Healthcare Career Pathways: A new trend is emerging among students studying medical courses: the popularity of B.Sc. Nursing has increased by more than 1,000 percent in the last five years. Notably, for the 2026 session, the AIIMS B.Sc. (Honors) Nursing entrance exam reflects students' growing interest in healthcare careers. Data obtained through an RTI response shows that AIIMS received 190,740 applications for the program.
The figures also indicate a growing interest in BSc Allied and Healthcare courses, which received 117,033 applications for the 2026 session. These statistics show that, beyond the traditional MBBS route, Students are increasingly considering healthcare career options like nursing and specialized allied healthcare programs beyond the traditional MBBS route.
AIIMS BSc Nursing Applications Rise Sharply
Over the past five years, applications for AIIMS B.Sc. have increased significantly. The number of applications rose from 16,485 in 2021 to 180,117 in 2025. For the August 2026 session, this figure further increased to 190,740.
Category-wise data also showed a significant increase in the OBC (NCL), Unreserved, SC, EWS, and ST categories. OBC The number of OBC (NCL) applications increased from 6,754 in 2021 to 78,319 in 2025, while the number of UR applications increased from 5,542 to 48,988 during the same period.
Allied Healthcare Courses Also Attract More Students
BSc Allied & Healthcare Courses have also witnessed a major increase in applications. According to the RTI data, applications rose from 6,878 in 2021 to 1,26,968 in 2025, before reaching 1,17,033 for the August 2026 session.
Allied healthcare covers several specialised undergraduate programmes, including medical laboratory technology, ophthalmic sciences, radiotherapy and perfusion technology. Professionals in these fields contribute to diagnostic, therapeutic and other specialised healthcare services.
Healthcare Careers Beyond MBBS And Nursing
Vipul Sharma, an allied healthcare professional who sought the information under the RTI Act, said greater awareness is needed about healthcare professions beyond medicine and nursing.
The growth comes as a large number of students compete for medical seats every year. Around 22 lakh candidates appear for NEET-UG annually, while the number of MBBS seats is slightly above one lakh. This leads many students to consider alternative healthcare career pathways.
Course Fees And Career Opportunities
The cost of allied healthcare programmes can vary considerably depending on the institution and course. Government medical colleges and central institutions may offer some programmes at relatively low fees, while private universities and deemed institutions can charge substantially higher amounts.
Courses such as physiotherapy, medical imaging technology and cardiac technology can provide specialised career opportunities. Meanwhile, nursing remains a familiar choice partly because of established government recruitment pathways such as the Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET).
Experts also point out that allied health services should not be viewed merely as an alternative when an MBBS seat is not available. These programs represent specialized health care professions whose graduates work in areas such as laboratories, diagnostics, imaging, medical services, and other hospital services.