Computer Science is now the UK's fastest-growing degree subjects

An analysis of this year’s exam results in the UK shows that about 24,900 students have been admitted to pursue undergraduate degrees in Computing. This represents a 7% increase from last year and is the largest percentage increase of any subject.

Also according to the report which was compiled by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, more women are taking courses in computing than any other University subject group. Since 2019, there has been a 20% increase in the number of women getting accepted to pursue Computer Science degrees. Again this represents the highest increase in all subject groups listed by UCAS.

The figures from the analysis also show that for A-level entries, computing has gone up 41% across England, Wales, and North Ireland since 2019. It’s the highest spike in any subject.

Julia Adamson, Director of Education at BCS recognises the relevance of computing across different industries and is understandably happy about the increased interest in the subject, especially by young women.

“From autonomous vehicles, to media and communications, to banking and health care, we are in a digital society and computing skills are amongst the highest in demand. So, it’s exciting that more young people have opted for advanced studies in computing at university - and particularly important to report a continued growth in the number of young women represented and achieving the highest grades,” he said.

But even as more women take up courses in Computer Science the disparity between the number of men and women in the field is still a point of concern.

The total number of women admitted for computing courses this year is 4,830 which dwarfs in comparison to the 20,080 accepted applications from men.

Interestingly, women have come out as the better performers with 38.8% of female students achieving an A* or A compared to 34.4% of male students. On the upside, these figures present a significant increase in the number of students scoring an A* or A which stood at 18.7% for women and 17.4% for men.

Speaking on the matter, Charlene Hunter MBE, CEO of Coding Black Females and member of the BCS board was happy that women were getting more involved in Computer Science but encouraged more people from different backgrounds to step up.

“It’s great to see young women choosing to take computer science in record numbers, but we can’t be complacent at all. “In a world where big challenges like climate change and cyber security require highly skilled technologists, we need ever greater numbers of people from a diverse range of backgrounds to see computer science as an ethical, aspirational career choice,” she said.