Nationally, women account for nearly two-thirds of student-loan debt, fill universities at a faster pace than men, and dominate many of the lowest-earning majors. North Carolina reflects national trends as the percentage of women in higher education is steadily outpacing men.
In 2021, female students made up 58% of total undergraduate enrollment and male students made up 42% nationally. Women closed the historical gender gap in higher education in 1979 and have since then surpassed the rate of men in universities across the United States.
In 1979, in Cannon v. University of Chicago, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Geraldine Cannon who was denied admission to two private Illinois medical schools which she claimed was on the bases of her sex. This landmark decision strengthened Title IX, the 1972 federal civil rights law, allowing individuals to sue higher universities for gender discrimination.
Since this ruling, women have slowly, but steadily, lapped men in higher education. However, despite boasting high numbers, women continue to receive low-earning majors and men are less likely to complete their degree.
In the University of North Carolina System, female undergraduate enrollment increased by 119% from 1980 to 2023, according to a recent report from the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal.
“We shouldn’t expect perfect parity between men and women on college campuses. But it’s crucial to understand what’s driving these trends,” said Shannon Watkins, the research and policy fellow at the Martin Center.
The report found that, while enrollment numbers at universities in North Carolina vary, the state historically reflects national patterns. In 1980, male and female enrollment trends in the University of North Carolina and North Carolina Community College Systems were close to 50-50, with women holding a narrow lead. By 2023, the proportion of male to female enrollment dropped significantly.
“This brief provides data to go with what we have all seen on today’s campuses,” said Jenna Robinson, president of the Martin Center. “Women now outnumber men significantly.”
In 2024, North Carolina State University recorded the highest percentage of male enrollment at a public university in NC at 50.37%. In 2024 NC State was the only university in the UNC System to have more male than female students. Winston-Salem State University had the lowest percentage of male students at 25.68%.
In the 2024 academic year, 128,554 men applied for admission to a UNC System School and 201,877 women applied. The problem lies in the pathway from high school to college—with a lack of postsecondary interest from men—rather than disproportional rates of rejection from universities.
Men are choosing to opt out of college. Rather, they turn to trade, apprenticeships, or the military as a substitution for a four-year degree. Enrollment in two-year vocational schools has grown almost 20% in the last five years, according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Despite rising numbers in higher education, women still face an astonishing wage gap in North Carolina. Women with some college or associated degree earn about 27% less than their male counterparts. Women in NC earn less than men at every education level according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
In tandem with higher rates of college graduation, women dominate the healthcare field nationally and in NC. In 2017, there were roughly 105 million healthcare practitioners in the US, 75% of which were women, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Healthcare is projected to be the fasted growing field in the state.
Data from the National Center for Education Statistics suggests that the projected enrollment gap of men and women will only widen, with no signs of reversing.