An Introduction to
UWC National Committees
The UWC National Committees are committed to selecting
students from within their own communities and cultures based
on merit and regardless of the ability to pay
What do National Committees do?
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Represent UWC in their country
Promote UWC opportunities
Select students in a fair and transparent way
Prepare the students they nominate to the Colleges for their UWC experience
Raise funds
Act as a hub/focus for UWC
graduates in their country and
from other countries
• May do outreach and community
service activities
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National Committee Structure
• NC Members are volunteers, freely giving time, skills and energy to UWC
• They come from a variety of backgrounds including UWC graduates, educationalists,
community leaders and other interested supporters
• At least 2,000 volunteers mobilise each year to help select and prepare approximately 1,200
students from over 10,800 applicants each year
• National Committees vary hugely in size, age, structure and funding – there is no one ideal
structure, each NC should find the model that allows them, in their local context, to develop
good and careful selection with wide and varied promotion
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How are National Committees monitored?
• National Committees are responsible to the UWC International Board of Directors
through the UWC International Office (UWCIO) and select for thirteen UWC Colleges
• NCs must comply with Board policies
• The National Committee Team at UWCIO support and monitor NCs
• Each NC annually reports to UWCIO on the previous year’s activities
• The NC team meets annually with the College Heads to discuss the next year’s offers and
the previous year’s experiences with students and NCs
• NCs are encouraged to establish a formal/legal identity in their own country
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National Committee relations with Colleges
• The UWC Colleges delegate the responsibility of selecting their Students to National
Committees
• The NC year starts with the offers process. An NC will receive from UWCIO (in
November) a summary letter detailing the (unconfirmed) offers made to that NC for
entry to the UWC Colleges in the following September (January at WaterfordKamhlaba UWC)
• Each College will then confirm the offer and its details to the NC
• Each College has its own Board and Governance structure. NC s need to understand
the differences between the Colleges and cannot assume that the same rules apply to
all Colleges
• This knowledge of the Colleges also becomes beneficial at the point of selection in
order to allocate places effectively
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National Committee relations with Colleges
• Where there is both a College and a National Committee in a country, an
appropriate division of responsibilities will be agreed between the two entities and
clearly communicated to the International Office
• UWCIO strongly encourages NCs to designate a member to be responsible for
communicating with the Colleges. This is especially important during the busy
selection and nomination periods
• It is very advantageous for NCs to build a good working relationship with College
staff. This will allow for the frequent sharing of information which should alleviate
any potential problems
• Colleges will report on a student’s progress and contact a NC if an issue arises.
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Representing and Promoting UWC
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National Committees represent UWC in over 120 countries around the world
In many countries, the NC is the only face and voice of the UWC organisation
NCs promote UWC to encourage applications and raise funds
NC work often goes beyond this promotion and extends the UWC mission and
values to many more young people than the students selected to attend a College
through selection camps, short courses and other community outreach activities
for example
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Selection:
Responsibility
• NCs recognise the immense responsibility of selecting students for UWC and
ensure they run a fair and transparent selection.
• UWCIO provides Selection Guidelines which detail the policy set by the UWC
International Board of Directors
• Students are selected based on their personal merit and potential and irrespective
of race, religion, politics and their ability to pay
• NCs should carefully consider the impact the student will have on the College and
conversely, the impact the College will have on the student.
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Selection:
Transparency
NCs ensure they run a fair and transparent selection by:
• establishing a selection process (agreeing stages and methods, people involved, costs etc)
• writing eligibility criteria and clearly communicating this to potential applicants
• agreeing before selection the criteria they will use to assess an applicant’s merit and
potential
• creating a selection environment where all applicants are able to do their best
• declaring a conflict of interest early and withdrawing from that year’s selection
• dealing with questions from applicants and parents in an appropriate manner
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Selection:
Applications and eligibility criteria
• NCs ensure they run a fair and transparent selection by establishing clear
eligibility criteria
• Most NCs define an age limit, the level of schooling required and whether
nationality and/or residency in their country is necessary in order to
apply
• NC eligibility criteria must be available in writing and clearly
communicated to potential applicants
• UWCIO can provide a skeleton application form, but many NCs simply
use this as a starting point. Each year a UWC application form is produced
in at least 35 different languages.
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Selection:
The selection process
NCs use a variety of methods to assess a candidate’s merit and potential
•Interviews
•Exams (particularly useful in countries without
standard educational assessment)
•Group activities
•Group discussions
•Community service activities
•Selection camps (sometimes to combine the
above)
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Selection:
Selection Criteria
NCs set their own assessment criteria under the following headings:
• As an individual – for example tolerant, adaptable, able to cope with life at the
College
• As a Group member – willingness to co operate with others, team work, leadership
skills, communication skills
• As a member of Society – social responsibility, commitment to own Country
• Skills and Interests, Academic performance
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Selection:
Preparation
NCs consider the following when preparing students and their families for the UWC
experience
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Administration – air tickets, visas, passports etc
UWC values and organisation – introducing students to the wider family
Life at the College – managing time demands, sharing a room, missing home etc
Starting a lifelong journey – why this is just the beginning
Building a relationship with parents/families
Keeping in touch with the Colleges and student progress
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Fundraising
• All National Committees finance their own selections – unfortunately, there are
no funds available from UWCIO
• Some NCs also raise funds to supplement scholarships or in some cases to run
additional programmes and courses
• For many NCs fundraising is a great challenge, but they have developed innovative
ways to support their work
• Many NCs have had great success with gifts in kind, for example, nearly 80% of
NCs in 2007 received all or part of a flight ticket for a student for free
• Some NCs receive personal donations, corporate donations, support from local or
national government and other organisations
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UWC Graduates
• NCs provide a hub/focus for the UWC graduate community in their country
• Graduates are often keen to give back to UWC and can provide an NC with a
source of volunteers, a fresh and recent UWC College experience and funds
• Many NCs use the internet to keep graduates up to date and organise
opportunities to regularly meet up
• It is easier to build this relationship before graduation and keep it going than have
to start this years later – good records are essential
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Selection:
What happens when there is no NC?
In countries where there is no National Committee, applicants have to apply through the
International Quota System:
• Applications through the International Quota System can only be made once the interested
applicant has verified that they are unable to apply to UWC through a National Committee, either
in their country of residence and/or, where different, in the country where they are citizens
• International Quota candidates can apply directly to only one of the United World Colleges,
through the application form distributed by the College of their choice, having first established that
there is a place available to apply for
• Unfortunately, there are no scholarships for International Quota (IQ) candidates. Successful IQ
candidates will generally be expected to pay their own tuition and board fees as well as all
associated costs such as travel and pocket money
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The National Committee System
National Committees:
• Form the backbone of the UWC Organisation and make it unique
• Are the voice of UWC throughout the world
• Are committed to a fair and transparent selection process
• See the potential in a student, give them an amazing opportunity and watch them
grow
• Contribute to making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for
peace and a sustainable future
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The National Committee System
National Committee Members:
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Join the UWC family
Freely give their time and energy
Learn new skills and enjoy new experiences through their volunteering
Are rewarded by witnessing the
impact of a UWC experience
• Make a difference
Thank you!
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