State expands nursing education with new seats across 14 colleges

In a bid to strengthen the health‑care workforce, Tamil Nadu will launch about 1,500 additional BSc Nursing seats in its public medical colleges beginning the next academic session. The initiative covers fourteen institutions, notably Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Tirunelveli, Tiruchirappalli and Namakkal, raising the total government‑run nursing capacity from 510 to over 2,000. Tuition remains fixed at Rs 13,750 annually, offering a stark contrast to private counterparts that charge up to Rs 12 lakh. The expansion responds to persistent calls from students and parents for more affordable government seats and seeks to address the growing need for skilled nurses nationwide. Alongside nursing, the plan includes over 700 new pharmacy seats. Authorities are accelerating the construction of classrooms, laboratories, hostels and are recruiting faculty to meet accreditation standards before classes start.