How to Become a Midwife in the UK
Last reviewed: September 2026
Midwifery is a regulated profession concerned with care during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period. Midwives work with women, pregnant people, babies and families in hospitals, community services, birth centres and people’s homes.
To practise as a midwife in the UK, you must complete a midwifery programme approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and then apply for registration. An Access to Higher Education Diploma can provide an academic route into an approved university degree, but the Access Diploma is not itself a midwifery qualification and does not lead directly to NMC registration.
How do you become a midwife?
The usual route for an adult applicant without the qualifications needed for direct degree entry is:
- Check the entry requirements for the midwifery degrees you are considering.
- Begin an appropriate Level 3 qualification, such as a relevant Access to Higher Education Diploma, if you need an alternative to A levels.
- Apply through UCAS while completing the Access Diploma, entering unfinished qualifications and units as pending.
- Complete the Diploma and meet the university’s offer before starting an NMC-approved pre-registration midwifery programme.
- Complete the university course, including theory, simulation and supervised practice learning, then apply to the NMC for registration after meeting its requirements.
Most undergraduate midwifery programmes take at least three years. The NMC says that a registered level 1 adult nurse may be able to take a reduced programme of around 18 months for dual registration. This is a separate route with its own entry conditions; it is not an alternative available to every applicant.
Some universities also offer degree apprenticeships. These combine paid employment with university study and practice learning, so check the current vacancy and university requirements rather than assuming that every provider offers the route.
What does a midwife do?
Midwives assess health, explain options and support informed decisions throughout pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period. Depending on the setting and the person’s needs, their work may include antenatal appointments, preparation for birth, monitoring during labour, supporting feeding and early parenthood, recognising concerns and arranging appropriate medical care.
Midwives work as part of multidisciplinary teams and communicate with families, maternity support workers, doctors, health visitors and other professionals. The role requires careful record keeping, sound judgement, compassion and the ability to stay calm when circumstances change.
Where can midwives work?
Midwives may work in hospital maternity units, midwife-led units, birth centres, community clinics, GP practices or people’s homes. Some roles combine hospital and community work. Work patterns can include long days, nights, weekends and bank holidays, particularly where services provide round-the-clock care.
What qualities and preparation are useful?
Universities set their own selection criteria, so read the exact course page before deciding what preparation you need. Courses may use interviews, values-based questions, written tasks or other selection activities. Relevant paid work, volunteering, caring or personal experience can help you reflect on communication, responsibility, dignity, teamwork and person-centred care, but do not assume that one type of experience is required by every university.
Midwifery degrees include substantial practice learning. An Access course can strengthen your academic preparation, but it does not replace the clinical education, supervision and assessment provided by the approved degree programme.
Using Access to HE as your route
Academy Online Learning’s formal award is the Access to Higher Education Diploma (Health Science Professions), a QAA-recognised Level 3 qualification awarded through Skills and Education Group Access. “Access to Midwifery” describes the intended progression route; it is not the formal title printed on the certificate.
Most Access to HE students apply to university while completing the Diploma. On the UCAS application, unfinished qualifications and units are entered as pending. Academy Online Learning can provide an academic reference and, where appropriate, information about your progress, completed units and grades achieved to date.
Before enrolling, compare the planned units, Access grade profile, English and Maths conditions, science requirements and selection process for each university. If the published course page does not answer a specific point, ask admissions a focused question about that point.
Registration and professional development
The title “midwife” is protected, and practising midwives must remain on the NMC register. After registration, midwives continue to update their knowledge and skills and renew their registration in line with NMC requirements. With experience, some move into team leadership, education, specialist practice, research, consultancy or senior management. Others develop interests in areas such as public health, continuity of care, neonatal care or ultrasound, subject to the education and role requirements involved.
Read the official NMC guidance on becoming a midwife and the National Careers Service midwife profile for current information about routes, settings and registration.