In a trailblazing judgment to be an exemplar nationwide, the Andhra Pradesh government has declared the introduction of a Common Entrance Test (CET) for nursing admissions from the 2025-26 academic year. This is a huge policy shift in the state's healthcare education sector, with an eye to injecting transparency, merit-based selection, and discipline into an industry long beset by imbalances and outmoded rules.
So far, admissions in Andhra Pradesh to nursing were determined by intermediate marks or through general entrance tests such as NEET and EAMCET. The new CET, being BSc (Nursing) specific, will be convenient and hassle-free for thousands of applicants, dispelling uncertainty and providing a level playing field. As per reports, the exam will be conducted in the second week of June every year, and the counselling and application process will be over in July — a significant departure from the erstwhile November-end deadline.
It was decided after a minute-by-minute three-hour deliberation at Dr NTR University of Health Sciences, presided over by Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, with attendance from representatives of nursing colleges belonging to all the 13 districts. It is a reflection of the government's determination to centralize and rationalize state health education.
No less meaningful is the assurance of the government to revisit the fee policy — at present at ₹15,000 for General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) and ₹19,000 for BSc (Nursing). With each increase in inflation and cost of operations, the fees have to be revised. Minister Yadav assured the stakeholders that the revision would be in equilibrium between being affordable for the student community and being viable for the institutions.
Most importantly, the government is going to form a stand-alone Board of Examinations to govern CET-based admission for GNM programs as well. This step can perhaps make the system regulation simpler, minimize malpractices, and improve the reputation of nursing education in the state.
The Minister further declared that a consolidated Government Order (GO) would be drawn up to replace the existing 52 piecemeal and sometimes contradictory GOs. The new GO, to be drawn up by July 2025, will be an umbrella document that will govern the regulation of nursing education in Andhra Pradesh.
But reforms extend beyond policy. Errant institutions are also being crack downed hard. Inspections have shown glaring discrepancies — missing documents, lack of critical infrastructure, and illegal fee increases. The state has made it amply clear: non-compliance will result in withdrawal of recognition.
At a time when the needs of healthcare are growing, the imperative to have a strong and moral system of nursing education cannot be overstated. Andhra Pradesh's strategy is in the correct direction — student-oriented, standards-driven, and setting the stage for systemic change in the long term.
The other states must keep an eye on this space. This is not only a CET — it is a comprehensive plan of change.
