We welcome students of all ages into nursing and midwifery, in fact more than 50% of students on our nursing and midwifery courses are aged over 21, and around 25% are over 30. So if you’re coming back to education, don’t worry, there’s plenty of advice and support available.

Fees and funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. 

Full information about fees and funding can be found on each of the course pages.

Already have a degree?

We’re often asked if students who have already studied for a degree can still receive the Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (NMSB) for students normally domiciled in Scotland. If your previous degree was not related to nursing/midwifery you should still be eligible for this bursary. For further information please visit the SAAS website.

Students with dependants

If you have children or any other dependants, there is further SAAS funding available for students normally domiciled in Scotland. This includes Dependant’s Allowance, Single Parent’s Allowance and Childcare Allowance for Parents. Full information can be found on the SAAS website.

Entry requirements

Full information about entry requirements can be found on each of the course pages.

With the exception of a degree, any qualifications you have must have been taken within the last 5 years. We will consider older qualifications if you have at least 1 year’s full-time or 2 years’ part-time work experience in a related role, such as a care support worker. In this case, once you receive your offer, following your interview, we will send details about refresher modules in biology and numeracy that you will be required to take.

If your qualifications are more than 5 years old and you do not have a degree or relevant work experience, we suggest going to college to do a related Higher National Certificate or Access Course first.

Access courses

Edinburgh Napier University has Partnership Agreements with 4 local Further Education Colleges – Borders, Edinburgh, Fife and West Lothian Colleges, who run courses for entry to Adult, Learning Disability, Child and Mental Health Nursing. Over 100 students study preparation to nursing and midwifery courses at our partner colleges each year.

All students attending our Access to Nursing course within our partnership colleges (excluding Edinburgh College) are required to pass the internally assessed graded units with overall profile grades BBC. For Edinburgh College, internally assessed units are not graded, so applicants would be required to pass all internally assessed units.

Students on Access to Nursing courses are not considered for the midwifery  course. Please see the Entry Requirements section of our Midwifery course page for further information of what we do accept for entry onto this course.

Managing study with a family

Our nursing and midwifery courses are all full time courses. 50% of your time is spent learning theory at university/online and 50% of your time will be spent on practice placements.

Placements can be challenging for students with children or other caring responsibilities. You will be expected to work the same core shifts as the team with which you’re working, and this can involve weekend work and night shifts. These placements are mandatory and we cannot make individual adjustments due to childcare. There is however extra funding to help with the costs of childcare, outlined above. Depending on the field of nursing you choose, placements may not always be in Lothian so some travelling should also be expected.

We have many nursing and midwifery students in this position who successfully complete our courses, sometimes with the help of the financial support outlined above as well as the student support offered by the University. 

Student Support

Here at Edinburgh Napier, we offer a wide range of student support to help you fulfil your potential, keep healthy and make the most of your time with us. 
When you begin your nursing or midwifery studies with us, you will be given a personal development tutor who will work with you for the duration of your course, for both personal and professional support. Our dedicated Student Support Teams are also there to listen, offer guidance and point you in the right direction. Find out more about the wide range of student support available.

We have a large and diverse cohort of nursing and midwifery students, so you’re likely to meet people in similar circumstances who you’ll get on with. We know peer support is also key for our students, throughout your studies and beyond