Revealing the Gender Gap in STEM UK University Admissions

Mind the Gender Gap, please: Study reveals persistent disparities in STEM and Humanities admissions at leading UK universities, despite high female interest

The idea that certain careers, industries, or subjects are "meant" for one gender is outdated and routed in sexism. Take STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) as an example—there’s an unforgiving stereotype that these subject are “not for girls,” which is both untrue and harmful. In fact, it’s led to a huge gender gap in STEM fields, where men still outnumber women almost 3 to 1.

In recent years, efforts to encourage girls and women to pursue STEM have gained momentum, and we've seen some progress. In the UK, for example, the number of women in STEM occupations has doubled over the past decade, reaching over a million. However, despite this success, we still have a long way to go. 

Our recent research reveals a concerning issue. While efforts to encourage women and girls to pursue STEM have succeeded—evidenced by increasing university applications—their odds of acceptance into UK universities remain disproportionately low, with a clear bias favouring male applicants.

By analysing submissions to the UK’s leading universities, we revealed the stark truth about the 2025 STEM gender gap in higher education. We examined how many women were applying for STEM courses and, then, how many were actually accepted. 

Why? Because we want to challenge universities and society to do better. After all, talent and interest should define STEM, not outdated stereotypes.

Women are applying to STEM courses; they’re just being turned down

Perhaps our most important finding was that, despite women being just as likely as men to apply for STEM subjects—and in some cases actually applying in higher numbers—fewer than half of universities admit a higher number of women. 

Take De Montfort University as an example: despite being one of the top universities for the number of female applicants to STEM courses, men are still significantly more likely to be accepted, with an advantage of over 8%. 

Hypothetically, if this gender gap were scaled to the total number of UK higher education students, that 8% difference translates to over 113,000 more male students being admitted to STEM courses. What’s even more concerning is that De Montfort still has the highest acceptance rate for women among UK universities, even with this major bias.

The University of Greenwich also reveals worrying trends. As the UK leader in women’s applications to STEM—where nearly 69% more applicants are female—Greenwich still favours men in its acceptance rates, with a 5.51% bias toward male applicants.

Similarly, the University of Leicester, which ranks second in women’s STEM applications at 40.69%, also shows a significant gender disparity, with men seeing a 5.26% higher acceptance rate.

Other universities demonstrating a gendered bias in STEM admissions include Lancaster University (3.74%), the University of Coventry (1.18%), and the University of Nottingham (1.02%).

Which universities accept the most female STEM students overall?

De Montfort stands as having the highest acceptance rate for women at 28.5%; however, men were still accepted at a higher rate of 36.6%. 

Following De Montfort was the University of Coventry, who accepted 21.57% of women’s applications. However, again this was overshadowed by the men’s acceptance rate of 22.57%. 

In third place is the University of Derby, with a 20.52% acceptance rate for women. Notably, this institution is one of only three where the acceptance rate for women surpasses that of men, whose acceptance rate stands at 18.73%.

Which universities have the lowest gender gap in STEM subjects?

A few UK universities stood out for favouring women in STEM admissions, though these rates were modest at best. The University of Bath, for instance, ranked as the most likely to accept women’s applications over men’s, with an acceptance difference of 1.92% in favour of women. This was the largest positive difference identified, and while it is encouraging, it underscores the broader issue—especially when compared to universities like De Montfort, where men are over 8% more likely to be accepted.

The University of Derby (in favour of women 1.72%) and Durham University (in favour of women 0.42%) were the only two other UK universities to rank with an acceptance rate that favoured women. 

Constance Mantle, CEO of SaveMyExams, addresses persistent gender bias in STEM admissions

“For years, the focus has been on encouraging women and girls to take an interest in STEM. Now, the problem has shifted. What’s evident from our research is that women and girls are stepping up to the challenge, pushing to enter fields and industries that were once male-dominated. However, society and universities still aren’t ready to welcome them as they do men. To put it simply, the bias that once kept them out now persists in a different form. This systemic imbalance demands urgent attention, and the higher education system must take responsibility and act decisively to address this inequity.

“I know first-hand what it’s like to be a woman in a male-dominated STEM world. I studied engineering at Oxford, and it was never easy. The challenges of applications, exams, and degrees are tough enough without the added weight of wondering if your professors or peers believe a man should be in your place. I don’t want any woman to experience that feeling. STEM should be driven by ingenuity and a genuine desire to learn—not by gender.”

– Constance Mantle, CEO at SaveMyExams

Access further information

For more information, you can access the following resources:

• Women in STEM

• STEM women

• Wi STEM

For support with STEM examinations, SaveMyExams offers revision resources for GCSE, A Level, IGCSE, IB and AP students worldwide. Our teacher-written materials include revision notes, exam questions, past papers and flashcards, which support students to achieve the best grades possible.

Methodology

Using figures from the UCAS Undergraduate End of Cycle Data Resource, SaveMyExams collated the number of applications and acceptances for STEM subjects at 20 of the top UK universities from 2019 - 2023. These were then filtered by male/female gender in order to establish the disparity.

UCAS only offers data on male/female applications so we cannot include any stats on gender-diverse applications.