Tiny rise in number of nursing applications in Scotland is worrying, says RCN

The Scottish Government must reverse an “extremely worrying trend” that showed no significant increase in the number of applicants for nursing courses beginning this academic year, a nursing college has said.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the number of people applying for a nursing course in Scotland has barely changed when compared with 2024, and is down by 17% when compared with the level of applicants before the pandemic.

As of the June deadline for applications beginning in August, 6,050 people had applied to study nursing in Scotland, a tiny increase on last year’s 6,040 applicants, and a decline when compared with 7,290 in 2019.

Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland executive director, said: “Nursing is a fantastic career, but these figures suggest getting this message across to potential applicants is getting harder and harder.

“For anyone considering nursing as a career, but who thinks they have missed the opportunity to apply this year, be reassured that universities across Scotland are still accepting applications.

“This flatlining in the number of applications at this stage in the cycle is an extremely worrying trend that the Scottish Government needs to reverse. Scotland does not have the number of nurses now that it needs to meet the demand for care.

“Thousands of registered nurses are missing from health and social care teams across Scotland, impacting on the quality and safety of patient care.”

He added: “This is a desperate situation. The Scottish Government must take urgent action now and make investment focused on addressing the nursing workforce shortages.

“This means a timely and fully-funded implementation of the nursing and midwifery taskforce’s recommendations published in February.”

Health secretary Neil Gray said: “Anyone still wanting to apply to university this year can still apply – clearing is open and there are places available.

“The Scottish Government is working with stakeholders as part of the nursing and midwifery taskforce to consider attraction and retention of staff and students.

“Taskforce recommendations were published earlier this year and included recommendations around developing alternative routes to widen access into nursing and midwifery educational pathways.”