ASUU Strike: Nigerian Nursing students and other courses Statistics in UK 2022
The number of Nigerians and Nigerian Nursing students studying for a degree in the UK due to ASUU strike trebled in just eight years, according to new statistics.
The number of applications for nursing courses has surged by almost a third (32%), statistics from the university admissions service show.
Ucas chief executive Clare Marchant said “inspiring stories” from wards over the past year has led to more people wanting to pursue a career in nursing.
The latest Ucas figures – which show the numbers applying to start undergraduate courses by the main January 29 application deadline – reveal that the number of applicants for nursing rose to 60,130.
There have been rises in each age group, with the number of UK school-leavers opting for nursing increasing by 27% from last year to a record 16,560.
Enrolment data collected from 183 recognized higher education providers in the UK has shown that Nigeria remains one of the most popular countries of origin for African students enrolled in British universities.
There are many universities in the UK, but Nigerian students seem to prefer the most some of them. According to enrollment data, universities which had most students from Nigeria were the University of Hertfordshire, the University of Salford, the Robert Gordon University, the University of Portsmouth and the University of Leeds.
Postgraduate degrees were more populated by Nigerian students during the past academic year, statistics further shows. But the gap in the percentage share between undergraduate and postgraduate students was small; there were 5,925 students studying for a postgraduate degree while 4,615 students were pursuing undergraduate degrees.
The latest data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in the UK (HESA) shows that 17,640 Nigerians enrolled to study at UK universities during 2011/12 compared to 5,385 for 2003/04.
Nottingham Trent University, based in Nottingham in the East Midlands in England, now has nearly double the number of Nigerian students and Nigerian nursing students compared to two years ago. For the academic year 2013/14, 64 Nigerians enrolled at the university, compared to 38 in 2011/12.
Among those to enrol were siblings Olufunmilayo Odeyemi, 19, Fehintola Odeyemi, 21, and Olurotimi Odeyemi, 23, who were all born and raised in Kaduna.
Olufunmilayo is currently studying for a degree in product design, while Fehintola and Olurotimi have both graduated with degrees in architecture.
They all undertook a foundation course at Nottingham Trent International College, which is based at the university’s campus in Nottingham city centre, to give them a good grounding for their degrees.
Olufunmilayo, known as Funmi, said: “The best thing about studying in the UK is that you get to meet so many different people.
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“It’s a real experience and I have learned much more than I ever imagined. Not only that, but I love football and have been to watch my favourite team, Manchester United, play in the Premier League.”
Older sister Fehintola said: “The lifestyle is very different in the UK compared to Nigeria. What you say, how you dress and the way you interact with people is very different from home. It has been a real experience.
“I plan to do a masters degree in architecture which will lead to me being qualified with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Once I have this, I would like to come home to Nigeria and move to Lagos to work in an architectural firm.”
Nursing Media Network 