Early women students
Faculty of Arts 1852
The first students - all male - were admitted to the first faculty, the Faculty of Arts, in 1852.
In 1881 Senate unanimously decided to allow the admission of women, and the passing of the University Amendment Act in 1884 secured the legal rights of women at Sydney University.
The first two women matriculants at the University enrolled in the Faculty of Arts in 1882 and graduated in 1885.
On this webpage:
Milestones
Gallery In the 1880s, 1890s, early 1900s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, 1990s and today
Milestones
1852: | The first students were admitted to the first faculty - the Faculty of Arts. Only male students were eligible and this remained the situation for almost 30 years. |
1881: | Senate unanimously decided to allow the admission of women. 1882: |
1882: | Mary Brown and Isola Thompson were the first two women matriculants at the University, enrolling in the Faculty of Arts. |
1885: | Mary Brown and Isola Thompson were the first women to graduate Bachelor of Arts. |
1887: | Isola Thompson was the first woman at the University to be awarded the Master of Arts. |
1890: | 43 female undergraduate students were enrolled in Arts compared with 241 male undergraduate students. |
1892: | Jane Foss Russell was the only female on the University teaching staff when she was appointed Tutor to Women Students. |
1900: | 62 female undergraduate students were enrolled in Arts. |
1930: | Female undergraduate Arts students began to outnumber males (442 female, 429 male). |
1943: | Moya McDade (later Gallagher), recent BA graduate and enrolled in the Department of Social Studies, became the first woman to hold office as President of the Students' Representative Council. (A woman, Arts undergraduate Margaret Walkom, had been elected in 1937, but withdrew her nomination when the previous President, Kevin Ellis, reconsidered his nomination.) |
1960: | Joan Jones was the first woman to obtain the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Arts - the first PhD in Arts had been awarded the previous year. |
2011: | The Discipline of Economics, the Centre for International Security Studies and the Graduate School of Government were transferred from the Faculty of Economics and Business to the Faculty of Arts. |
The Faculty became the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, comprising the Schools of Economics; Letters, Arts & Media; Language & Culture; Philosophical & Historical Enquiry; and Social & Political Sciences. | |
2012: | There were 6,107 women and 3,430 men students enrolled in the Faculty as at 31 March. |
Gallery
In the 1880s

The memo by Chancellor William Manning in support of his motion which was before Senate to admit women to the University, 1881, photo G3_224_270, University of Sydney Archives.1,

Mary Brown, one of the first two women Bachelor of Arts graduates at the University, in 1885, print from a wood-carving, 'Illustrated Sydney News', 6 June 1885, NLA Newspapers.

Isola Thompson, one of the first two women Bachelor of Arts graduates at the University, in 1885, print from a wood-carving, 'Illustrated Sydney News', 6 June 1885, NLA Newspapers.

Jane Foss Russell (later Barff) was the third female BA graduate and first female Honours graduate, in 1886, and the first Tutor to Women Students, in 1892. She is pictured wearing her cap and gown on 29 November 1890, photo by Falk, State Library of NSW. She married University Registrar Henry Ebenezer Barff in 1899.

Isola Thompson, became the first woman at the University to be awarded the Master of Arts, in 1887, image from 'Town and Country Journal', June 1887, National Library of Australia.
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Mary Bruce (later Walker) graduated BA in 1887, image from 'Town and Country Journal', June 1887, National Library of Australia. She was an assistant teacher at Sydney Girls' High School. |
Carrie Lomer graduated BA in in 1887, image from 'Town and Country Journal', June 1887, National Library of Australia |
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Constance A Sutherland graduated BA in in 1887, image from 'Town and Country Journal', June 1887, National Library of Australia |
Minnie Wearne graduated BA in in 1887, image from 'Town and Country Journal', June 1887, National Library of Australia. She was headmistress of MLC Burwood 1887-1909. |
In the 1890s

Sarah Hynes graduated BA in 1891, and became the first Australian woman botanist and the first woman admitted to membership of the NSW Linnaean Society, photo, The World's News, 14 November 1925, National Library of Australia.

A group of women Arts students outside the Women's Common Room eating bananas in 1893, photo G3_224_0367, University of Sydney Archives. Top from left: Constance Harker (Arts II), Lucy Flavelle (Arts I) & Eleanor Whitfield (Arts II); front from left: Ethel Russell who graduated BA that year, Ethel Maynard (Arts III) and Jennie Uther (Arts III).

Edith Doust (later Wolstenholme) graduated BA in 1896 and MA in 1898, photo G3_224_1414, University of Sydney Archives.
In the early 1900s
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Millicent Armstrong graduated BA in 1910. She became a playwright and a farmer, photo from Green Room Pictorial, 1 March 1924. |
Jessie Lillingston (later Street) graduated BA in 1911, photo ca 1910, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW, Digital order number a126013. Jessie Street was an activist, a feminist and a lifelong campaigner for women’s rights, the peace movement and the elimination of discrimination against Aboriginal people. |

Marjorie Chave Collison graduated BA in 1916 with First Class Honours in History. In 1919 she gained an MA from Columbia University. She was a lecturer and a feminist, photo, Western Mail, 26 January 1928, National Library of Australia.

Isabel Fidler, the second woman BA graduate to become tutor to women students, in 1900, 1917 photo G3_224_0575, University of Sydney Archives.

Elizabeth Ferrier (later McDonald), who graduated in 1909, photo, The Gazette, December 1992.

Flora Sydney Eldershaw graduated BA in 1918, photo, The Australian Women's Weekly, 29 February 1936, National Library of Australia. As well as teaching, she collaborated with Marjorie Barnard on several novels, and was a leading figure in Sydney literary circles.
In the 1920s

Marjorie Barnard graduated BA in 1920 with Hons I & the University Medal in History, photo, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW, Digital order number a128506. She collaborated with Flora Eldershaw on several novels & began to write fulltime. She was outstanding among the first generation of women historians trained in Australia.
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Fifi Hawthorne graduated BA |

Dymphna Cusack graduated BA in 1925, and became an acclaimed author, photo, The Australian Women's Weekly, 29 January 1938, National Library of Australia.

Third year Arts students in 1926. Soon after, female Arts students began to outnumber males, photo G3_224_2715, University of Sydney Archives
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Thelma Olsen (later Harvey, Kirkby, Bate) |
In the 1930s
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Isobel Taylor graduated BA in
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Ethel Pink attended lectures in
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Rachel Mandelbaum (later Lipton) |

Phyllis Kaberry graduated BA from the University in 1933 and MA in 1935, winning the Wentworth medal in 1934 and gaining First Class Honours for her master's thesis on 'Culture contact in Melanesia'. She became an acclaimed anthropologist, photo, The Australian Women's Weekly, 28 June 1941, National Library of Australia.
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Margot Hentze graduated BA in 1933 |
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Mary Barr Mackinlay graduated BA |
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Margaret Walkom (later Hutley) |
In the 1940s

Robin Stanton, in Arts I, on her first day at the University, photo, The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 March 1947, National Library of Australia. This photo appeared in an article on 'Casual clothes for Students' which advised 'The average woman student dispenses with gloves, and hats are looked upon as an unnecessary affectation',

Avis Bucknall, an Arts II student, acting as a "pilot" in an experiment in air traffic control being conducted in the CSIR Radio Physics Laboratory at Sydney University. She was one of 14 girls taking part in these experiments. They were helping to determine how modern air navigation aids, e.g. radio ranges and radar equipment, could best be used, photo, The Sunday Herald, 30 January 1949, National Library of Australia]].
In the 1950s

Judith White (later Robinson-Valéry) graduated BA with First Class Honours in French and the University Medal, and Shirley Lewis graduated BA in April 1954, photo, The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 April 1954, National Library of Australia. Dr Robinson-Valéry became a leading international figure in the study of French literature.

Margaret Champion, who graduated BA with honours in Philosophy, and Ann Stuckey who graduated BA with honours in Latin, in April 1954, photo, The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 April 1954, National Library of Australia.

Jill Ker Conway graduated BA with honours in history in 1958. Dr Ker Conway is a historian, noted academic and author, photo, The Australian Women's Weekly, 3 March 1976, National Library of Australia.
In the 1970s

Kate Grenville, who graduated BA in 1973, is one of Australia’s most celebrated authors. Kate was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University in 2012, photo by Ted Sealey, copyright The University of Sydney.

Mary Kostakidis graduated BA in 1977. She has become a leading figure in Australian public life and in 2012 was co-winner of the University's Alumni Award for Community Achievement, photo, Sydney Alumni Magazine.
In the 1990s

Delia Falconer graduated BA (Honours) in 1990 and holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne. A Senior Lecturer at UTS, Dr Falconer is an acclaimed writer, photo, Faculty's news website.
Today
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Kate Brennan, who completed a BA with First Class Honours in 2004 and was completing an LLB, was the winner of the 2007 NSW Rhodes Scholarship. She planned to use her Scholarship to Oxford to undertake an MPhil in Development Studies, photo, Uni News website. |

Venessa Cowell graduated BA in 2006, and created a boutiqe footware label 'Venessa Cowell Design' which has become a thriving business, photo, Faculty's News website.

Hannah Donnelly graduated Bachelor of International & Global Studies in 2007. She was one of 7 young Indigenous Australians who went to New York in 2011 to take part in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, photo, Faculty's News website.
Information sources
- University of Sydney Calendar Archive
- National Library of Australia historic newspapers
- ZOOMinfo.com
- Australian Dictionary of Biography
Lis Bergmann, 2013