More People Than Ever Are Doing Computer Science Degrees

This year, a record number of people are beginning computer science degrees, making it the fastest growing course. There are close to 25,000 students due to start a computer science degree in 2022. Compared to last year, this is an increase of 7%, the largest increase of any subject. Plus, there are more women taking computing than there are taking any other subject group at university. 

This information comes from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, which also highlights that since 2019, there has been a 20% increase in women being accepted for computer science degrees. Julia Adamson, Director of Education at BCS, explained that society’s reliance on digital technology has led to computing skills being some of the highest in demand, making it a career sector that people are increasingly interested in pursuing.

It’s not just university degrees that saw an increase in the number of people choosing computer science degrees, the same has been seen with those applying for A-levels. There has been a 41% increase in entries to computing A-levels in England, Northern Ireland and Wales in the last few years. This is the highest increase of any A-level subject. 

BCS also noted that though there has been an increase in women having computing applications accepted, the number is still low compared to the number of men having theirs accepted. In 2019, male students outnumbered women by 4.7:1, and this only increased to 4.2:1 this year.