The number of women opting to study computing at degree level this September has increased according to analyse by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

Computing at Higher Education is increasingly seen as a good choice by students – particularly by women – according to data from the university admissions service, UCAS.

The number of women accepting a computing science higher education degree is up 8% from 2023/2024, with 2,940 UK 18-year-old women opting to start the degree in the 2024/2025 school year.

The male to female ratio in this area is also continuing to close slowly – with an ongoing trend towards increased participation by female students. However, the distance remains wide and there is still a long way to go to close the gender gap in tech degrees.

Recently, BCS also found that entries to A level computing science courses are also up overall by 12%, with a 29% increase in female attendees.

“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,” Julia Adamson, managing director for education and public benefit at BCS, said.

“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.”

Recommended reading

• Record Number of Girls Taking Computing A-Level
• Girls in GCSE Computing Grows 10% For Second Consecutive Year
• More Young Women Applying for Computing Degrees, New Data Shows

As pointed out, the gender gap is persisting in the tech workforce despite more women electing to take tech courses in higher education.

Women only make up around 20% of the UK’s tech workforce in 2022, according to BCS’s 2024 report.

However, a report from the Financial Times found that the number of women in tech in the UK has risen over the last four years, with the proportion of women in the UK working in computer related roles rose from 29% in 2019 to more than 32% throughout the last year.

Still, this percentage may be overexaggerated depending on how FT defined “computer related roles” – according to techUK, women only make up 24% of the UK tech workforce as of 2023.