Oxford University's last remaining all-female college has decided to retain its single-sex status.

A proposal to admit men yesterday (December 4) failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority among fellows voting at St Hilda's.

The college refused to confirm the results, but a source said there were 19 fellows in favour of going mixed, 11 against, two abstentions and one absent. It was the second time in eight months that its governing body rejected plans to abandon its single-sex status.

Most of the undergraduates opposed the idea.

They said the college promoted opportunities for women across the university, where just one in five fellows is female.

But many dons claimed admitting men would make it easier to attract students and recruit fellows.

Helen McCabe, St Hilda's Junior Common Room president, said: "This was a totally unsuitable time. We felt that a decision had been made only a short time before and nothing could have changed that much.

"Everybody in the JCR was delighted with the result and believe we should be promoting St Hilda's for the great college it is."