Frequently Asked Questions

United World Colleges is a global educational movement. Its mission is to make education a force that unites people, nations, and cultures for a peaceful and sustainable future.

UWC brings together 18 colleges on four continents and a system of national committees run by volunteers in more than 150 countries around the world.

Almost every country in the world has its own UWC National Committee, made up of UWC graduates. National committees hold annual selections of new members, distribute information about the movement, etc. We also support students currently studying and remain a platform for communication between program graduates.

Each school and college has its own website, which details campus life, conditions, academic programs, and other useful information.

You can read a short description of each school and college and find links to their websites by clicking the link below!

UWC schools and colleges follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). It is a rigorous two‑year pre‑university curriculum recognized by top universities worldwide. Combining in-depth study across six subject groups with core components (Theory of Knowledge, Creativity–Activity–Service (CAS), and the Extended Essay), it cultivates critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and well‑rounded global citizens.

Virtually all Ukrainian graduates continue their studies at universities in the United States or Europe. Over the past few years, our alumni were admitted to several Ivy League universities (Yale University, Brown University, Cornell University), and other prestigious American institutions like the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and others. In Europe, our alumni attended Oxford University, King’s College London, University of Maastricht, and many more.

The vast majority of UWC graduates receive scholarships covering up to 100% of their university tuition fees and other expenses.

Of course, attending a university is not the only option out there: many UWC alumni opt to take a gap year, build their own nonprofits, launch startups, or pursue other dreams.

Most of our alumni choose to pursue higher education outside of Ukraine, so they are not required to complete their Ukrainian schooling or have their International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma recognized in Ukraine.

However, if a graduate decides to apply to a Ukrainian university after completing their studies at UWC, they should be prepared to obtain a Ukrainian high school diploma and take the National Multisubject Test. The process of recognizing an IB diploma in Ukraine can be complex, and approval is not guaranteed.

You can learn more about the recognition process on the website of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine:

Students in the 10th and 11th grades whose date of birth falls into a determined range (determined each year) are eligible to apply. We also accept applications from students in their 1st or 2nd year of professional college (after graduating from 9th grade), as well as from teenagers currently taking a gap year. Applicants must be citizens of Ukraine.

A good level of English is important, as all studies at UWC are conducted entirely in English.

Most of our finalists speak at an above-average level (around B2), but we’ve also had successful applicants at the B1 level who were highly motivated to improve. Many colleges offer preparatory English language camps for students who need additional support — so don’t worry if your English isn’t perfect yet! Language skills are not the main selection criterion, and we encourage everyone to apply.

While some UWC national committees include standardized tests as part of their selection process, the Ukrainian committee does not. Instead, we assess your English level during group activities and interviews, and we evaluate your academic performance based on your school transcript.

The entire selection process takes place online, so physical presence in Ukraine is not required. However, all stages — including live interactions with the committee and other candidates — will be conducted according to Kyiv time, so please take time zone differences into account.

Yes, if you meet the date of birth criterion.

The selection process consists of four stages. The first is an online application, followed by discussions, interviews, group activities, and more. The exact structure may vary slightly each year depending on the number of applicants and other factors. All important information will be communicated to participants via email.

Group activities and interviews will be conducted in Ukrainian or English, depending on the specific task.

The selection process usually begins in August and concludes between February and March. Exact dates may vary each year depending on the number of applicants, the availability of National Committee volunteers, and other factors. All important timeline updates will be shared with participants via email.

You can find a more detailed preliminary timeline here:

No, finalists do not have the opportunity to choose their college. During the selection process, participants will be asked to share their college preferences, but the final decision is made independently by the National Committee based on what we believe is the best fit for each finalist. While we take preferences into account, there is no guarantee that the assigned college will match the finalist’s wishes.

We are aware of the issue where some applicants who currently reside in temporarily occupied territories or inside the aggressor country may not be able to access the application platform. If that is your case, try using a VPN service to change your virtual location. 

If that does not help, please reach out to us at [email protected], and we’ll help you find a solution!

The essay and short answers can take between 3-4 hours to complete, but we recommend spending more time and considering several drafts. Besides, the application consists of other components, such as letters of recommendation and transcripts, which will take longer to obtain. These two components can take up to 2-3 weeks, so it is worth doing them as soon as possible.

We also ask you to take into account the technical difficulties that candidates sometimes have when they try to send the completed application, so we do not advise you to leave it for the last days before the deadline.

The application is filled out in English, with the exception of questions that have additional language instructions.

Teachers can write recommendations in Ukrainian. However, if they are fluent in English, please send the recommendations in English for a better understanding of your application by future UWC college representatives.

The candidate cannot attach a letter of recommendation on their own, so they must indicate the email address and name of the person who will write the recommendation in the appropriate field in the application form. After that, the recommender will receive a letter with an invitation to register on the portal and fill in information about the candidate. When everything is ready, it is important to press “Submit” so that the information that this section is filled with appears in the candidate’s application form.

Instructions will be available in both English and Ukrainian, and the recommender can write the letter in Ukrainian if they do not speak English.

A non-academic reference can be written by a mentor or a leader of a group or organization to which the candidate is a part of, a coach, a religious leader, a head of the National Academy of Sciences section, a mentor, or anyone from an extracurricular context who knows the candidate well.

An academic reference should be written by a school teacher who can tell us more about your academic achievements.

A recommendation letter may not be written by a friend, a relative, or anyone under the age of 18.

We expect candidates to be proactive and independent. This means doing everything possible to obtain an academic transcript — such as contacting your school, class teacher, or a relative who can help. If this is not possible, we can accept a transcript from the previous semester or final grades from the institution you graduated from last year. Please inform us in advance by emailing [email protected].

Just like with recommendation letters, applicants will need to fill out a form with their guardians’ contact information. Each guardian will then receive a link via email to sign the consent form. The form will be available in both Ukrainian and English, and parents can choose the language they are more comfortable with.

Select “No” for the question, “Do you have two (or more) legal parents/guardians?” This should automatically close the section for entering information about a second parent.

United World Colleges is a global educational movement. Its mission is to make education a force that unites people, nations, and cultures for a peaceful and sustainable future.

UWC brings together 18 colleges on four continents and a system of national committees run by volunteers in more than 150 countries around the world.

More information is available below: 

We invite Ukrainian refugees to apply through the Ukrainian National Committee. The selection process will take place entirely online, so temporary residence abroad will not be an obstacle. At the same time, if the applicant has a permanent residence permit in another country and falls under the selection criteria of the national committee of that country, they can apply in the country of residence. It is important to remember that applicants can only apply through one national committee.

Yes. All Ukrainian citizens — regardless of their current location — can apply through the Ukrainian National Committee. This includes individuals who were illegally forced to take on the citizenship of the aggressor state.

Applicants must confirm their citizenship with a Ukrainian passport. If obtaining a passport is not possible, a birth certificate issued in Ukraine within its 1991 borders (at the time of the declaration of independence) may also be accepted.

If you are unable to obtain either of these documents, please contact us at [email protected]. We are committed to ensuring that every applicant has a fair chance in the selection process.