The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales welcomes the latest figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) for the 2025 nursing application and acceptance cycle.
The data shows a 14% increase in the number of applicants for nursing courses in Wales, rising from 3,050 to 3,480. While this increase is encouraging, it must be viewed in the broader context of a longer-term decline in applications. Since 2021, nursing applicant numbers in Wales have fallen by 15%, from 4,090 to the current level.
Helen Whyley, Executive Director of RCN Wales, said:
“This increase in applications is a positive step, but we remain deeply concerned about the long-term decline in nursing applicants in Wales. The health care system is already under immense pressure, and without sustained investment in nursing education, we risk deepening the workforce crisis.
"RCN Wales is also alarmed by Cardiff University’s current proposals to close its School of Nursing. Any reduction in nursing education provision would have significant implications for the future workforce and the ability to meet healthcare needs across Wales.”
“We urge Cardiff University and policymakers to prioritise investment in nursing education and ensure that opportunities for aspiring nurses are expanded rather than reduced,”
"Additionally, while the commissioning figures for nurse education places in Wales have remained steady, they have not increased to the levels RCN Wales has called for. To truly address the workforce crisis, it is essential that Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) increases the number of commissioned places to meet the growing demand for skilled nurses in our health and care system."
Helen Whyley added: “RCN Wales will continue to advocate for sustained investment in nursing education, ensuring that Wales has a well-supported, well-educated nursing workforce now and in the future. The RCN urges the Welsh government, universities, and health leaders to work together to secure the long-term sustainability of nursing education and protect the future of the profession.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world with over half a million members in the UK, including around 30,500 members in Wales. The RCN promotes the interests of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape health care policy
For more information, contact the RCN Wales communications and media team on 02920 680 769 or mediawales@rcn.org.uk
