• Swindon & Wiltshire News
• Thursday February 16 2023
• Author Name: Peter Davison

University computing departments see record applicant numbers as AI hits mainstream – BCS

The popularity of computing degrees is growing faster than for any other course, with students applying in record numbers this year, according to new figures from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

The number of young people in the UK hoping to study computing in 2023 has risen by 9.6 per cent, more than for all other university subjects, analysis by Swindon-based BCS found.

The rise was likely to be down the high profile of AI, combined with the range of career options for UK computing graduates, like cyber security and climate change data science, BCS said.

Computing degrees have also seen an 18 per cent growth in applications from women in the UK hoping to start courses in 2023, BCS’ analysis of January deadline data from UCAS found.

BCS said male students still outnumber female students in computer science by 3.8 to 1 this year, but the gap has closed slightly from 4.2 to 1 at the same stage in the application cycle in 2022.

In total there were 92,980 applications from UK 18-year-olds to start UK computing degrees this year.

Julia Adamson, MD for education and public benefit at BCS said: “Young people – and an increasing proportion of young women – see that a computing degree is a passport to change the world.

“AI and machine learning are transforming how kids complete homework and how job applicants write the covering letters. It’s no wonder so many people see their futures in technology. The more diverse range of people we have working in computing the fairer and more inclusive the results will be for all of us.”

UCAS chief executive Clare Marchant said after the publication of the 2023 application figures for full time undergraduate study at UK universities: “We are seeing increased interest in subjects which students perceive to have good career prospects, such as computing and law.”