Thank you for your interest in applying to UWC.

The UWC movement seeks outstanding students who want to become change-makers for a better world, regardless of their socio-economic, religious, national, ethnic or cultural background. If you are a passionate learner, excited about the prospect of studying and living with young people from around the world, if the UWC mission to make education a force for a more peaceful and sustainable future inspires you - then take the leap and apply! 

There are two main ways to  apply to study the IB Diploma Programme at a UWC boarding school if you are a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident:

Which Application Route is Best for You?

Whichever route a candidate chooses, the application will be assessed against UWC’s core selection criteria.

Please note that a candidate may only submit one application per year to study the IB Diploma Programme at UWC. You may not apply through two different UWC national committees or through a UWC national committee and the UWC Global Selection Programme concurrently.

Please visit the following page to read more about the main differences between the two UWC applications routes.

UWC Selection Criteria

Each of our schools and colleges has its own distinct character and identity, influenced by their host country, the specific setting, cultural context and their community. What makes each one of them a UWC is a deliberately diverse student body, with students coming from all over the world, bringing with them very different backgrounds to learn and live together - and their joined mission to make education a force for peace and sustainability. 

Each year, we look for applicants to join our schools, who bring the following:

  • Intellectual curiosity and motivation: a genuine urge to learn about the world around oneself. The ability to recognize the details and grasp the breadth of issues (such as  global and local concerns) involved in any given topic and to analyze them thoroughly 
  • Active commitment: the ability to develop and the readiness to reflect, question and confront one’s own values, to measure one’s behaviour within family and community against one’s own values, and to act on one’s own beliefs accordingly and responsibly 
  • Social competence: the ability and readiness to make contact with other people, to interact respectfully with them, to work together with them in a team and to achieve solutions; the ability to express oneself adequately in different situations and to different people
  • Resilience, personal responsibility and integrity: the ability to look after oneself physically and emotionally during the challenging and transformational  experience that a UWC education offers; the personal motivation to adhere to UWC’s common moral and ethical principles, a sense of humility and an ability to listen and value another person’s opinion and experience 
  • Motivation for UWC: passion, ability and serious incentive to contribute to and actively promote UWC’s values

The process through the National Committee of Canada is simple and to begin...

Step 1

Create a new account using the 'Register' button to the right.

Step 2

Confirm your account and begin your application

You will receive an e-mail (please check spam/junk box) attached with a link. Please click on the link and you will be directed to the application page.

Step  3

In order to determine if you are eligible, fill out the Eligibility question

Step 4

Start your application.

It's that simple!

Please Note:

  • The 'Eligibility question' will determine if you are eligible to make an application.

  • If you are unsure how to submit your application, please get in touch with us: