Similar to other barred spirals NGC 2903 has been shown to possess a prominent nuclear star forming ring putting it in the class of so called "hot spot" galaxies, luminous galaxies that produce high rates of stars but falling short of the prototypical starburst galaxies. The ring has a diameter of about 2000 light years and most likely accounts for the greater star forming efficiency in NGC2903 compared to normal galaxies. NGC 2903 also has several extremely large HII regions known as supergiant HII regions similar in luminosity to the giant HII region 30 Doradus (LMC) and NGC 604 within M33.

A significant percentage of barred galaxies show a nuclear star forming ring in the central 3000 light years of the galaxy (see NGC 4725, M94). Computer simulations of bars show that they may provide an efficient mechanism for transporting gas and other disk components into the central regions of galaxies where starbursts are then triggered.