United World Colleges

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UWC (United World Colleges)

Type	Schools, colleges, and short educational programmes
Established	1962; 62 years ago (1962)
Founder	Kurt Hahn
President	Queen Noor of Jordan
Executive Director	Faith Abiodun
Location	Colleges in 18 countries UWC International Office, London and Berlin
Website	uwc.org

United World Colleges (UWC) is an international network of schools and educational programmes with the shared aim of "making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future."^[1] The organization was founded on the principles of German educator Kurt Hahn in 1962 to promote intercultural understanding.^[2]

Today, UWC consists of 18 colleges on four continents. Young people from more than 155 countries are selected through a system of national committees and pursue the International Baccalaureate Diploma; some of the schools are also open to younger years. UWC runs the world's largest scholarship programme in international secondary education, with over 80% of students selected by UWC national committees to attend one of the colleges receiving financial support.^[3] To date, there are almost 60,000 UWC alumni from all over the world.^[4]

The current President of UWC is Queen Noor of Jordan (1995–present). Former South African President Nelson Mandela was joint-President (1995–1999), alongside Queen Noor, and, subsequently, Honorary President of UWC (1999–2013).^[5] Former UWC presidents are Louis Mountbatten (1968–1977)^[4] and, when he was Prince of Wales, King Charles III (1978–1995).^[6]

The movement, including the colleges and national committees, are linked and coordinated by UWC International, which consists of the UWC International Board, the UWC International Council, and the UWC International Office (UWCIO), based in London and Berlin. These entities work together to set the global strategy for the movement, oversee fundraising, and approve new colleges.^[7] Faith Abiodun, who joined the movement in 2021, serves as executive director of the International Office,^[8] and Musimbi Kanyoro has been the chair of the International Board since 2019.^[9]