Given an appropriate growth condition for f and a uniqueness assumption on y((n)) = 0 with respect to certain focal boundary value problems, it is shown that uniqueness of solutions to the nonlinear differential equation y((n)) = f(t, y, y',..., y((n-1))), subject to boundary conditions of the form g(ij)(y(t(j)),..., y((n-1))(t(j))) = y(ij) implies existence of solutions. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.