They completed the same courses as the men and sat the same exams. But for the first women to study at the University of Cambridge there was no degree at the completion of their studies. In the late 1800s, as the earliest female students at the prestigious institution fought for their work to be recognised, an intense public debate ensued with the men of Cambridge seeking to preserve the university as a bastion of male tradition and privilege.
Generations of female students would pass through Cambridge's hallowed halls before they were finally granted full membership of the university in 1948.
As Cambridge celebrates its 800th anniversary this year, those who protested over women's right to gain a degree may be turning in their graves to see a woman at the helm.
While Cambridge's vice-chancellor, Alison Richard, may still be in the minority as a female university leader, women have made impressive gains in working their way through the ranks of the world's education sectors.
However, while women's achievements were celebrated this week with International Women's Day, girls in some parts of the world continued their struggle to receive the most basic education, from Afghanistan and Pakistan, where militants continue to destroy girls' schools, to Somalia, where only one in four girls of primary school age is enrolled in school.
The early women of Cambridge and their counterparts around the world paved the way for today's female students, who now outnumber males at universities in a number of developed countries.
Increased entry into university has led to more women holding higher positions in leadership and research roles. In recent years women have taken up vice-chancellor posts in countries as diverse as Ghana, Australia, Malaysia, India, New Zealand and Sweden.