Aim: To analyse graduating nursing students’ self‐assessed competence level in Europe at graduation, at the beginning of nursing career.Design: An international cross‐sectional evaluative design.Methods: Data were collected in February 2018–July 2019 from graduating nursing students in 10 European countries. Competence was assessed with a validated instrument, the Nurse Competence Scale (NCS). The sample comprised 3,490 students (response rate 45%), and data were analysed statistically.Results: In all countries, graduating nursing students assessed their competence as good (range 50.0–69.1; VAS 0–100), albeit with statistically significant differences between countries. The assessments were highest in Iceland and lowest in Lithuania. Older students, those with working experience in health care, satisfied with their current degree programme, with excellent or good study achievements, graduating to 1st study choice and having a nursing career plan for future assessed their competence higher.

The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students' perceptions of their final clinical learning environment and its association with their self‐assessed competence, satisfaction with nursing education, and turnover intentions at graduation in six European countries. A multi‐country comparative cross‐sectional study was conducted with nursing students (n = 1746) from the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain using the Nurse Competence Scale and the Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision scale. Nursing students' overall perceptions of their final clinical learning environment and supervision were positive in all the countries studied. The correlation between the students' perceptions of their final clinical learning environment and competence was statistically significant and positive. Satisfaction with the nursing program and clinical practicum and no consideration of career change were related to positive perceptions of the final clinical learning environment. Highlighting the importance of the supervisory relationship and pedagogical atmosphere, nursing students' positive perceptions of the final clinical learning environment and supervision contribute to a better level of self‐assessed competence and satisfaction with the nursing program and clinical practicum, leading to lower turnover intentions.