New Ucas data shows that a record number of students were accepted onto medicine courses last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 10,625 people were accepted to study medicine at UK universities in 2020, meaning that the number of students accepted onto medicine courses has risen by more than one third since 2017 - when 7,750 were accepted.  

The admissions body said that the increase comes against the backdrop of an expansion of medical places over the past few years. The demand for nursing places has shot back up to above 60,000 for the first time since the government scrapped bursaries in 2017, requiring nurses to pay full tuition fees. In 2019, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said all nursing courses on students from September 2020 would receive a £5,000 a year grant, with additional payments of up to £3,000 are available for students in regions or specialisms struggling to recruit.

The number of yearly nursing applicants had dropped to under 55,000 between 2017 and 2019, having not dipped below 60,000 for years. A total of 62,920 applicants made a nursing choice in 2020. Ucas said that, while this figure was around the same level as 2011, acceptances onto courses were 57 per cent higher.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the NHS had a shortage of around 40,000 nurses.