Number of women choosing computer science degrees up 8%

There has been an 8% year-on-year increase in the number of women studying for computer science degrees in the UK, according to research by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

Looking at data from university admissions service UCAS, BCS found that of the 15,530 UK-based students accepted to study computer science this year, 2,940 were women.

Julia Adamson, managing director for education and public benefit at BCS, said: “It’s fantastic that the overall number of people taking computer science is increasing, but there remains a huge demand for more skilled people to meet the needs of our digital future.

“The growth in the number and the diversity of qualified technologists needs to continue to accelerate, not only to help close the gender gap, but also to meet future needs of the UK economy.”

The number of women in the technology sector has been increasing painstakingly slowly over the past five years, and with women now making up around 20% of technologists in the UK, there’s still more work to do.

There are a number of reasons girls are less likely to choose a computing career than boys, including a lack of visible and accessible role models to inspire them to pursue tech careers, misconceptions about tech roles and those who work in them, and a lack of inclusive culture in the sector, leading women to choose an alternative career – sometimes even if they’ve already chosen tech.

Meanwhile, research by McKinsey found 31% of girls across Europe studying tech-based subjects at school don’t go on to become tech undergraduates, despite around a third of girls who drop science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects subsequently regretting this decision once they realise how widespread the need for technology skills is, even outside of the industry itself.

Thankfully, there has been some progress along the pipeline, with the number of girls choosing computing at GCSE level increasing for the second consecutive year in 2023, increasing by 28.6% at A-level this year compared with 2023, and an 8% increase in women choosing computer science degrees in 2024.  

The ratio of male to female students applying for and being accepted to study computer science degrees at university has been improving gradually over the past five years.

In 2019, when BCS first started monitoring the number of women accepted to study computer science at degree level in the UK, for every woman enrolled on a computer science degree there were 5.3 men. This year, there are 4.1 men for every woman taking computer science at degree level.

Last year, BCS noticed one of the largest jumps in women and students overall opting to study computing-based subjects at university – 2023 showed an 18% year-on-year increase in the number of women applying to study computing at university – most likely because of the growing awareness of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber security.

But university is not the only answer for a successful technology career, with options such as apprenticeships contributing towards closing the skills gap by internally training individuals for the job they will go on to do, ensuring they have the appropriate skillset.