9. University of the Arts, London
Percentage of female students: 75%
Percentage of male students: 25%
Second in the world for Art and Design, the University of the Arts, London, is renowned for its creative courses. It has over 18,000 students studying art, design and other creative degrees. In fact, this is precisely why the university has a large gender disparity: 75% of the students within the university are female.8. Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
Percentage of female students: 76%
Percentage of male students: 24%
Following on, we have Queen Margaret University, based in Musselburgh, Edinburgh. It is split into two schools, the school of the arts and sciences, and the school of health sciences. The university offers a huge range of allied health professional degrees. These include nursing, dietetics, and occupational therapy and physiotherapy. These are all careers most often pursued by women, yet again explaining the gender gap within the student population.7. Newman University
Percentage of female students: 76%
Percentage of male students: 24%
Newman University’s most popular 3 courses are a Master’s of Business Administration, BSc Psychology and BSc Mathematics. The Birmingham-based university has a wide range of courses outside of these, but these are the most subscribed to. Therefore, this makes sense since 80% of psychology students are typically female!6. Leeds Arts University
Percentage of female students: 77%
Percentage of male students: 22%
A large and well-known arts university, Leeds Arts University offers a range of incredible courses, including things like animation, comic and concept art and even creative writing. In fact, the university only offers creative and arts courses, which explains the gender gap. Arts degrees are typically taken by more female students than male, even though the art industry does not reflect that.5. The Royal Veterinary College
Percentage of female students: 79%
Percentage of male students: 21%
The Royal Veterinary College, based in Camden, is the oldest and largest veterinary college in the English-speaking world. It is connected to the University of London and it provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses in veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing. Likewise, it is one of the best universities in the UK for biosciences. This sole focus on veterinary sciences is exactly why there is such a difference between the number of female and male students at the RVC. The veterinary career is 60% female, and so the university’s disparity reflects that.4. Writtle University College
Percentage of female students: 79%
Percentage of male students: 21%
Writtle University College is based in Chelmsford, Essex. It is set on a 200-hectare estate in the countryside and is focused on agriculture, land-based, environmental and animal courses. The university has state-of-the-art facilities in such fields. This includes animal units, landscaped gardens, a farm, glasshouse, labs, and sports facilities. However, many of these courses lead to careers that are consistently dominated by men, such as groundskeeping, gardening, farming and other land-based work. So it’s unclear why the university has such a wide gender gap.3. Bishop Grosseteste University
Percentage of female students: 80%
Percentage of male students: 19%
Following on, Bishop Grosseteste University is well-known for its excellent education courses. In fact, the university has been teaching education for over 150 years. The university does offer a wide range of other courses, but arguably it’s most popular are the BEd courses. Hence the gender disparity at the university, with many more women studying and pursuing careers in education than men.2. Courtauld Institute of Art
Percentage of female students: 81%
Percentage of male students: 19%
Based in London, the Courtauld Institute of Art is a prestigious college of the University of London. It offers a range of undergrad, postgrad, diploma and doctorate courses. This inclused history of art, conservation of wall painting, curating and conservation of easel paintings. The university has great study abroad opportunities and students have access to the Courtauld gallery. Whilst many people would assume that the art industry is led by women, and that would explain the disparity here, this is, in fact, false. 2% of the art market is created by women. However, many more women choose to study art, with female students making up 60-75% of those studying art at university.1. Stranmillis University College
Percentage of female students: 82%
Percentage of male students: 18%
In first position, we have Stranmillis University College; a reasonably small university based in Belfast. It offers courses in early-childhood studies, post-primary, health and physical activity and sport at the undergraduate level. There are great opportunities at the university, especially for those looking to study abroad, with the university offering chances to study in the US, Europe or Asia. The focus on BEd courses may explain the heavily female student population, with education being a much more female-led career. In fact, 75% of classroom teachers in the UK are women. So, those are the UK unis with the most female students and therefore, the biggest gender gap. Check out our list of the degrees with the most female students for more information and the unis that have awards for promoting gender equality.
FAQs on UK Universities with the Most Female Students
Queen Margaret University and Newman University each have around 76% female students, followed by the University of the Arts London (UAL) with about 75%. These institutions consistently lead the UK for female student representation according to recent enrolment data.
King’s College London has the highest percentage of female students among the Russell Group, with about 63.9% women. The University of Edinburgh (62%) and University College London (61%) also have strong female enrolment.
Universities with courses in creative arts, healthcare, education, and psychology typically attract more women. Specialist institutions like UAL and Queen Margaret University have subject areas that naturally appeal to a higher proportion of female applicants.
Women make up around 56.7% to 57% of the UK university student population. Female participation has steadily increased over the last decade as more women choose to pursue higher education in a range of fields.
Yes. Courses such as nursing, midwifery, social work, psychology, fashion, and design tend to attract a higher proportion of female students. Universities focused on these disciplines naturally show a stronger female-to-male ratio overall.
Yes. Female enrolment in UK higher education has grown steadily since the 1990s. More women are pursuing degrees in both traditional fields like education and nursing and in newer areas such as law, business, and STEM.
Yes. Women now make up the majority at most UK universities, although some STEM-focused institutions and certain courses like engineering still have more men enrolled.
Yes. At undergraduate level, women outnumber men in most subjects, but postgraduate research in engineering, computing, and some sciences still has a male majority. However, women now lead in areas like education, health, and social sciences across both levels.
Engineering, computer science, and some physical sciences remain male-dominated, though initiatives to encourage women in STEM are helping to close the gender gap over time.
Some female-majority universities provide tailored wellbeing programs, mentorship for women in leadership, and career support aimed at helping female graduates enter competitive industries with confidence.