Guide to applying for Nursing and Midwifery

When to apply depends on what course and start date you apply for, but for courses starting in September, we recommend you complete your application by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) deadline to ensure it is guaranteed to be considered for your first choice. This deadline is Wednesday 14 January 2026 (for September 2026 entry).

We accept applications throughout the year, but recommend applicants complete their application early and between September and January. You need to apply by 14th January 2026 to ensure your application is guaranteed to be considered. After this date, we can only consider applications while places remain available.

If eligible for interview, you will be invited to book an interview date between October – March or once your application has been assessed. We also regularly hold interviews outside this period for late applications or for those starting in April.

Following your interview, you’ll normally start to receive offers, if successful, from February up until June. Decisions and offers tend to be made shortly after your initial interview but it will depend on the university and they should let you know when you can expect to receive a decision if they are working to a gathered field. Depending on whether you’ve met all the criteria, you’ll either be offered a conditional or unconditional offer but it’s likely to be conditional for Nursing and Midwifery due to the DBS and medical requirements needed for this course which are in addition to any academic criteria.

Once you’ve received your offer of study, it is up to you to confirm your decision and place by replying to the University by the UCAS reply deadline. We’ll send you reminders when to reply. You can choose us as your first choice, insurance or decline. 

Don’t panic! We still accept applications for most courses throughout the year, so don’t worry if you miss the January deadline. You should check the course page for the course you are interested in before applying to see if places are still available. Popular courses will close on 14th January. If there are still vacancies for the course you want to apply for, you can still apply later, the only difference is that your application will no longer be guaranteed equal consideration.

Once you’ve chosen your course, it’s time to get started on your application. To apply for a full-time undergraduate course at a university, you must apply online through UCAS. 

Our UCAS institution code is W01. Course codes are listed on our website. The UCAS website contains lots of helpful information and explains every stage of the application process.

The first step to applying to university is to create an online account on the UCAS website. 

There are a few sections that you will have to complete in this online application and you will be guided through these on the UCAS website. 

Remember to use the correct year of application and ask your school or college for their buzzword as you will need this to apply. Students who are currently not attending a school or college will apply as an individual. 

Remember that if you are applying to multiple universities directly you will need to be very organised in terms of replying to them by certain dates as the emails will not all be displayed in the same place. 

The personal statement is a key aspect of the selection process; it’s your opportunity to explain why you want to study your chosen course, what has inspired you, and to demonstrate the skills and qualities that make you suited to it. UCAS now asks applicants to address three key questions:

1. Why do you want to study this course?
2. What have you done to prepare for it?
3. What else do you want universities to know about you?

Alongside these, USW look for five key themes in your statement. Ensuring you’ve clearly covered these will strengthen your application.

Read our tips on how to perfect your Personal Statement.

Once we’ve checked and confirmed your eligibility for the course, we will send you an email inviting you to book an interview. You will be directed to book a date and time on our website. There will be a number of choices available, including the option to attend online or in person. 

If you’re not able to attend any of the interview dates available, or have booked but need to reschedule, you can contact our Admissions Team (email: [email protected]) who will help find a suitable date for you.

The interview panel will consist of a lecturer and clinician and, in many cases, we also invite service-users to be part of our interview panel. As you would expect, you’ll be asked a series of questions about your chosen field, your understanding of the role, and the qualities needed by a nurse or midwife.

Understanding of the profession 

• What do you think a nurse does?  
• Have you spoken up on someone’s behalf, especially if they had concerns?   
• How does it make you feel when you hear of people being mistreated?  

Motivations for entering the profession 

• Why do you want to become a qualified nurse or midwife?   
• What inspired you to consider this profession? 
• Why do you think you are well-suited to become a future nurse or midwife? 

Understanding of the course and its demands 

• What parts of the course do you think you will find most challenging?   
• What are you looking forward to most about the course?  
• Where are you hoping to make the biggest difference? Why?  

Awareness of professional responsibilities and values 

• What qualities do you need to be professional?  
• What do you do that demonstrates professional behaviour? 
• How do your values align with those of the NHS, and how do you demonstrate those values?