UWCSEA East profile 2025/2026
UWC Mission
The United World College movement makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.
UWCSEA Educational Goal
We educate individuals to embrace challenge and take responsibility for shaping a better world.
Mission in action
College, Local, and Global Service
Students are committed to building deep and sustained connections within the Singapore community. All High School students engage in weekly, year-long service activities through the Local Service programme. These activities range from supporting disadvantaged children with their studies, to visiting dementia patients in a nursing home, to teaching life skills to former domestic workers who have been victims of abuse. Opportunities for College Service include helping in Kindergarten classrooms, mentoring younger students and supporting green initiatives on campus.
Global Concerns (GC) projects focus on communities and causes in developing nations outside Singapore. Students identify regional grassroots NGOs to partner with and then create events to raise awareness and funds for environmental, human rights and development projects in education and health.
Initiative for Peace (IfP)
Initiative for Peace (IfP) is a transformative programme undertaken by UWCSEA
students from both Dover and East Campus. Students undergo a year of training in conference facilitation, peace and conflict negotiation and leadership, delivered by UWCSEA staff and alumni and visiting experts from the United Nations and NGOs. At the end of the year IfP students travel to an area of former or current conflict and lead an intense week of workshops with young people from diverse backgrounds, helping them to learn they can instigate social change in their community. In addition to an annual conference held in Timor-Leste, IfP studentfacilitators organise an annual Peace Day conference in Singapore to empower students from local and international schools to make peace a sustainable goal.
Project Week
Project Week, an independent learning trip with a worthwhile purpose, empowered Grade 11 students to organise programmes focused on creativity, activity and/or service within Singapore or overseas. Students engaged in the College’s extensive preparation programme, which included first aid training, trip planning, budgeting and risk mitigation.
Gap Year and UWCSEA Alumni Internships
Each year a number of UWCSEA graduates undertake a Gap Year, some of whom choose to work with one of the College’s NGO partners in the region. UWCSEA’s Alumni Internship programme provides a number of graduates with opportunities to work at the College in support of academic and other programme areas, for example in the Drama, Languages or
Outdoor Education Departments, or on project-based sustainability initiatives.
Sports, Arts and Leadership programmes
The College’s robust sports and performance programme continued this year. A wide array of activities were offered and inter-school sports competitions within Singapore and internationally resumed. Some students were also engaged in supporting younger peers with sports coaching and language lessons.
No awards policy
UWCSEA East does not give individual achievement awards in academics, activities, service or other elements of the learning programme. This intentional, philosophical decision was made in order to promote an overall stronger community as well as a spirit of solidarity amongst students.
University
advising policies
• students are limited to ten applications worldwide
• we do not compute GPAs or rank students
• in cases where universities require or request, UWCSEA East reports all out-of-school suspensions, exclusions and withdrawals that arise as a result of a disciplinary incident where the incident raises significant concerns about the future safety and wellbeing of the student concerned or of those with whom the student interacts; or where the incident raises significant concerns about the academic integrity of the student
Curriculum
All students graduate with the UWCSEA High School Diploma, recognising their contributions to the UWCSEA holistic learning programme. In Grade 9, students choose either (I)GCSE courses or the UWCSEA Grade 9 and 10 Programme.
UWCSEA Grade 9 and 10 Programme
Most students take ten UWCSEA courses, including English, Mathematics, a Humanities subject, Coordinated Science, an Arts subject, PE, and Electives. Students participate in World of Learning, a careers experience week, in Grade 10.
(I)GCSE (Grades 9 and 10)
Most students take nine examination subjects for (I)GCSE. The core examination subjects are English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Coordinated Science, a choice of a Humanities subject, and an Arts or Practical subject. Most students take a language other than English
and a further subject to ensure a balanced curriculum.
Students joining in Grade 10
Students who join the College in Grade 10 take the UWCSEA Grade 10 Programme.
IB
(Grades 11 and 12)
Students may choose to complete the full two-year IB Diploma including six subjects (three at higher level and three at standard level). The IB Diploma also requires students to study Theory of Knowledge, submit an Extended Essay and participate in Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS). Some students choose to complete individual IB courses, pursuing certification in selected diplomalevel subjects.
Complete IBDP course listing for the Class of 2025
IB Systems Transformation: Leadership for Change
UWCSEA is one of only four schools in the world to offer this innovative new course as part of a flagship pilot programme with the IBO. Systems Transformation is a 300-hour SL taught course (dual award) which equips students with the tools, knowledge, and conceptual models to navigate complexity in a changing world. Through rigorous and authentic assessments, students analyse complex systemic problems, designing targeted interventions to bring about positive change. Students in this pioneer cohort were selected for their leadership potential, academic suitability, and commitment to the UWC Mission.
English is UWCSEA’s medium of instruction and courses are offered at Higher and Standard Level unless otherwise noted.
1. Language A: Literature
Taught
School Supported Self-Taught (SL)
Language A: Language and Literature
2. Language B or ab initio
3. Individuals and Societies
4. Sciences
5. Mathematics
6. The Arts
7. IB Systems Transformation
Chinese (SL); English; French; Hindi (SL); Japanese; Spanish
Bemba; Indonesian; Khmer; Kinyarw; Kiswahili/Swahili; Korean; Vietnamese
English; Chinese (SL)
Chinese B - Mandarin; English B (HL); French B; French ab initio (SL); Spanish B; Spanish ab initio (SL)
Business and Management; Economics; Environmental Systems and Societies (SL); Geography; Global Politics; History; Psychology
Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Design Technology; Environmental Systems and Societies (SL); Physics; Sports, Exercise and Health Science
Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches; Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation
Film; Music; Theatre; Visual Arts
IB Systems Transformation: Leadership for Change - double SL award
ACT and SAT scores
0 members of the Class of 2025 took the ACT and 124 took the SAT.
IB Diploma results 2025
IB Diploma candidates
22.5%
UWCSEA East students awarded a bilingual diploma Bilingual Diploma languages Bemba; Bulgarian; Burmese; Chinese; Dutch; English; French; Hebrew; Hindi; Indonesian; Japanese; Khmer; Korean; Mongolian; Spanish; Swahili; Swedish; Thai
Student body 2025/2026
2,897
UWCSEA East students
Class of 2025 destinations
100% of graduates will go on to university, 85% of those directly after graduation, with the rest first going on a Gap Year or into National Service.
High School students 1,160
Student-teacher ratio
Class of 2026
boarders in Grades 8–12
10.4 students : 1 teacher
Scholars
49 members of the High School are on scholarship, selected within their home country by UWC national committees or UWCSEA, on the basis of academic potential, personal merit and their potential to have a positive impact on the local and global community. Scholars come from 32 countries.
22 countries Class of 2025 applied in
2023–2025 University enrolment of UWCSEA East graduates
Asia
Ahmedabad University (India)
Peking University (China)
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The University of Hong Kong
Yonsei University (South Korea)
Australia
Macquarie University
Monash University
Queensland University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology
The Australian Institute of Music
The University of Adelaide
The University of Sydney
University of Melbourne
University of New South Wales
Canada
Concordia University
Huron University College at Western
McGill University
McMaster University
Queen’s University
The University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia - Okanagan University of Guelph
University of Toronto
University of Victoria
University of Waterloo
Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Island University
Western University
York University
Japan
International Christian University
Keio University
Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus
Sophia University
Temple University, Japan Campus
Tohoku University
Singapore
Nanyang Technological University
National University of Singapore
SIM Global Education
SIM University
Singapore Management University
Singapore University of Technology and Design
The Netherlands
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Technical University of Delft
University College Utrecht
Rest of Europe
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (Belgium)
Copenhagen Business School (Denmark) Ecole Polytechnique (France)
Sciences Po La Havre campus (France)
The American University of Paris (France)
EU Business School - Munich (Germany)
Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)
University College Dublin (Ireland)
Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
IE University - Segovia Campus (Spain)
Lund University (Sweden)
Uppsala University (Sweden)
United Kingdom
Birmingham City University
Cardiff Metropolitan University
City of London College
City, University of London
Durham University
Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Hartpury University
Hull York Medical School
Imperial College London
King’s College London, University of London
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London
Loughborough University
Northeastern University London
Oxford Brookes University
Queen Mary University of London
Rose Bruford College
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Royal Holloway, University of London
The University of Edinburgh
UCL (University College London)
University of Bath
University of Birmingham
University of Bristol
University of Cambridge
University of Central Lancashire
University of Chichester
University of Essex
University of Exeter
University of Glasgow
University of Leeds
University of Leicester
University of Manchester
University of Nottingham
University of Oxford
University of Plymouth
University of Reading
University of Sheffield
University of Southampton
University of St Andrews
University of Sussex
University of the Arts London
University of Warwick
University of Westminster, London
United States
Arizona State University
Babson College
Bard College
Barnard College
Administration
Ms Cathy Jones
Head of UWCSEA East
Mr Damian Bachoo
High School Principal
Ms Gemma Dawson
High School Vice Principal, IBDP Coordinator
Bates College
Bentley University
Berklee College of Music
Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Brown University
Butte College
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Chapman University
Claremont McKenna College
Colorado School of Mines
Cornell University
Drexel University
Duke University
Earlham College
Emerson College
Emory University
Fordham University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Indiana University-Bloomington
Johns Hopkins University
Lake Forest College
Lewis & Clark College
Luther College
Macalester College
Methodist University
Michigan State University
Middlebury College
Mount Holyoke College
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Pitzer College
Pomona College
Princeton University
Purdue University-Main Campus
Quinnipiac University
Rhode Island School of Design
Ringling College of Art and Design
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Sarah Lawrence College
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Skidmore College
Smith College
University advisors
Ms Pamela Kelly Wetzell Head of University Advising pamela.kelly.wetzell@uwcsea.edu.sg
Mr Pat Desbarats patrick.desbarats@uwcsea.edu.sg
Ms Niki Dinsdale nicola.dinsdale@uwcsea.edu.sg
St Lawrence
St Olaf College
St. Lawrence University
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
The College of Idaho
The New School
The Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg
The Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
The University of Tampa
The University of Texas at Austin
Trinity College
Tufts University
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Davis
University of California-Irvine
University of California-Los Angeles
University of California-San Diego
University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Maryland-College Park
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Notre Dame
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
University of St Thomas
University of Virginia-Main Campus
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Wesleyan University
Wheaton College
Whitman College
Williams College
Yale University
Ms Alex Feinson alexandra.feinson@uwcsea.edu.sg
Ms Rachel Garcia rachel.garcia@uwcsea.edu.sg
Ms Mala Swaminathan mala.swaminathan@uwcsea.edu.sg
Accreditation and membership Council of International Schools | Western Association of Schools and Colleges | IB World School | Registered with the Singapore Committee for Private Education | National Association for College Admission Counseling | International Association for College Admission Counseling