UWC Namibia National Committee

APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 10 March 2025. 

Welcome to the UWC Namibia National Committee applications page. Please read the below carefully before you begin you application process. Applications close on 10 March 2025 at 23:59. Kindly ensure your application is complete and that you have attached all the necessary documentation required before the closing date. 

Should you have any questions, please contact the Namibia National Committee: info@na.uwc.org

For more information regarding UWC: https://www.na.uwc.org/

What is UWC?

UWC (United World Colleges) is a global education movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Central to the ethos of UWC is the belief that education can bring together young people from all backgrounds on the basis of their shared humanity, to engage with the possibility of social change through courageous action, personal example and selfless leadership.

Today, UWC has 18 schools and colleges on 4 continents. These colleges teach the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma as their formal curriculum, a qualification that UWC played a major part in developing, while also emphasizing the importance of experiential learning, community service and outdoor activities.

UWC Selection Criteria 

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. We look at 6 core criteria when selecting students: 

• Intellectual curiosity: You love learning about the world around you - both inside and outside the classroom. You have at least one academic area that you are passionate about, and would like to explore further. You are able to recognise global and local issues, and analyse them critically. 
• Active commitment to your own values and those of UWC: You share UWC’s values and show a commitment to follow UWC’s code of conduct. You have humility and the ability to listen to, and value, other people’s opinions. You appreciate that although others may have different points of view, they may also be right. You promote UWC’s values in your daily life, and act as a global citizen of the world.
• Social competence: You interact respectfully with others, understanding and appreciating their viewpoints and perspectives, and you are able to work within a team to find solutions to problems. You know how to express yourself appropriately in different situations and to different people.
• Resilience, self-awareness and independence: You can look after yourself physically and emotionally during challenging situations, for example in a boarding school environment. You have developed good coping strategies, and you are not easily overwhelmed. You also know when to ask for help for yourself, and for others. 
• Personal responsibility and integrity: You can express and examine your own values, and you are ready to contrast and reflect on them in comparison to the values of others. The way you behave within your family and community reflects your values and beliefs. You can communicate your own needs and are mindful of those of others, demonstrating a sense of communal responsibility.
• Academic robustness: You have the potential to meet the rigorous demands of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme or the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme.

UWC Namibia 2025 Selection Process

UWC depends on the dedication and expertise of a network of volunteers to promote UWC and select future students. These are called national committees and they operate in more than 145 countries worldwide. Each year a national committee will receive from the UWC schools and colleges a specific number of places (which may include a scholarship, bursary/partial scholarship or fee-paying place) for which they select students to study the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. All Namibian applications are done through the Namibian national committee.  

Process is as follows: 

1. Students complete application and submit necessary documentation before closing date 
2. Student will be shortlisted based on merit and UWC selection criteria 
3. Shortlisted students contacted for selection day (Note: Selection day is likely to take place on 15 March 2025 in Windhoek) 
4. Successful students nominated to various UWC colleges/schools. This is not a formal offer, merely a nomination to the UWC school/college. 
5. UWC colleges/schools accept student nominations 
6. Successful students receive formal offer from UWC school/college 

NOTE: All applicants are chosen on merit, regardless of ethnicity or religion. UWC aims to provide access to more students from across the socio-economic spectrum, and consequently, the National Committee wishes to see the UWC ethos resonate in all applicants and their families. If you can afford to make a partial or full contribution to UWC, you are advised to indicate such on the application form. Non-disclosure or false statements may result in the withdrawal of a place. While the family contribution should not cripple the family financially, it must represent a financial prioritization of the student’s education over other discretionary expenses.