In this article we compare the data related to nursing students obtained by Castro and Pastore in surveys made in Brazil, in 1965 and 1969 respectively, about characteristics of university students. These data refer to age, sex, geographical origin, level of instruction of parents, employment, hours of work per week, hours of study in the library and at home per week, time elapsed between conclusion of high school program and university entrance, preparation for university in special courses, reasons for choosing nursing as a career and students' opinion about the profession and nursing education.