursing programmes and cccupational therapy courses in North Wales and Operating Department Practice (ODP) courses across Wales

The National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare (NLIAH) is currently running a review of courses in all fields of nurse education (adult, learning disabilities, mental health and child health) and occupational therapy courses at institutions in North Wales, and all Wales Operating Department Practice (ODP) courses for entry in September 2013.

NLIAH is doing this to ensure that students receive the highest quality education and are well prepared to enter the workforce once qualified.

Whilst this review process is taking place, universities are advertising these courses on the UCAS website as normal and you should continue to submit your application in line with the UCAS timetable. NLIAH will inform universities of the outcome of this review process by the end of January 2013, at which time they will know how many places will be available for entry in September 2013.

If, as a result of this review, the course you have selected will no longer be running at your choice of university in September 2013, you will be given the opportunity to transfer your application to another NLIAH-selected university, or make a different course choice at another university. You will be informed in the new year if your course choice has been affected by the NLIAH review.

If you have already been offered a deferred place for September 2013 and your university of choice can no longer offer this course, you will be given the opportunity to transfer your place to another institution.

Guide to nursing, healthcare and social work

The UCAS Guide to getting into nursing, healthcare and social work publication can help you apply for courses. It includes:

  • information on trends, salaries and working conditions, as well as graduate destinations
  • case studies
  • advice on entry routes and qualifications
  • the UCAS applicant journey
  • course data
  • how to interpret subject rankings, and information on the pros and cons of league tables and how best to use them

To order a copy of the guide visit our online bookstore.