“UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future”.
A Retreat from the City Bustle
The birth of Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong (LPCUWC) can be traced back to 1978 when Sir Q W Lee and Mr. Li Shiu Tsang MBE JP, whose family had set up the Li Po Chun Charitable Trust, initiated the idea of establishing a UWC college in Hong Kong. LPCUWC accepted its first batch of students in September 1992. It was formally opened by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales on 6 November that same year.
Located in the tranquil neighbourhood of Ma On Shan just minutes away from the bustling cosmopolitan area, LPCUWC is home to more than 250 students between the ages 16-19 from over 80 nationalities. As a tight-knit community surrounded by lush greenery, LPCUWC provides an excellent place for students to live, learn and strive, supplemented with a well-rounded experience of the city.
LPCUWC is one of the 17 UWC schools and colleges across the globe that share mission of making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. It is a boarding school that goes beyond being “international” as it shares a firm commitment to diversity.
About the Principal
Arnett Edwards is the Principal of LPCUWC since August 2011. He arrived in Hong Kong in 1998 from England and experienced working in two international schools before his association with LPCUWC. Professionally trained as a classroom teacher in the United Kingdom, Arnett had a long tenure with the City Technology College Kingshurst Academy as IB coordinator and senior leader. He holds an International Executive Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from The Education University of Hong Kong and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Education specializing in Leadership and Management from the same university.
Three Pillars of LPCUWC Education
Education at LPCUWC is driven on the three pillars: Academics, Education Outside the Classroom and Residential Life.
Academics
The academic programme at LPCUWC is shaped by the requirements of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB). The IB Diploma is an academically challenging and balanced pre-university programme that prepares students for success in university and beyond. UWC played a leading role in its creation and continues to influence its development, addressing the intellectual, social, physical, ethical development of the student.
Education Outside the Classroom
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) forms the second pillar of education at LPCUWC and is considered as the heart and soul of student life. The EOTC program is central to the UWC values and focuses on experimental learning, learning by doing in a context outside the traditional classroom to develop the whole person. The aims of EOTC are to facilitate experimental learning, learning through doing, serving others, student leadership, holistic development of the individual, and challenge and risk taking.
Quan Cai (QC) means “development of the whole person” in Chinese. It stands at the heart of EOTC program and is the program for IB’s creativity, activity and service (CAS) at LPCUWC. It offers an eclectic selection of opportunities for the students. The program is composed of four components: community service – service projects to the Hong Kong and wider community, campus service – experiences that support the running of the campus, creativity – experiences that are artistic or require creative thinking, and activity – experiences focused on physical well-being, sports and outdoor pursuits.
Residential Life
LPCUWC is a 100% residential community. Residential Life forms an important third pillar of education. Living together on the same campus enables students to learn how to share, trust, get along with others, learn from one another, and form friendships for life. LPCUWC aims to create a community which encourages the expression of every culture while ensuring that all beliefs and faith perspectives are respected. This means that students learn to live with and appreciate peers who have different needs and values.
Admissions
All 17 UWC schools and colleges provide a two-year pre-university education for students aged between 16 and 19 years. In these final two years of secondary school, the academic curriculum is IB Diploma Program. At most UWC schools and colleges, students in the IBDP years are boarding students, learning and living on campus in a diverse UWC community.
There are two main ways that students can apply to study for the IB Diploma Programme at a UWC boarding school: (1) through the UWC National Committee in the applicant’s country of residence or citizenship; (2) through the UWC Global Selection Programme. All applicants are assessed against UWC’s core criteria: (a) intellectual curiosity and motivation, (b) active commitment, (c) social competence, (d) resilience, personal responsibility and integrity, and (e) motivation for UWC.
Apart from LPCUWC, applicants can also choose from 16 other UWC schools and colleges across the globe: Pearson College UWC, Canada; UWC Adriatic, Italy; UWC Atlantic College, UK; UWC Changshu China, China; UWC Costa Rica, Costa Rica; UWC Dilijan, Armenia; UWC ISAK, Japan; UWC Maastricht, The Netherlands; UWC Mahindra College, India; UWC in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; UWC Red Cross Nordic, Norway; UWC Robert Bosch College, Germany; UWC South East Asia; UWC Thailand, Thailand; UWC-USA, USA; Waterford Kamhlaba UWC, Swaziland.
Financial Aid
Over 60% of students admitted into LPCUWC are on some form of scholarship. A full scholarship covers tuition, textbooks and accommodation. For Hong Kong applicants, scholarships are offered on a means-tested basis to study at LPCUWC. These scholarships are funded by the Lord Wilson UWC Scholarship Fund and LPCUWC’s own Endowment Funds which have been set up with the generous support of the Li Po Chun Charitable Trust Fund and the Lord Wilson UWC Scholarship fund donations, and donations from other corporates, foundations and alumni of the college.
