FAQs

Today, over 9,500 students from more than 155 countries are studying on one of the UWC campuses. Over 65% of UWC students selected for UWC through the UWC national committee system receive a full or partial scholarship, enabling admission to a UWC school to be independent of socio-economic means.

This means that anybody can apply to UWC. We are looking for students who want to become a change-maker for a better world - independent of whether they are able to contribute financially to their studies.

The answer to this question depends on the following:

1. If you are applying for entry to the IB Diploma Programme (Grade 11), then it depends on whether you are asking for financial assistance or not:
   • If the prospective student is looking for a scholarship, then the selection route is via the relevant National Committee. Via this channel, a student may express preferences for a particular college during the selection process, but the selection committee decides who to send to each college. When a student is offered a place in a college, it is up to him/her to decide whether to accept it or not. If a student decides not to accept the place, he/she will not be offered one at an alternative college.
   • If the student is not requesting financial support, then you can express interest directly in OpenApply, UWC Dilijan’s Admissions management system, and we will assist you find the correct entry path.

Our values, our admission process and the UWC mission make us different.

UWC aims at enabling youth to respond to the challenges of a globalized world. We want to educate individuals who, through their own action and personal example, can make a positive difference in the world.

We provide this education to our students independent of their socio-economic means enabled through our comprehensive scholarship system.

UWC’s mission is to make education a force for peace and sustainability. Studying at a UWC school or college is therefore just the beginning of a lifelong commitment to UWC’s values.

UWC education is experiential, meaning that we want our students to learn through doing and do through learning. Our students come together to encounter and understand the principles of sustainable development such as generational and gender equality, social tolerance, poverty reduction, environmental protection, preservation of natural resources and the creation of open, free, just and peaceful societies. Students experience these themes through active and social learning. In community services, students partake in meaningful and important activities within their immediate vicinity and deal with these relevant concepts. We help our students to discover the possibility of change through courageous action, personal example and selfless leadership.

At the heart of UWC’s distinctive model of education is a “deliberately diverse, engaged and motivated community in pursuit of the UWC Mission”. We believe that all students will benefit from learning in a diverse environment that helps to broaden their mind and sense of self

The approach within UWC emphasises student autonomy and personal sense-making. The International Baccalaureate Diploma offers a coherent and internationally recognised curriculum that is a deliberate compromise between different national emphasis on “breadth” and “depth”. 

All UWC schools and colleges teach the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) for students in the final two years of high school education. As one of the most well-regarded and widely known secondary school qualifications in the world, the IBDP prepares the students to attend some of the world’s leading universities. In addition to the IBDP, four of our schools offer programmes tailored for younger students: find out more here.

UWC also places a high value on experiential learning, community service and outdoor activities, which complement the high academic standards delivered through the IBDP.

Finally, we also offer short course programmes to provide students with a condensed UWC experience, and present our overall missions and values to a greater audience.

Find out more information on UWCD subjects here. 

UWC has a strong commitment to the welfare, development and support of our students. We understand the important role that pastoral care plays in aiding our students throughout an experience that will be challenging at times: living and learning in a residential school environment - often far away from home - with a challenging academic and co-curricular program.

All of our locations have a team of on-site staff who support the student’s well-being in roles such as house-parents, student advisors, peer support networks, nurses and counselors, deans of students, health and wellness specialists, heads of residential life, psychologists and psychotherapists, as well as providing access to healthcare, on campus and locally.

For those students applying via UWC’s national committee system, they do thanks to a unique network of over 3,000 volunteers working in more than 158 countries to select students for the IBDP at UWC. They promote the UWC movement, find, interview and select students for IBDP places at one of our schools and colleges worldwide.

A wide variety of individuals make up UWC national committees, including UWC alumni, parents of alumni, education professionals and community leaders who have embraced UWC’s mission and values. They promote UWC to prospective students and parents, encourage and support applications, select UWC scholars and prepare them for their UWC experience.

What actions are required as part of the application and selection proves?

The application process will vary across UWC national committees. It will generally include:

• A written application
• An essay
• A series of interviews, conducted in person or online
• Group activities
• Community service
• An examination
• A weekend camp

Depending on an applicant’s chosen application path or their national committee, the application and selection process could take anywhere between one and five months to complete.

UWC national committee selections typically take place in the country where the applicant’s national committee is based. In special circumstances, for example, in countries of conflict, some national committees might conduct most or all of their selection process online.

Selection processes vary from country to country, but all selection committees look for demonstrated promise and potential in UWC candidates. All UWC selection processes are guided by the six core UWC selection criteria:

• Intellectual curiosity: You love learning about the world around you - both inside and outside the classroom. You have at least one academic area that you are passionate about, and would like to explore further. You are able to recognise global and local issues, and analyse them critically. 

• Active commitment to your own values and those of UWC: You share UWC’s values and show a commitment to follow UWC’s code of conduct. You have humility and the ability to listen to, and value, other people’s opinions. You appreciate that although others may have different points of view, they may also be right. You promote UWC’s values in your daily life, and act as a global citizen of the world.

• Social competence: You interact respectfully with others, understanding and appreciating their viewpoints and perspectives, and you are able to work within a team to find solutions to problems. You know how to express yourself appropriately in different situations and to different people.

• Resilience, self-awareness and independence: You can look after yourself physically and emotionally during challenging situations, for example in a boarding school environment. You have developed good coping strategies, and you are not easily overwhelmed. You also know when to ask for help for yourself, and for others. 

• Personal responsibility and integrity: You can express and examine your own values, and you are ready to contrast and reflect on them in comparison to the values of others. The way you behave within your family and community reflects your values and beliefs. You can communicate your own needs and are mindful of those of others, demonstrating a sense of communal responsibility.

• Academic robustness: You have the potential to meet the rigorous demands of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme or the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme.

The UWC movement seeks to select students based upon their suitability for the programme, irrespective of their native language or competence in the language of instruction (English). However, students and their parents are advised that attempting the IB Diploma Programme with little or no command of English will prove very burdensome for the student. While it is true that many students who enter the programme with limited English go on to do very well, it is also true that many struggle and it takes them sometime to get used to carrying all school subjects in English, rather than in their native language. 

A person should contact the National Committee of his/her country of origin.

School/college fees generally do not include travel to the respective location, pocket money, travel during holiday periods, etc. There may also be additional fees in the form of deposits, and also to cover visa/inoculation processes. However, if needed, UWC will cover these additional costs.

At UWC and UWC Dilijan, we believe that a top-class education should be made available to all students, independent of their financial needs. That is why, with the help of our generous donors and partners around the world, 80% of students receive either full or partial financial assistance, which is dependent on need and allocated based on a financial assessment. Full tuition cost at UWC Dilijan is USD80,000 over two years.

Students are awarded places at a UWC school or college based purely on how well they meet our selection criteria. If they are successful, parents or guardians need to complete a financial assessment which is completely separate from the selection process. Scholarships are awarded based on financial need. This helps ensure scholarships go to students who need them most.

At UWC Dilijan, the goal of university & career counselling is to help our students to gain access to post-UWC opportunities that will allow them to continue their educational development, find personal fulfillment, and contribute to a more peaceful and sustainable future.

To accomplish this, we work closely with each student to understand their goals, context and strengths, to help them understand and navigate the full range of post-UWC opportunities available to them. In addition to individualised counselling, we provide group sessions on topics such as the university search process, financial aid and scholarships, US, British and European university systems, the SAT and standardised testing, essay writing and application preparation.

UWC students are fortunate to not only benefit from an excellent and globally recognised educational experience, but to also have access to a number of UWC specific bursaries, scholarships and financial-aid opportunities. The largest of these is the Davis UWC Scholars Program, which provides financial aid opportunities to UWC graduates at more than 90 excellent universities in the United States.  

University Counselling at UWC Dilijan also includes hosting dozens of visitors each year from various universities around the world. Staff build relationships to help promote UWC Dilijan and to be able to effectively advocate for our students.

Lastly, we work closely with faculty and external partners to support the holistic educational and personal development of UWC Dilijan students, allowing them to make the most of their UWC experience and their opportunities afterwards.