UWC was founded in 1962 with the vision of bringing together young people whose experience was of the political conflict of the cold war era, offering an educational experience based on shared learning, collaboration and understanding so that the students would act as champions of peace. We remain committed to this goal today but have expanded our reach to embrace the tensions and conflicts that exist within as well as between societies.

UWC has 12 schools and colleges educating students aged between 2 and 19. The education at UWC schools and colleges is underpinned by shared guiding principles. UWC short programmes offer a condensed UWC experience and take UWC’s mission and values to a wider audience. UWC schools, college and programmes all have distinctive characters but share the same commitment to UWC’s mission and values.

UWC depends on the dedication and expertise of an active volunteer based network called national committees. National committees operate in more than 140 countries to recruit, select and prepare more than 1000 students every year to join our colleges, schools and short programmes.

We welcome students from a deliberately diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. At UWC, diversity extends to differences in socio economic background, culture, race and religion as well as nationality. UWC students are united in their commitment to positive social action to build a more equitable and fairer world.

A UWC education reaches far beyond a student’s time at a UWC school or college or on a UWC short programme. Our students share a lifelong commitment to our values. Many see their time in our classrooms and on our campuses as the beginning of their UWC journey: a transformational time in which they find ways to achieve a more peaceful and sustainable future – a commitment that will continue throughout their adult lives as UWC alumni.