University nursing school closures highlight the pressures on undergraduate nurse education, with a decline in student enrolment and the difficulty of sustaining nursing as a viable career due to high fees and low salaries. Nursing Standard readers’ panel members predict devastating effects on the profession, including the supply of new nurses and as a result, prolonged reliance on international recruitment. They point to the impact of university fees on stifling demand for nursing degree places, and question the value placed on the work of nurse educators.