KwaZulu-Natal’s public nursing education system has reached an important new milestone, with the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing now able to offer a Bachelor of Nursing qualification.
Confirming the development on Monday, 17 August 2026, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health announced that the College would be permitted to present the qualification at National Qualifications Framework Level 8.
The Bachelor of Nursing will carry a minimum of 480 credits, representing a significant expansion of the qualifications available through the provincially operated institution.
Until now, the College’s current undergraduate offering has centred on its three-year Diploma in Nursing. It also provides an Advanced Diploma in Midwifery and several postgraduate nursing programmes.
According to the College’s official programme information, its courses combine theoretical instruction with work-integrated clinical learning, preparing students to work within healthcare facilities across the province.
The newly approved Bachelor’s degree will create a higher undergraduate pathway through the public nursing college itself, rather than limiting degree-level nursing studies to universities.
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane congratulated the College on the achievement, saying it reflected the work undertaken by its leadership and staff to strengthen nursing education.
“I want to congratulate the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing on this important achievement,” said Simelane.
She added that the timing was particularly meaningful as the announcement had been made during Women’s Month, given the substantial role played by women throughout the nursing profession and the wider healthcare system.
The Bachelor of Nursing is generally a four-year professional qualification combining general nursing, community healthcare, mental healthcare and midwifery training.
It prepares graduates for professional registration and clinical responsibilities across hospitals, clinics and community-based healthcare environments.
According to the South African Nursing Council, the Bachelor of Nursing is an NQF Level 8 qualification offered over four years. Nursing students must study through an institution and programme accredited by the Council for their training to be formally recognised.
This makes the College’s new degree authority important beyond its academic status. It potentially broadens access to degree-level nursing education through a public institution already connected to KZN’s hospital and clinical training network.
The KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing operates as a single provincial college comprising 11 campuses across KZN.
Its training model includes classroom education and clinical placements at healthcare establishments throughout the province.
Its campus network includes facilities serving inland and northern KZN communities, such as Madadeni Campus in Newcastle, Benedictine Campus near Nongoma and Charles Johnson Memorial Campus in Nquthu.
This provincial reach could eventually allow qualifying students from communities outside Durban and Pietermaritzburg to access degree-level nursing training closer to the public healthcare environments in which many may later work.
However, the Department’s announcement did not specify which campuses will initially present the Bachelor of Nursing programme.
It also did not confirm when the first intake will begin, how many students will be admitted, what the entry requirements will be or when applications will open.
Those details will be important for prospective students, particularly matriculants and existing healthcare workers considering further study.
The development also arrives while public healthcare facilities continue to depend heavily on adequately trained nurses to provide patient care, operate specialised services and support doctors and other healthcare professionals.
A Bachelor of Nursing provides a more comprehensive professional qualification than the three-year general nursing diploma and creates a foundation for postgraduate study, specialist training, research and nursing leadership.
While the practical scale of the programme will depend on its intake numbers, campus availability and implementation arrangements, the approval expands the College’s ability to develop professionally qualified nurses through KZN’s public training system.
Attention will now turn to when the first applications will open and whether the programme will be offered across the College’s provincial campus network or introduced at selected campuses first.
For aspiring nurses throughout KwaZulu-Natal, the announcement creates a potentially valuable new route into degree-level nursing.
However, prospective applicants should await the formal admission notice and verify all application information directly with the Department of Health and the College before submitting personal information or making any payment.
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One Response
I hope first preference will be given to the already employed nurses who wish to further their nursing career, congratulations nonetheless