UWC International
UWC Global Selection Programme: apply directly for a place in a global movement
UWC is not your typical school. It is a global education movement of 18 schools on four continents, founded on a single idea: that education can be a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Each year UWC brings together young people from more than 150 nations to live and learn as a deliberate microcosm of the world. The Global Selection Programme, known as GSP, is the direct route for families to apply to UWC for a place, rather than through a national selection committee.
Through GSP, a student joins one of the 16 UWC schools currently open to the programme for the final two years of secondary education, studying the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma alongside classmates drawn from every region of the world. The two-year UWC Diploma experience combines academic study with opportunities for residential and community learning, with arrangements varying between schools. What sets them apart is not a single facility or programme but the mix of people in them: students are selected for their potential and their fit with UWC's values, then placed into a community built to be as globally diverse as possible, so that learning across difference becomes the method rather than a line in a prospectus. Students typically join at age 16 and complete the full two-year programme.
Every place is earned on potential and values
This is the clearest way to understand GSP. Although GSP is the full-fee route, a place is not secured by fees alone. Every applicant is considered for their promise, their openness, and their readiness to contribute to a diverse international community. Selection is about the young person, not an existing CV, and the schools are set up to support that step.
Who the Global Selection Programme is for
The Global Selection Programme is designed for families who can meet the full cost of attendance and wish to apply directly to one or more participating UWC schools and colleges.
It is particularly relevant to internationally mobile families seeking a globally connected, values-led education for their child, as well as families looking for a distinctive international learning experience.
GSP does not offer financial assistance. Families seeking scholarships can explore alternative UWC application routes through the UWC website.
What a UWC education is built to do
UWC's founding purpose goes beyond bringing students together. It is to make education a force for peace and a sustainable future. Diversity is the method: by deliberately bringing together young people of many nationalities, backgrounds and outlooks, understanding one another becomes part of the education itself. Students leave with the academic preparation of the IB Diploma and, just as importantly, the independence, resilience, empathy and intercultural understanding that come from two years of genuinely shared international life. They also leave having engaged directly with the challenges of building a more peaceful and sustainable world, through service, environmental responsibility and action in their communities. It is an education organised around purpose and personal growth as much as around academic outcomes, and it is the same mission wherever a student is placed in the world.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma
At the heart of the programme is the two-year IB Diploma, a globally recognised qualification for university entry. UWC helped create it: in the 1960s, UWC's founding school, UWC Atlantic, worked with the International School of Geneva and the United Nations International School in New York to develop the International Baccalaureate, and the Diploma's Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) element grew out of UWC's own model of learning through service. Students study six subjects across a broad range of disciplines, alongside the Diploma's three core elements: Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay, and CAS. The combination builds strong academic foundations together with critical thinking, independent research, and active contribution to the community. UWC graduates progress to a wide range of top universities around the world, supported by dedicated university guidance at each school.
Community and residential life
Living alongside peers from many countries is central to a UWC education, not an add-on. Students share daily life, meals, activities and responsibilities with classmates from very different backgrounds, and much of the growth happens there: young people become more independent, more culturally aware and more confident in a diverse and changing world. Each school has its own setting and character, from its campus to its co-curricular and community programmes, while sharing the same mission and community ethos.
The friendships formed here last. Students leave with friends across the world and become part of a global UWC alumni community of more than 91,000 and growing, a network that stays with them through university, working life and beyond. It is one of the clearest ways a UWC education keeps giving long after the two years are over.
Choosing a school
The Global Selection Programme provides access to 16 participating UWC schools and colleges across four continents, each with its own distinctive setting, character and educational opportunities.
Families can identify their preferred school or college and indicate additional options they would consider. With places limited and applications considered through successive windows, applying early is encouraged, particularly for families interested in a specific location.
All applicants must meet UWC's selection requirements, and school placements remain subject to availability and the admissions process. Families are encouraged to explore individual school websites to understand their academic programmes, residential communities and wider opportunities.
How to apply
Applications are made online through UWC's application platform. The process is designed to understand the student as a whole person, so it looks at motivation, openness, engagement with the world, and readiness to live and learn in a diverse international community, not grades alone.
Students create an application, complete the sections about themselves and their interests, and submit within the published window. Applications open and close on set dates each cycle and places are limited, so we strongly encourage families to begin early rather than wait for the deadline.
Places through the Global Selection Programme are limited, and applications are considered through successive application windows. Families interested in a particular UWC school or college are encouraged to apply early, as subsequent windows will open only if places remain available. All offers are subject to the selection process and availability.
Fees
Fees vary between participating UWC schools and colleges, reflecting their location and individual programmes. For the two-year IB Diploma experience, fees range from approximately USD 50,000 to USD 165,000, depending on the school.
Families can find detailed fee information on the UWC website or contact the admissions team for guidance on the costs associated with their preferred schools.
Ages and other options
GSP is aimed at students joining for the two-year IB Diploma, from age 16. Younger prospective students are warmly encouraged to register their interest for a future intake so we can stay in touch.
Students older than the Diploma entry point may wish to explore UWC Short Courses, a shorter UWC experience of intercultural learning and community.
Start your application
To begin, or simply to ask which route is right for your family, contact the UWC International admissions team using the details on this listing, or start your application directly online. We will be happy to help you understand more about the movement, the schools and the process before you commit.
Find out more and download our GSP Application Guide here
