Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Applications for the admission tests for the Bachelor's Degree in Nursing are growing again. Tests will be held on Wednesday, September 16th in Italian and the following day in English. This year, three new master's degrees will also be introduced: Primary Care and Family and Community Nursing, Intensive and Emergency Care, and Neonatal and Pediatric Care.
According to initial estimates, the increase in applications—a national average—was 15% compared to 2025, when there had been a decline, partly due to the new rules for admission to medical school with the introduction of the filter semester. This year's recovery could also help the National Health Service, which is chronically short of professionals.
According to the still-undefinitive data analyzed by Adnkronos Salute, at least 21.500 applications have been received so far for the Nursing exams out of 20.676 available places. The good news is that the number of requests is finally once again exceeding the number of available places, especially in the South and in smaller towns in the North.
Given that the data is not yet definitive, industry insiders hope to exceed 22-23 applications. Last year, there were 18.836 applications for 20.409 positions, a figure that raised concerns about the negative impact of qualified nurses on the National Health System in the coming years.
How did this turnaround come about? More facts: the filter semester in medical school, which seems to have been 'digested' by students; universities, regional governments, and provincial nursing associations have worked hard to boost recruitment, with initiatives in high schools and enrollment incentives; and the media's work has highlighted the need to increase the number of nurses. Even the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, speaking last May at the International Nurses Day celebrations promoted by FNOPI (National Federation of Nursing Professions) in Rome, praised the profession: "Your daily work is a firm point of reference in the life of the entire community. You are champions of rights enshrined in the Constitution. Caring for the person—caring for them—and not just the illness—is a change of perspective, which we perceive as a more mature and informed commitment to society." Regarding the problem of shortages, Mattarella emphasized that "this is an unavoidable issue and one that calls for training and consideration of the centrality of this function. Because this function, its centrality, is essential to the proper functioning of our society as a whole."
However, data analysis still reveals some uncertainties: the best results are in Southern Italy and in smaller towns in the North, while in large cities, many positions remain vacant. Some examples: At the Federico II University of Naples, there are 1.013 applications for 510 available positions, double the number; at the University of Cagliari, there are 523 candidates for 164 available positions, triple the number; at the University of Chieti, there are 393 applications for 253 positions; in Cosenza, 382 applications for 182 positions; in Udine, 292 applications for 204 positions, almost 100 more than last year; at the University of Eastern Piedmont, 452 applications for 426 positions, a ratio here of almost 1:1, but last year there were 315 applications. A significant leap. And what about large cities? If we look at the numbers for Rome, where there are many positions to fill and there are also private universities, the situation is different. Sapienza University improved last year's figure by 300 applications, but still received 1.351 applications for 2.545 available places. There are fewer applicants than available places. At Tor Vergata University, despite having reduced the number of places to 725, only 583 applications were received, in line with last year but still insufficient to cover the required number.
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