Universities should set targets to boost male student numbers, a think-tank is suggesting.

The Higher Education Policy Institute said institutions are letting young men down as the proportion of male students continues to shrink at a worrying pace.

Researchers suggested ‘targets’ for the number of young men admitted, which could be reached by tailoring ‘official sources of information’ for male pupils.

They advocated a ‘Take Our Sons To University Day’, in which parents would take boys to see what campus life is like.

Universities are being told to introduce target for the number of male students after Ucas revealed the number of girls applying exceeded boys by 94,140 by mid-January - a record

The report comes after the main Ucas deadline in mid-January, by which 343,930 girls and 249,790 boys had applied for university – a difference of 94,140 and the largest gap on record.

The report warned girls born this year will be 75 per cent more likely to study for a degree than their male classmates on current trends.

Nick Hillman, co-author of the report and the director of the HEPI, said: ‘Nearly everyone seems to have a vague sense that our education system is letting young men down, but there are few detailed studies of the problem and almost no clear policy recommendations on what to do about it.

‘Young men are much less likely to enter higher education, are more likely to drop out and are less likely to secure a top degree than women.

‘Yet, aside from initial teacher training, only two higher education institutions currently have a specific target to recruit more male students. That is a serious problem that we need to tackle.’

The HEPI said the gender gap could be down to a range of reasons, such as a higher graduate earnings premium for women than men. It said boys may be working less hard at school but also more women could be enrolling thanks to a shift to graduate entry for female-dominated careers, such as nursing and teaching.

The report noted over 80 per cent of institutions have more female than male students, yet only two have targets for recruiting more male students – excluding teacher training schemes. It called for more male role models in widening participation schemes and the creation of ‘foundation years’ aimed at boys to help them catch up with peers before starting courses.

Researchers suggested ‘targets’ for the number of young men admitted to try to counter the problem, which could be reached by tailoring ‘official sources of information’ for male pupils

STORM OVER 'AFRICA DINNER' Students demanded a boycott of an Africa-themed college dinner at Cambridge University after claiming it was offensive to ethnic minorities. At the formal dinner undergraduates from Queen’s College enjoyed traditional food and drinks from Senegal, Morocco, South Africa and Nigeria. But some students said the end-of-year event on May 4 represented ‘cultural appropriation’ rather than appreciation. They said the invitation was particularly offensive because it used the Swahili phrase Hakuna Matata, which means ‘no worries’ and is also the name of a song from Disney movie The Lion King. Student Alice Davidson said organisers were treating African culture as the same as a ‘Disney animated movie’. In an online rant, she wrote: ‘A little more sensitivity would go a long way.’ It was just the latest themed party to which elite students have taken offence. Advertisement

Mr Hillman said targets for recruitment of boys should be set by individual universities and not imposed by ministers. He said taking on more boys would not disadvantage girls because the recent lifting of the numbers cap means there is no limit on how many students can be recruited from either gender.

He added: ‘Of course women face substantial challenges too. Female graduates earn lower salaries than male graduates. Lad culture can make life uncomfortable for female students.

‘But policymaking is not a zero-sum game in which you have to choose between caring for one group or the other.’

The HEPI said the gap was largest among the most deprived, with girls from poor families 51 per cent more likely to enter university than their male counterparts. And it said race was a factor too – with only 8.9 per cent of white boys from poor families enrolling compared with 50 per cent of boys of Indian heritage with the same financial disadvantage.

Universities must prove they are doing enough to encourage disadvantaged groups to apply by sending annual ‘access agreements’ to the Office for Fair Access. OFFA’s director, Professor Les Ebdon, said yesterday: ‘I welcome this important report. Participation rates in higher education of white men from disadvantaged backgrounds remain stubbornly low.’