DURHAM, N.H. – A record number of students applied to Seacoast area and southern Maine nursing programs this fall.

Some schools added slots to meet the demand, because a nursing shortage is expected to worsen over the next decade as baby boomers – among them many nurses – start retiring.

The area’s campuses have become among the most competitive for nursing students.

The University of New Hampshire’s attempts to inform prospective nursing students about the difficulty of admission backfired, drawing more applicants than ever.

The New Hampshire Community Technical College in Stratham had 250 applicants vying for 50 positions.

At the University of Southern Maine, more than 500 applicants competed for 126 slots, making nursing the second-most popular major, after business. In 1999, the school took only 50 nursing students each year. That number will rise to 180 in two years.

“There has been so much press on the need for nurses that many see lots of opportunities to get into the field,” Lin Tamulonis, admissions counselor at the technical college said.

Despite the rise in applications, supply is not expected to keep up with demand.

By 2010, there will be 1.4 million openings for nurses with bachelor of science degrees, but only 635,000 people to fill them, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In New Hampshire, about 1,800 nurses are needed right now and the shortage is expected to get worse over the next five years, Bob Best, executive director of the New Hampshire Nurses Association said.

“As much as you see demand go up at schools, they are still not producing as many nurses as in the past,” he said. “Many have been downsizing until a few years ago.”

Nursing programs have become particularly attractive for students because of federal incentives, including forgivable loans for students who take jobs after graduation in areas that are under served.

Because of the nursing shortage, almost any place in New Hampshire qualifies, Best said.

The Foundation for Healthy Communities, using a U.S. Labor Department grant, also has given millions of dollars in forgivable loans to nursing students through the Workforce Opportunity Council.

In exchange, the students must work in New Hampshire upon graduation. Ultimately, more than 2,000 nurses are expected to be benefit.