The fact that kids are still applying to go to uni is not really all that encouraging. The fact is, few of us can afford it, and yet we have been led to believe that without a degree it is near impossible to get even a reasonable paying job. And even with a degree, it's not easy. I've met countless graduates who are now stacking shelves in supermarkets or working in restaurants. We feel that we have little choice but to go to university, despite the fact that the chances of us graduating and not finding a decent job are much higher than we would like, and we know that at the end of it we will be at least 10 or 15 grand in debt. even more to the point is the fact that our 'maintenence loan' is not even close to the amount we need if we are to survive. average accommodation prices where I study are around £75 a week plus bills. That's £3600 a year. Our maintenence loan is £3305 a year. Add to that bills and food, transport, books etc, and you will see the financial problems we face

Steph, England, UK

This shouldn't be an issue since there is no discrimination included which prevents men from taking a degree. Their environment provides satisfying alternatives which apparently are not as available to woman as they are to men.

CH, Brussels, Belgium

My son, aged 14 and entering puberty, was looking forward to a university education. With the news of an ever burgeoning population of young ladies at colleges around the country his glee is now unconfined.
What it will do for his (academic) education is open to speculation.

Peter Constable, Wantage,

The notion that "nursing, education and psychology" are inherently more female-oriented is archaic and ridiculous. The correlation between the proliferation of such courses and the increase in female enrollment absolutely does not imply causation. Female enrollment at universities has come about because more women have chosen to enter the workforce, via university degrees, not because universities now offer subjects that our feeble minds are capable of understanding. The comparatively lower proportion of female applicants in many "traditional" courses reflects a bias against women in these fields - to which I can attest from personal experience - that begins in primary school.

Rachel, Cambridge, UK

In 1980 did the Times run a story about how appalling it was that 60% of undergraduates were male, and how there was a danger universities may become 'male only' zones. It not, why not?

Eugenia, London, England

I believe this is a direct result of the cutbacks of 'expensive' courses: chemistry, physics and the like (laboratories are a big expensive along with analytical instrumentation and technicians to run them: much cheaper to run courses that require nothing more than a lecturer and classroom).

The courses that are proliferating (sociology, media studies etc.) seem to attractive a much higher proportion of women.

Dave L, Selby, Yorkshire

University in the UK is clearly an excellent investment. Even the most pessimistic recent studies find that the graduate earning premium is c£150K more over 30 or so years compared to students with A levels alone. Students can expect to graduate with c15-20K in governent student loans at tiny interest rates - I'd call that a bargain!

I work at Aston University in Birmingham and 80% of our graduates go straight into Graduate level jobs (ie proper ones), which they simply would not be able to access without their degees from us, most of which include a sandwich placement, giving them experience alongside academic study.

James, Birmingham, UK

The questionable assumption behind all of your remarks is that going to university is worthwhile. Most university degrees do not offer practical training in marketable skills and, in many cases, turn out in retrospect to be a 'gap period' before a totally unrelated job is commenced. The reason is that British universities tend to serve themselves, not their students, and not potential employers.
Never mind, we can always keep our skills levels up by employing foreign graduates.

SM, London, England

If there were a scarcity of females applying to university, I daresay it wouldn't make the Times headlines.

Karen, San Diego, California USA

Oh, diddums, poor little boys. When I was at school (1950s/60s) a girl had to do better at all stages to get the same result as a boy - the pass mark for the 11 plus was higher for girls because otherwise 7 out of 10 grammar school places would have gone to girls and that would never have done, would it? Starting university in 1973 I found a ratio of 3 males to 1 female, and sexism was rife among tutors and students alike. What I would like to see is this female lead translating into positions in the professional world. But in fact we have fewer women in high positions than we did 10 years ago. The boys are good at protecting their own, even when they are next to useless.

alexandria, Sheffield, UK

I went to university in the early seventies, it was great fun then. The idea of attending as the minority sex, pursued by large numbers of female graduates sounds very appealing to me!

DAVID VINTER, LOUTH, LINCS., UK.

This is more to do with earning power than anything else. A 17-year old boy can leave school and go into training as a plumber, builder, electrician etc without the need for a degree. 10 years later his income will probably be on a par with his female equivalent who chose to go to university to study e.g. languages and who now has some semi-professional white-collar job. The reality is that boys are more likely to go into fields that do not require a degree. Whether it's through driving a taxi, joining the military or working on a building site, boys do not suffer a monetary disadvantage from avoiding university. The non-degree opportunities for girls are less. It's sad that these gender sterotypes still hold but the reality is that most non-degree qualified girls work in menial jobs by comparison to male equivalents.Boys have plenty of non-degree career options so really we should be encouraging girls to consider these options rather than assuming that a degree is necessary or better.

MB, Edinburgh,

"What is happening to our top female talent after leaving university?" - Rachel Haake, Chippenham

They are choosing the much more noble job of full-time motherhood.

Pete, Cov,

Not at Imperial College, London where the ratio of male to female students is 8:2. Shows how gendered science still is and propably will be for ever.

Alice, Stevenage,

In a more equal world, perhaps the new university gender bias might lead, in the future, to the equalisation of opportunity to avail oneself (if male) of the services of the equal opportunities commisssion.

It could be a splendid 'Parkinson's Law' style result:

'Opportunities arise to meet the need for equalising them' should cover it.

dr venables preller, Warminster, UK

Your article is not clear whether Mr Grant actually said personally that colleges could become male-free zones. If he did actually say that, it is a wholly ridiculous remark for someone to make as it is simply scaremongering and would not realistically happen according to current trends. The whole point is that more women must be encouraged to apply to university and achieve their goals. We need to move on from the quoted year of 1980 where education was reportedly largely male dominated. An interesting statistic to see would be the actual proportion of men to women applying for university in 1998 to put the article's comparison of the 1998 and 2007 figures in perspective. If, there were more men than women applying in 1998 then the larger increase in applications from women since 1998 is surely a move towards equality?

Hannah McCausland, Plymouth, UK

Your article is not clear whether Mr Grant actually said personally that colleges could become male-free zones. If he did actually say that, it is a wholly ridiculous remark for someone to make as it is simply scaremongering and would not realistically happen according to current trends. The whole point is that more women must be encouraged to apply to university and achieve their goals. We need to move on from the quoted year of 1980 where education was reportedly largely male dominated. An interesting statistic to see would be the actual proportion of men to women applying for university in 1998 to put the article's comparison of the 1998 and 2007 figures in perspective. If, there were more men than women applying in 1998 then the larger increase in applications from women since 1998 is surely a move towards equality?
Also, is the rise in this year's applications, simply a result of those students who have decided to take a year out to pay for their studies?If so, the government glee is premature.....let's look again at the debts of our young people in e next few years.

Hannah McCausland, Plymouth, UK

Oh sheesh. When I was at school girls rarely ever made it to University. If I remember correctly there was only 1 all female college, and a good percentage of girls from my school applied for places there. They didn't want to mix with the average male student. To get into a mixed college they had to get significantly higher grades than a boy to get a place. Now there is a worry that men will be marginalised? Well that's a shame. Women had to put up with being marginalised for eons.

B.P.Russell, Windsor, UK

What is more worrying for me is that despite the increase in females going to university and achieving a higher proportion of the top degree classifications, there is still a lack of females in senior roles in organisations and the public sector, according to a recent Equal Opportunities Commission report. Also there is still a significant pay gap 30 years after Sex Discrimination Legislation was put in place. What is happening to our top female talent after leaving university? Why aren’t woman being rewarded equally to their male comparators? These are the issues that need to be addressed.

Rachel Haake, Chippenham,

If the second paragraph was written by Ms Blair, then the Times has employed as an education correspondent someone who doesn't know the difference between further and higher education.

It's a common mistake. Nevertheless, to see it made by the Times is to understand just how far standards of English have fallen in recent years.

Pete Browning, Kingsclere, Hampshire