Students in higher education, 1 October 2006, preliminary figures

211 600 students were enrolled at universities and university colleges as of 1 October 2006. Compared with 2005, the number of female students had increased by almost 1200, whereas the number of male students had fallen by more than 1300.

Over the last 20 years female students have been in majority in tertiary education. In 2006, female students accounted for 60 per cent of the total student number.

The number of students at universities and specialised universities fell to nearly 87 600 in 2006, compared with more than 88 800 students in 2005. In these institutions there has been a reduction in the number of both male and female students. While there was only a small reduction in the number of female students, the number of male students fell by more than 1000. The number of students at university colleges was almost 124 000 - 37 per cent men and 63 per cent women.

Tables:

• Table 1 Students, by gender, type of institution, ownership and educational institution. Preliminary figures. 1 October 2005 and 2006
• Table 2 Students, by type of institution, gender and age. 1 October 2006. Absolute figures and per cent