Students at Queen's University, Belfast, and the University of Ulster have thwarted an attempt to reveal accurate religious breakdowns. About a quarter of undergraduates failed to respond to a survey that claims to show a Catholic majority at Queen's and on the Ulster campuses.

A table of the bare statistics shows, at Queen's: 34 per cent Catholic; per cent Protestant; 2 per cent "other"; and 37 per cent not known or unavailable.

For Ulster there were: 41 per cent Catholics at Belfast; 46 per cent at Coleraine, 45 per cent at Jordanstown and 65 per cent at Magee. The figures for Protestants were 37 per cent; 41 per cent; 34 per cent; and 12 per cent, respectively. Figures for "not known or unavailable" were between 10 and 20 per cent.

Religion is recorded only for Northern Ireland-domiciled students, but the ratio of foreign students, particularly from the Irish Republic, is believed to have shrunk in recent years while more Northern Irish-born students have opted for home institutions.

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Unionists in the Stormont Assembly clashed, however, over allegations of a "chill factor" militating against Protestants in higher education.

Edwin Poots of the Democratic Unionist Party urged employment and learning minister Carmel Hanna to tackle the take-up level of third-level education by Protestants.

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But Ms Hanna said the accuracy of the tables could not be guaranteed because an average of 26 per cent of students had not responded.

"Religion is not a factor in the universities' admissions procedure. Under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, universities have a duty to ensure equality of opportunity and a neutral environment," she added.