The following information is provided for those who are interested in studying an undergraduate nursing course at USW:
This guidance will assist you as you prepare to apply for these courses and will outline how your application will be assessed, what will be expected of you and what you can expect from the University.
You will need you to undertake a great deal of research and preparation before you complete and submit your application. Research is crucial as you will need to prove to us, during the application process, why you think we should progress your application once it has been submitted.
We will be looking for evidence that demonstrates that you have a clear understanding of the course you’ve applied for and are able to convince those reviewing your application that your motivations for studying a particular course are based on thorough research and knowledge of the subject.
We strongly advise applicants to focus on a preferred discipline. All applicants must be able to demonstrate an insight and clear understanding of the profession and field choice in their personal statement – multiple choice applications may limit an applicant’s ability to meet this criteria.
An Open Day is a key part of the research process and you will be expected to have attended a University of South Wales Open Day prior to submitting your application.
Find out more about our Open Days.
Applications will not be considered if there are pending GCSE qualifications in Mathematics/Numeracy and English Language – these must be achieved prior to submitting the application. Evidence of competence in English and Mathematics is a requirement of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
The knowledge, skills and experience you have gained through training courses, employment, professional development courses, voluntary work, private study and previous attendance at college and university could be counted toward your degree. The University of South Wales will recognise prior learning if it is up-to-date, relevant to the course for which you are studying and if you can provide convincing evidence for it. For further information or to discuss your options contact us or book onto an Open Day.
Please note from the very start of the application process, your literacy and digital and technological literacy and capabilities will be assessed by your completion of your UCAS form and by you responding to all subsequent electronic communications.
The personal statement is a key aspect of the selection process; it gives you the opportunity to explain to us why you want to do the course you have chosen, what has inspired you to be a Nurse or Midwife, and demonstrate the skills and attributes you have for the field of nursing / midwifery.
If you are re-applying because you have previously been unsuccessful we accept that the basis of your personal statement will remain the same, however, we do expect to see updated information on your experience and/or any qualifications gained since your previous application.
For more information regarding personal statement, please see our How to write a personal statement article. You can also find related articles on the course pages.Your application is assessed against the course entry criteria stated on the website and is checked to ensure that you have adhered to all of the points above. You should also consider the following:
Your application will be rejected if:
It is a requirement of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that we meet all prospective students face-to-face, therefore the interview is a key component of our selection process.
If you are invited to interview we will email you an invitation using the email address provided on your UCAS application form. The invitation will include the date and time of your interview as well as information regarding the documents you are required to bring with you to your interview. If you are currently studying an Access course we do not need your previous qualification certificates.
Please ensure that you have included valid contact details on your application and have added us to your e-mail account as one of your trusted senders to avoid our e-mails being sent to your junk folder.
We require you to confirm by e-mail that you are accepting the interview, stating your full name, the course applied for, and the date and time of the interview. Failure to reply to an interview invitation within the time specified will result in your application being withdrawn and your interview cancelled.
The interview will be face-to-face with a minimum of two interviewers, usually a Lecturer from the field of Nursing or Midwifery that you have applied for and either a clinician or service user. On occasions there may be a colleague shadowing the interviewers so the panel may include three people.
The interview will last approximately 20 minutes and all interviews are Nursing or Midwifery specific so we are looking for you to demonstrate your understanding of the role of the Nurse or Midwife and the attributes you have to personally fulfil this role. Questions will be asked regarding the information you have provided in your personal statement, therefore we advise you to re-read this again in preparation for the interview.
Please remember that you are being interviewed for a professional course and therefore you are expected to dress appropriately.
Interview Tips for Child Nursing
Interview Tips for Adult Nursing
Interview Tips for Learning Disability Nursing
Interview Tips for Mental Health NursingAs we have been unable to continue with face-to-face interviews this year due to restrictions posed by the COVID-19 outbreak, rescheduling interviews has meant that we’ve experienced delays in processing and reviewing applications and informing applicants if they’ve been successful or otherwise. Please bear with us while we process decisions – we will be in touch with you regarding your application as soon as possible. We hope that by the end of April, all students will have received a decision from us on their application. However, please be advised that if you applied after the 26th January UCAS deadline, there may be a further delay in a decision on your application. Thank you for your patience.
Where applications are made by 26th January, the majority of interview decisions will be made by the 31st March and decisions will be communicated via UCAS or through the USW applicant portal. The University is unable to enter into individual correspondence regarding decisions made following an interview. All applications received on or before 26th January are considered equally, however, due to the volume of applications received, and to ensure that all applications are given equal consideration, you may attend an interview in December or January but may not receive your decision until March. If you have not received a decision on your application immediately after interview, this means that the University is still considering your application and a decision will be processed by 31st March once all remaining interviews have taken place. We appreciate your patience during this time and would like to remind you that if you applied through UCAS and have received offers from any other Universities, you will not lose these offers before your UCAS Reply Deadline.
If your application is successful and you are made an offer, you will need to accept this (Firm or Insurance) through UCAS once you have received responses from all of the institutions to which you have applied. If you do not do this by the UCAS deadline given on your Track page, your application will be declined by default and you are likely to lose your place.
If you applied directly to the University, you will need to accept or decline the offer via your MyUSW Applicant Portal.
If you are unsuccessful in your application feedback will be given via UCAS Track. We are unable to give further feedback and will not be releasing any scores from either the personal statement review or the interview.
Prior to making a future application we would advise you to attend an Open Day (even if you have attended one previously) to get further advice.
