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The UWC global movement is comprised of 18 schools, including Canada's most international school, Pearson College UWC. Students are selected to attend UWC from over 150 countries. Following merit-based selection, UWC aspires to meet the demonstrated financial need of all students, and we offer more financial aid than other international schools. This helps ensure our schools are diverse in every sense, which is key to fulfilling our mission to make education a force for peace and sustainability in the world.
United World College (UWC) was founded by Kurt Hahn in 1962, inspired by his experience as a German Jew during the war years. He had had a front row seat to all the ways in which societies can fail, often principally, he felt, by being too insular. As an educator, he hoped to play a role in changing that. The goals of the school are as grand as they are affective, including, says David Hawley, past head of UWC Canada, that of “preventing what happened with World War II from ever happening in the future." Hahn hoped to educate people about their place in the world, to appreciate the diversity of the global population through direct experience, and to understand the power of their voices within a multitude of voices. The first school was founded in Wales, the second being Pearson College in 1974 and named to honor Lester Pearson’s leadership. There are now 17 UWC schools dotting the globe, and in all the goal is to bring people from around the world together, including those from cultures and countries that may be in conflict. Students arrive very consciously bringing their experience with them, and they enter a community of like-minded individuals who, like them, are interested in taking a leadership role in their communities, whatever they may posit them to be. The ideal student is one who is able to thrive in an engaging, diverse, challenging academic and social environment.
Gallery showcasing school life and general photos of UWC Canada.
Gallery showcasing specific locations and facilities found at UWC Canada.
Some private schools offer International Baccalaureate (IB) programming. The "Diploma Programme" is offered to students in the final two years of high school, while the "Primary Years Programme" (ages 3 to 12) and "Middle Years Programme" (ages 11 to 16) serve as preparation for the diploma program.
| Program | offered |
|---|---|
| Primary Years | |
| Middle Years | |
| Diploma program | |
| Career-related program |
| Focus |
|---|
| Academic |
| Subject | offered |
|---|---|
| Evolution as consensus theory | |
| Evolution as one of many equally viable theories | |
| Evolution is not taught |
| Subject | offered |
|---|---|
| Biology | |
| Chemistry | |
| Ecology | |
| Geology | |
| Meteorology | |
| Physics | |
| Physiology | |
| Zoology |
| Subject | offered |
|---|---|
| Acting | |
| Dance | |
| Drama/Theatre | |
| Graphic Design | |
| Music | |
| Visual Arts |
| Subject | offered |
|---|---|
| Computer science | |
| Robotics | |
| Web design |
| Flexible pacing style | offered |
|---|---|
| Subject-streaming (tracking) | |
| Multi-age classrooms as standard | |
| Ability-grouping (in-class) as common | |
| Frequent use of cyber-learning (at-their-own-pace) | |
| Regular guided independent study opportunities | |
| Differentiated assessment |
| Subject Type | offered |
|---|---|
| Learning strategy and study counselling; habit formation | |
| Extra support and minor accommodations for children experiencing subclinical difficulties |
| Subject Type | offered |
|---|---|
| Accommodations | |
| Modifications | |
| Extra support |
Read our guide to special needs schools and special education
| Program | offered |
|---|---|
| Full-time gifted program (parallel to rest of school) | |
| Part-time gifted program (pull-out; parallel to rest of class) |
Curriculum delivery: Enrichment (The main focus is on enrichment. This means that while students may work at a marginally quicker pace than public school peers, the primary aim is to study subject in broader and deeper ways.)
| Program | offered |
|---|---|
| Custom subject enrichment (special arrangement) | |
| Custom curriculum compacting (special arrangement) | |
| Guided independent study (custom gifted arrangement) | |
| Cyber-learning opportunities (custom gifted arrangement) | |
| Formalized peer coaching opportunities (specifically for gifted learners to coach others) | |
| Custom subject acceleration (special arrangement) | |
| Career exploration (custom gifted arrangement) | |
| Project-based learning (custom gifted arrangement) | |
| Mentorships (custom gifted arrangement) |
Competitive sports: N/A
Recreational sports: 8
UWC Canada offers 27 clubs and extracurricular programs.
| 12 | |
| Boarding | $1 |
| Grade range that need-based aid is offered: | 12 |
| Percentage of grade-eligible students receiving financial aid | 75% |
| Average aid package size | $25,000 |
| Percentage of total enrolment on financial aid | 75% |
| Total aid available | $1,600,000 |
Canadian students interested in attending any of the UWC schools follow the same application process as those who wish to attend Pearson College.We prefer applicants to be in Grade 11 when they apply. For entry in 2018, this means being in Grade 11 as of September 2017. Applicants should be 16 or 17 years old as of September 2018. Selection is based on merit, financial assistance is available based on need. Up-to-full scholarships are available for students to attend 17 UWC schools around the world.
This information is not currently available.
| Grades | Gender | Living Arrangement | Enrolment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Gr. 12 to Gr. 12 | Coed | Boarding | 200 |
| Total enrolment | 200 |
| Average class size | 6 to 16 |
| % of international students (total enrolment) | N/A |
| Number of different nationalities within student population | N/A |
| Five-day boarding program offered | N/A |
| % in boarding (grade-eligible) | 100% |
| 12 | |
|---|---|
| Boarding Enrollment | 100 |
| Assessment | Required | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Interview | 12 - 12 | |
| SSAT | ||
| SSAT (out of province) | ||
| Entrance Exam(s) | ||
| Entrance Essay | 12 - 12 |
Boarding students: November 15, 2017
Offer mid-year entry: No
Application fee: N/A
Registration fee: N/A
Deposit: N/A
We prefer applicants to be in Grade 11 when they apply. For entry in 2018, this means being in Grade 11 as of September 2017. Applicants should be 16 or 17 years old as of September 2018.
This is the percentage of applicants typically accepted into the school. So if 50 students are admitted out of 100 applicants, the school has an overall acceptance rate of 50%.
Student Entry Points
This shows approximately how many openings there are likely to be in each grade in a typical year, as well as the estimated acceptance rate for each grade level.
| Student Type | 12 |
|---|---|
| Boarding Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 50 - 60 (25%) |
| Average graduating class size | 100 |
| Students accepted into post-secondary studies upon graduation | 99% |
| Percentage of students who attend post-secondary institutions outside of Canada | 50% |
| Students who attended a Ivy+ school Number of students in the past 5 years that that attended one of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, University of Chicago, Oxford or Cambridge (UK) | 50 |
| McGill University | 10% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University of British Columbia | 5% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College of the Atlantic | 5% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UWC Canada Graduates’ Post-Secondary Studies:
Aggregate of All Schools’ Post-Secondary Studies:
| Career planning | |
| Internships | N/A |
| Mentorship Program | |
| University counseling |
What UWCNCC/Pearson College says:
| Alumnus | Grad Year | Accomplishment |
|---|---|---|
| Chrystia Freeland | 1986 | Chrystia is currently the Minister of International Trade in the Canadian parliament. |
| Julie Payette | 1982 | Julie Payette has completed two spaceflights and served as Chief Astronaut for the Canada Space Agency. She is Canada's Governor General. |
| Yuen Pau Woo | 1981 | Yuen Pao Woo served as the President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. He was named to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. |
| Niki Ashton | 2001 | Niki Ashton is the New Democratic Member of Parliament for the federal electoral district of Churchill—Keewatinook Aski in Manitoba. |
| Evan Adams | 1984 | Evan Adams is a Canadian actor, playwright and medical doctor. He is the Chief Medical Officer of the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia. |
| Nmesoma Umenwofor-Nnweze | 2017 | Nmesoma Umenwofor-Nnweze was one of 15 young leaders named to the Prime Minister's Youth Council in 2016. |
Alumni Highlights
My UWC journey started as a student at Pearson College in 1983. I can genuinely say, that experience laid the foundation for everything that followed. I chaired the German National Committee from 2008 and from 2010 onwards, I worked with our partners, the Bosch Foundation, on building UWC Robert Bosch College. I think it is fair to say that I have seen the UWC movement from different angles.
As Executive Director, I look to the future with optimism. UWC – already a leader in the field of transformational education – can have an even greater impact in the years to come and we can all play a part in this success.
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