A day in this work
You care for patients around the clock: medicines, monitoring, procedures, comfort and teaching families. Nurses are needed everywhere in the world.
Ways in
- BSc Nursing (4 years); many states and institutes now use NEET-UG or their own test
- GNM diploma (3 years), open to more streams
- Post-basic BSc and MSc Nursing for senior and teaching roles
After Class 10
Science with Biology (PCB) or Any stream
Entrance exams to know
- NEET-UG (many institutes)
- AIIMS BSc Nursing entrance
- State nursing entrance tests
Years, cost and pay
- Years of study
- 3 to 4
- Whole-course cost, government or aided
- under ₹2 lakh
- Whole-course cost, private
- ₹2 to 8 lakh
- Typical starting pay
- under ₹3 lakh a year
Indicative bands from the pilot dataset (0.1 (pilot), 19 September 2026). Real fees and pay vary a lot by college, city and year. Check the official sites below.
No college, coaching institute, lender or study-abroad agent pays to appear on these pages. Pathways takes no money from them.
Outlook, and how AI is changing this work
Outlook: Growing. AI changes little of the daily work.
Demand is rising in India and abroad. Machines help with records and monitoring, not with care.
Try this week
Volunteer with an adult at a health camp or look after an unwell relative for a day. Notice how it feels.
Check the facts yourself
These are official sites. Exam names, dates, fees and rules change every year, so confirm them there. Each link opens in a new tab.
Careers close to this one
See how well this fits you
Discovery in the app takes about eight minutes and gives each of these 52 careers a fit score from your own answers. It is free during the pilot, and nobody is asked for an email address or a phone number. Students under 18 need a parent or guardian to agree first, and children under 13 cannot join yet.