In recent years there has been a move towards widening access to Nursing education. As a consequence we now have a situation where students come from highly diverse educational backgrounds. Typically Nursing students find Biomedical Science difficult. Previous education or experience in Biology, unsurprisingly, has been shown to significantly influence results (McKee, 2002). The aim of this study was to investigate the educational background of today’s Nursing students and to assess their need for additional support. An anonymous questionnaire was completed by 38 full-time Adult Nursing Diploma students. The average age of respondents was 25 years, ranging from 19-52 years. Mature students (n=21) were defined as being over 21 years of age on starting their Diploma. Student Profile: Of the 38 respondents only 8 stated they were not in some form of employment before embarking on their studies. All other respondents thought that their previous work experience had/would aid them in becoming a qualified Nurse. Seven students had previous experience of working as Healthcare Assistants or as Medical Technicians and felt had ‘started (their) degree with a very good knowledge of basic Nursing care’. Entry qualifications were varied. Five respondents had degree qualifications ranging from Chemistry to Modern and Contemporary History. One respondent held a Master of Arts (Social Science). Ten students had completed a recognised Access course for Nursing, of these 1 had sat their A levels and 6 had O level or GCSE qualifications. These individuals were all mature students over the age of 23 years. Eighteen students had A Level qualifications only and 4 entered with Diplomas in Science and Health Studies. 55% of students felt neither A level Biology nor Access courses sufficiently prepared them for studying Biomedical Science. When asked what additional assistance would improve their basic Biomedical knowledge, the students’ most popular reply was a foundation course in basic scientific principles, with 29% of respondents preferring this option. More tutorials and an instructional CD/DVD were joint second in popularity with 23% each. Students were asked to rate the difficulty of the Biomedical Science component of the Nursing Diploma. Sixteen students found it very difficult, 20 difficult and 2 just right. Areas where additional help was requested were essay writing skills and examination techniques (45% each). One of the primary reasons why student Nurses discontinue education programmes is failure to meet course standards (Fullbrook et al. 2000). The results of this study demonstrate that Nursing students enter with very varied educational backgrounds, which should be taken into account when offering additional support to these students.