Stockholm  - A Swedish district court has criticized the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences for discriminating against women in its selection process for applicants to veterinary studies.

The district court in the university city of Uppsala, north-west of Stockholm, ruled that 44 women were discriminated against by being denied places in veterinary school even though they had the same grades as the male applicants.

The district court said the quota used in 2006 and 2007 to increase the number of male veterinary students had discriminated against women who applied from adult education colleges.

"We have obtained redress," Sofia Lindblad, one of the plaintiffs, told Swedish radio after the ruling.

Lindblad welcomed the ruling but said the 35,000 kronor (4,200 dollars) awarded in damages was insufficient compensation for the extra years she spent studying to acquire more credits.

The university used a special quota in its selection to secure more male students in 2006 and 2007. The odds suggested that a male student from an adult education college had a 38 times higher chance of being accepted to veterinary training than a woman.

More than 85 per cent of applicants were women, said lawyer Gunnar Strommer from the Centre for Justice, who handled the group action case. (dpa)