How Hard Is Nursing School Compared to Other Degrees? 4 Things the Data Shows

Ask many nurses what they did before starting nursing school, and they will probably tell you they spent time researching what to expect. You may have done the same and found dozens of articles answering the question, “Is nursing school hard?”

Most give a similar answer: yes, nursing school is demanding. You will study for long hours, manage clinical placements, stay organised, and work hard to pass your exams.

That is true. But another question is worth asking: how hard is nursing school compared to other degrees?

There is no single number that can answer this. Difficulty can mean study time, the amount of content students must learn, practical training, or how often students leave their programmes before completion.

To make the comparison more useful, this article looks at nursing alongside engineering and medical school using available data on attrition, study time, clinical training, and professional examinations.

Much of the available comparative data comes from the United States, so these figures should not be treated as a direct measure of what every nursing or medical student experiences in Africa. Education systems, programme structures, and licensing requirements vary between countries.

Table of Contents

1. How Hard Is Nursing School Compared to Other Degrees?
2. 1. Attrition Rates: Nursing vs. Engineering vs. Medical School
3. 2. Study Hours and Workload Structure
4. 3. The Clinical Hours Factor: What Sets Nursing Apart
5. 4. Licensure and Professional Examinations Compared
6. So Is Nursing School Actually Harder?
7. FAQs About Nursing School Difficulty
8. Conclusion

How Hard Is Nursing School Compared to Other Degrees?

Before comparing the numbers, it is important to understand that “difficulty” can mean different things.

A degree can require a lot of academic work without involving much physical or emotional pressure. Another may require fewer hours of independent study but involve clinical work, practical assessments, or high-stakes responsibilities.

Nursing, engineering, and medical school can all be demanding, but students experience that difficulty in different ways.

In this article, we compare them using four measures:

1. Student attrition
2. Study hours and workload
3. Clinical training
4. Licensure and certification exams

1. Attrition Rates: Nursing vs. Engineering vs. Medical School

Attrition refers to students who leave a programme before completing it. This can happen because of academic difficulties, financial problems, personal circumstances, or a change in career plans.

It is useful when comparing programmes, but it should not be treated as a direct measure of how difficult a course is.

For nursing, a 2025 study reported that attrition in U.S. prelicensure nursing programmes commonly ranges from 15% to 30%. The authors also noted that students in the earlier years of nursing education can be particularly vulnerable to leaving.

Engineering also has significant attrition. An American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) report cited in a 2024 conference paper found that average retention in undergraduate engineering programmes was about 20%, meaning 80% left,

Medical school shows a very different pattern.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the national attrition rate for U.S. medical students averaged 3.1% across the 20 years from 2000-2001 through 2019-2020. More students left for non-academic reasons than academic reasons.

This does not mean medical school is easier. Medical school has a highly selective admission process, and students who enter have already passed demanding academic requirements. A low attrition rate therefore cannot be used to conclude that the programme itself is less difficult.

Also note that these figures come from different studies, years, and programme structures, so they are best used to understand broad patterns rather than as a perfect head-to-head ranking.

Related: How We Are Silencing the Next Generation of Nurses

2. Study Hours and Workload Structure

Time spent studying is another way to examine academic workload.

A National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) analysis found that full-time senior engineering students reported spending about 19 hours per week preparing for class. This included studying, completing assignments, and preparing for academic work.

Medical students also report substantial study demands. In one study of medical students, 93.2% of respondents reported spending at least 40 hours per week on medical school. Another study of second-year medical students in China found that students spent an average of 14.4 hours per week preparing for class and studying outside scheduled activities.

For nursing students, there is no single study that provides an exact report on the number of hours spent studying. However, various sources indicate that nursing students typically study 14-24 hours per week, increasing to 30-45 hours during examinations.

These differences show why it is difficult to say that one degree requires a specific number of study hours. The amount of time students spend studying depends on the curriculum, year of study, examination period, and individual study habits.

Nursing students also divide their time between lectures, reading, skills practice, laboratory sessions, assignments, and clinical preparation. A nursing student may therefore have fewer traditional study hours than an engineering or medical student while still having a demanding weekly schedule.

The type of work matters as much as the number of hours.

3. The Clinical Hours Factor: What Sets Nursing Apart

One of the biggest differences between nursing and many university degrees is that nursing students must learn how to provide care to real patients.

A nursing student does not only need to understand a concept in a textbook. They must also learn how to assess patients, administer medications safely, communicate with patients and families, perform procedures, and respond appropriately to changes in a patient’s condition.

Clinical education therefore adds another layer of responsibility to nursing school.

There is no single universal number of clinical hours required for all entry-level nursing programmes. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) states that entry-level professional nursing programmes provide sufficient practice experiences for students to demonstrate required competencies. However, some state boards or licensing bodies set their own hour requirements.

Medical school also includes substantial clinical training.

The AAMC explains that in a traditional U.S. medical curriculum, the first two years generally focus on preclinical education, while the latter two years involve clinical rotations. More recently, some countries have introduced clinical exposure earlier in medical education. Students rotate through major specialties and work directly with patients under supervision.

Both nursing and medical students therefore move beyond classroom learning. The difference is in the scope and timing of that training. Nursing students are often exposed to direct patient care relatively early in their professional education, while traditional medical curricula may place the largest concentration of clinical rotations later in the programme. The exact structure varies by institution.

Engineering students may also complete laboratories, fieldwork, design projects, and internships, but their practical training generally does not involve the same responsibility for direct patient care.

This is one reason nursing school can feel particularly demanding. Students are learning academic content while developing practical skills that must be performed safely on real people.

4. Licensure and Professional Examinations Compared

Another feature that separates nursing from many other university degrees is the requirement for professional licensing before independent practice.

In the United States, nursing graduates must pass the NCLEX-RN to become licensed registered nurses. According to data from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), 69.1% of all global NCLEX-RN candidates passed the exam in 2025. Candidates who do not pass can retake the examination, but they cannot practise as registered nurses until they meet the licensing requirements.

Medical graduates also face a demanding licensing pathway through the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), which requires passing Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK), and Step 3.

In contrast, engineering graduates may pursue professional certifications, but they do not face a universal licensure examination simply to enter every engineering role.

These high-stakes examinations add another layer of academic and psychological pressure to healthcare education.

Read also: The History of Nursing in Africa and Nigeria

So Is Nursing School Actually Harder?

The data do not support a simple answer that nursing school is harder than engineering or medical school. Instead, they show that each programme has different demands.

Nursing requires students to combine scientific knowledge with clinical skills, communication, and direct patient care. Engineering places greater emphasis on mathematics, technical knowledge, design, and problem-solving. Medical school requires students to learn a large body of scientific and clinical knowledge and apply it during supervised patient care.

Medical school also lasts several years and is followed by residency training, which is an important part of becoming a practising physician.

So rather than asking which programme is hardest, a better question may be: what type of difficulty are you prepared to handle?

If you enjoy working with people, applying knowledge to real situations, and developing hands-on healthcare skills, nursing may suit you.

If you enjoy mathematics, physics, design, systems, and technical problem-solving, engineering may be a better fit.

If you are interested in diagnosing and treating disease, have a strong interest in biological sciences, and are prepared for a longer training pathway, medical school may suit you.

Related: How Hard Is Nursing School?    What You Really Need to Know

FAQs About Nursing School Difficulty

1. Is nursing school harder than engineering school? Not necessarily harder — just different. Engineering programmes report lower average retention (around 20%) and roughly 19 hours per week of study time, while nursing students typically study 14–24 hours per week but take on early, hands-on clinical responsibility for real patients that engineering coursework doesn’t involve.

2. Is nursing school harder than medical school? Medical school has a much lower attrition rate (about 3.1% in the U.S.) than nursing (15–30%), largely because of highly selective admissions, and reports heavier weekly study hours. Nursing students, however, are often exposed to direct patient care earlier in their training than traditional medical curricula allow.

3. Why do so many nursing students leave their programmes? U.S. data shows nursing attrition commonly ranges from 15% to 30%, with students in earlier years being particularly vulnerable to leaving — often due to academic difficulty, financial pressure, or personal circumstances, not necessarily the programme’s inherent difficulty alone.

4. Does nursing school require a licensing exam like medical school? Yes. In the U.S., nursing graduates must pass the NCLEX-RN before practising, similar in principle to how medical graduates must pass the USMLE. Engineering, by contrast, has no universal licensure exam required to enter most roles.

5. How many clinical hours do nursing students need? There’s no single universal number — the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) requires sufficient practice experience for students to demonstrate core competencies, while some state boards and licensing bodies set their own specific hour requirements.

Conclusion

So, how hard is nursing school compared with other degrees?

The available data do not show that nursing is simply harder than engineering or medical school. They show that the programmes place different demands on students.

Nursing combines academic learning with practical skills and supervised patient care. Engineering involves intensive technical and problem-solving work. Medical school combines a large scientific workload with clinical education and professional licensing examinations.

For someone choosing a career, the better question is not, “Which degree is the hardest?”It is, “Which type of work and learning am I prepared to commit to?”

That answer can help you choose a degree that matches both your abilities and the kind of career you want to build.