Taught postgraduate courses gained in popularity in 1999-2000, according to figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Numbers of students obtaining these qualifications climbed 7 per cent compared with 1998-99, to a total of 89,500. The main increase was among women, with numbers leaping 10 per cent. First-degree graduates registered a 1 per cent increase to 265,300, of which 54 per cent were women.