The least and most popular undergraduate courses in the UK
Female students were more likely to select medical-related subjects, while male students favoured business degrees, according to data from Hesa
Seeta Bhardwa
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The most popular undergraduate degrees among female students in the UK in 2016/17 were those allied to medicine, while the most popular subjects for male students were business and administrative studies.
Course data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency were analysed by training course provider The Knowledge Academy to determine the most and least popular undergraduate courses in the UK in 2016/17.
The most popular courses for female undergraduate students were those allied to medicine, with 136,215 students enrolled during the academic year. The second most popular choice was business and administration subjects.
The least popular course for female students was veterinary science, with only 4,345 students choosing it.
The most popular course chosen by male first-year undergraduates were business and administrative related subjects, with 119,515 enrolled students in 2016/17.
The next most popular course for male students was engineering and technology. Following the same pattern as female students, again, the least popular course was veterinary science.
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Top five most popular undergraduate courses for females in 2016/17
| Rank | Subject | Number of applicants |
| 1 | Subjects allied to medicine | 136,215 |
| 2 | Business and administrative subjects | 113,270 |
| 3 | Biological sciences | 111,945 |
| 4 | Social studies | 99,895 |
| 5 | Creative arts and design | 97,470 |
Top five least popular undergraduate courses for females
| Rank | Subject | Number of applicants |
| 1 | Veterinary science | 4,345 |
| 2 | Agriculture and related subjects | 6,470 |
| 3 | Architecture, building and planning | 11,460 |
| 4 | Computer science | 12,115 |
| 5 | Mathematical sciences | 13,700 |
Top five most popular courses for male students
| Rank | Subject | Number of applicants |
| 1 | Business and administrative studies | 119, 515 |
| 2 | Engineering and technology | 97,205 |
| 3 | Computer science | 67,885 |
| 4 | Biological sciences | 66,720 |
| 5 | Social studies | 60,965 |
Top five least popular courses for male students
| Rank | Subject | Number of applicants |
| 1 | Veterinary science | 1,110 |
| 2 | Agriculture and related subjects | 2,770 |
| 3 | Education | 7,710 |
| 4 | Mass communications and documentation | 16,945 |
| 5 | Medicine and dentistry | 19,565 |
