IR-MFF, Issue 03-2025: Gendered Success: Analyzing Admission, Acceptance, and Graduation Trends
Institutional Research Monthly-Friday Fact (IR-MFF), Issue 03-2025
Strategy and Delivery, Nazarbayev University
Gendered Success: Analyzing Admission, Acceptance, and Graduation Trends
As part of our work in the Institutional Research & Analytics unit, this month, we investigated the undergraduate admission and acceptance rates, as well as trends in male and female graduation rates over the past six years.
Undergraduate Admission and Acceptance Trends
Table 1 provides a breakdown of the percentage of female applicants, and the proportion of those applicants that end up accepting and beginning an undergraduate program each year.
| Table 1
Year-to-Year Undergraduate Admission and Acceptance Rates by Gender |
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| Year | Applicant Totals | Applicant Percentages | Accepted Totals | Rate of Acceptance | ||||
| Females | Males | Females | Males | Females | Males | Females | Males | |
| 2019 | 655 | 509 | 56.3 | 43.7 | 285 | 178 | 43.5 | 35 |
| 2020 | 1056 | 869 | 54.9 | 45.1 | 379 | 291 | 35.9 | 33.5 |
| 2021 | 890 | 674 | 56.9 | 43.1 | 442 | 274 | 49.7 | 40.7 |
| 2022 | 1053 | 839 | 55.7 | 44.3 | 456 | 311 | 43.3 | 37.1 |
| 2023 | 1234 | 1113 | 52.6 | 47.4 | 441 | 357 | 35.7 | 32.1 |
| 2024 | 2011 | 1866 | 51.9 | 48.1 | 636 | 741 | 31.6 | 39.7 |
| Note. Values in bold reflect high percentage for gender group for each year. | ||||||||
We can see that, for the past six years, there has been a trend of having more female applicants than male applicants, though the numbers have become more balanced in the last couple of years. In terms of acceptance rates, female applicants were generally more successful, but this trend seems to have reversed in 2024.
Graduation Rates by Level and Gender
Table 2 presents the cumulative graduation rates at the undergraduate, master’s, Doctor of Medicine, and PhD levels by gender.
| Table 2
Year-to-Year Cumulative Graduation Rates by Level and Gender |
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| Undergraduate 6-Year Cumulative Rate | Master’s 3-Year Cumulative Rate | Doctor of Medicine 6-Year Cumulative Ratec | PhD 6-Year Rate | |||||
| Year | Females | Males | Females | Males | Females | Malesb | Females | Males |
| 2019 | 93.7 | 85.7 | 91.5 | 85.8 | 75.0 | 100 | 80.0d | 50.0d |
| 2020 | 94.0 | 86.2 | 92.3 | 86.5 | 83.3a | 95.5a | 50.0 | 42.9 |
| 2021 | 94.4 | 87.0 | 92.0 | 87.2 | 88.9a | 96.2a | 50.0 | 48.0 |
| 2022 | 94.3 | 87.3 | 92.3 | 86.0 | 86.7 | 100.0 | 46.0 | 47.4 |
| 2023 | 94.0 | 87.0 | 90.7 | 84.2 | 91.1 | 100.0 | 40.5 | 50.0 |
| 2024 | 93.6 | 86.2 | 89.8 | 83.0 | 93.4 | 97.3 | 47.1 | 48.3 |
| Note. aValues pertain to 5-year rate; bapproximately only 34% of all admitted students are male; first cohort began in 2015; donly includes Graduate School of Education PhD students for this assessment; values in bold reflect high percentage for gender group for each year. | ||||||||
Notably, at the undergraduate and master’s degree level, females exhibit a better graduation rate than their male counterparts. However, male Doctor of Medicine students have tended to graduate at a more efficient rate than their female counterparts. Similarly, since 2022, male PhD students have also appeared to more frequently graduate within six years, though this seems to be quite similar in 2024.
At the Institutional Research & Analytics unit, we recognize the importance of tracking student success across gender groups. These insights help inform institutional strategies to support all students equitably. Moving forward, further research could explore underlying factors contributing to inequalities in acceptance and graduation rates, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed.
