Overview

• Universities offered 20,699 places for 2025/26 but received 19,298 applications, with final enrollments expected to be lower.
• The shortfall is most acute in the North, with Veneto reporting steep gaps such as 744 enrollees for 1,150 places in Padova and 503 for 830 in Verona, leaving some sites roughly 40% vacant.
• Fnopi and unions cite low wages, heavy workloads, limited career progression, burnout and poor recognition as the main deterrents for prospective nurses.
• The new Medicine entry system with a midyear filter may push some unsuccessful candidates into nursing, yet rising Medicine demand appears to be drawing away students who might have chosen nursing.
• Authorities estimate a deficit of about 70,000 nurses nationally and roughly 3,000 in Veneto, with retirements near 25,000 annually and unions warning of risks to smaller hospitals without at least 1,000 new public hires each year.