Thank you for your interest in applying to UWC!

Below you can find information about UWC, the 2024 – 2026 scholarships available for Lao
students, as well as on how you can apply for them. Please be sure to read information below
carefully, we are glad to clarify any ambiguities you may have.

About UWC
The United World Colleges (UWC) schools, colleges and programmes deliver a challenging and
transformative education experience to a diverse cross section of students, inspiring them to
create a more peaceful and sustainable future.

There are 18 UWC schools and colleges across 4 continents all with distinctive characters but
sharing the same mission, ethos and values.

Although strong academic achievement is valued highly at UWC, academic achievements are put
into perspective with a demanding mix of community engagement, affairs, physical activities, and
creative pursuits.

Each of the schools and colleges draws together students from many different nations and
backgrounds. Our bursaries, scholarships and fee structures aim to ensure a broad socio-
economic mix within the student body that adds value to the student experience and the
organization.

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 150
countries worldwide, including Lao PDR.

UWC in Laos
Each year the UWC National Committee in Laos is allocated a specific number of places. These
offers may include a full, place only, or partial scholarship. The national committee selects Lao
students to study the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma for grade 11 and 12 at UWC
schools/colleges.

You can find more information about the UWC national committee in Lao PDR at

Website: https://www.la.uwc.org
Email: info@la.uwc.org
Facebook: UWC Lao PDR
Instagram: uwclaopdr

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2024 – 2026 placements
There are 2 needs-based scholarships and 1 up to full all-inclusive scholarship available for Lao
students for academic years 2024 – 2026. Below you can find information about the scholarships.

UWC School Country Type of Scholarship*

*Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA

Eswatini Up to Full all-inclusive scholarship
https://waterford.sz /

*UWC Mahindra College Up to Fully Funded

India
https://uwcmahindracollege.org/ (Needs-based: 0 - 100%)

*UWC ISAK Japan Partially Funded

Japan
https://uwcisak.jp/ (Needs-based: 0 - 95%)

* All scholarships are subject to a financial assessment on the situation of each family and
to agreements with each UWC college/school. Based on the financial assessment, the
college will grant a scholarship "up to" the fully funded amount, but not necessarily the
entire amount.

Further placements/offers from other UWCs may be made available after finalization of the
selection process.

What will be covered in the Up to Fully Funded Scholarship?

Up to Fully Funded Scholarships (Needs-based) scholarship covers the following fees:

• Up to 100% Tuition fees
• Room and Board
• Books
• IB exam registration fees
• Curricular field trips

What will be covered in the Up to Full all-inclusive Scholarship?

Up to Full all-inclusive Scholarship covers the following fees:

• Tuition, room and board, books, IB exam registration fees, curricular field trips.
• Project weeks.
• Visa and travel expenses (flight to/ from the college and one return flight for summer
holiday).
• Pocket money.
• Any other reasonable extra expenses to be incurred by the beneficiary student.

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What will be covered in the Partially Funded Scholarship?
Partially Funded Scholarships (Needs-based) scholarship covers the following fees:
• Tuition fees
• Room and Board
• Books
• IB exam registration fees
• Curricular field trips

Regularly, the scholarship does not include pocket money, transportation, health/travel insurance
or costs incurred during the summer break between the two academic years. In the case that
these additional expenses are also covered, these extras will be included in the agreement
between the student’s family and the school / national committee.

Extra costs may include travel, pocket money, and project week. Please note that for the
scholarships that include extra costs, appropriate arrangements will be made in advance
and specified in the agreement between the student’s family and the school/national
committee. Financial agreements are made between parents and the college and national
committees after the nomination of each successful candidate.

Allocations to each school are based on merit and financial needs, upon assessment of each
family’s situation. The national committee tries to as much as possible meet the preference of
each candidate as well as the financial offers made by each UWC colleges/schools.

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How to apply
Please make sure you know about UWC before starting the application. It is important that you
understand the aims of UWC and the commitment involved in the programmes that are offered.
For more information, please visit la.uwc.org

Who is eligible to apply?

To be eligible to apply for the UWC 2024 - 2026 scholarships in Lao PDR you must meet the
following criteria:
• Be a Lao national
• Born between 1st June 2006 – 31st August 2008.
• Currently enrolled in upper secondary school and must complete Grade 10 by August
2024 before attending UWC. (You MUST be attending upper secondary only to apply.
Although you meet the age requirements, you are still ineligible to apply)

Important note: although the teaching language at UWC is English, proficiency in English
is not required. You can choose to apply in Lao or in English.

What to include in the application?

Your final application must include ALL the following documents:

1. UWC Scholarship Application Form, consisting of the following parts:

a. General Information
1. Personal information
2. Parent(s)/Guidance(s) Information
3. School information
b. UWC Preference
c. 10 Profile (short) questions
d. 02 essay questions

2. An Academic Reference: from the school principal or a schoolteacher well acquainted

with the student (format provided in this form).

3. A General Reference: to be completed by someone who knows you well through your
out-of-school activities or hobbies. (Format provided in this form).

4. Official transcript of the national system Grade 04; or international equivalent Grade
9 (English is recommended, but not required).

5. Official transcript from grade 10 to the current academic year 2023-2024*; (English
is recommended, but not required).

*You can submit your current transcript of enrollment (September-December) if

your first semester transcript has not been issued.

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Important note:

1. The transcripts from grade 9 to the current academic year must have the official
stamp from school(s). The scan or picture of the transcript recording book with the
official stamp is acceptable.
2. If a candidate fails to submit ANY of the ABOVE DOCUMENTS, his/her application
will be automatically disqualified for UWC Laos application 2024 – 2026.

Deadline:
Your final application should be completed and/or uploaded to the designated Dropbox by
23:59 on 29th December 2023.

For more detail about uploading the final application, please visit la.uwc.org/applications.

UWC WILL NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED VIA FACEBOOK OR EMAIL

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Selection process
Places in UWC are offered on a competitive basis. All applications will be carefully reviewed by
the UWC Laos Alumni and the National Committee.

From the initial list of applicants, a number of applicants will be contacted via email or call to
join the First-round interview. The interview will be conducted via phone call or video call in
late January 2024. Then shortlisted candidates will be selected for the final selection in
mid-February 2024*.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted directly via call or email to join with their
parents/guardians**. Decisions on successful candidates made by the UWC National
Committee of Laos will be communicated to the selected students and their families by late-
February 2024*.

Successful candidates are nominated to specific UWC schools and colleges by the UWC Laos
Alumni and the National Committee. The schools and colleges generally accept the nominated
candidates on the recommendation of the National Committee but reserve the right to make the
final decision on every candidate.

Please note that:

• Applicants with disabilities who are self-sufficient in their everyday needs are encouraged
to apply.

*This is a tentative timeline, and it is subject to change depending on the situation. However, any
changes will be communicated via our Facebook page.

**Prior to the selection day, you will be required to fill out the financial assessment form and
provide some sort of financial documents to the National Committee of Laos. These documents
will help us to properly match the scholarships with the candidates’ needs and prevent any
possible issues in the future.

Important note:
• It is vital for the National Committee and Alumni that applicants provide the correct phone
number(s) and email address. Please provide your most recent contact information
or else we may DISMISS your interview.
• The National Committee has the right to withdraw the nomination after the selection
process if the nominee(s) show inappropriate attitudes and/or actions that do not meet
UWC Values.

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Further information
For further information on UWC or how to apply please contact:

Website: https://www.la.uwc.org
Email: info@la.uwc.org
Facebook: UWC Lao PDR
Instagram: uwclaopdr

The following pages are the UWC scholarship application form for 2024 – 2026. Please
follow the guidelines and read carefully before filling in the information and answers.
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to direct your questions to the UWC Lao
PDR via info@la.uwc.org or www.facebook.com/uwclaos.

Good luck!

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 UWC Scholarship Application for 2024 – 2026

SECTION I: General Information

(Please type or write clearly in black/blue ink and ensure you complete all the sections that are applicable to
you)

APPLICANT INFORMATION

First name:

Last name:

Full name in English Alphabet

(example: Kaysone Singha):

Preferred Name (if different):

Gender: Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy):

Place of birth:

Nationality: Ethnicity:

Village:
Home address:
City: Province:

Home phone (if available):

Cell phone (if available): (1)

(2)

Email address:

Confirm email address:

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Note: Please provide your most recent and valid contact information, which can be
contacted by the National Committee regarding the results.

Do you consider yourself to have a disability? If yes, please explain

Do you have any siblings, family members, cousins or in-laws who is/are studying or had
already graduated from UWC? If yes, please indicate the name, school year, and UWC
School of that person. If no, please indicate “N/A”

PARENT(S)/GUARDIAN(S) INFORMATION
Parent/Guardian 1 First and Last name:

Email address:

Phone number:

Parent/Guardian 2 First and Last name:

Email address:

Phone number:

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SCHOOL INFORMATION
Name of current school:

Year of attendance From: To:

Address of school:

Telephone number:

Email address of school:

Name of Head of School:

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UWC PREFERENCE
Please list the colleges below in your order of preference (1 to 3; 1 is the first preference)

UWC Mahindra College (India) UWC ISAK Japan

Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA (Eswatini)

In the case that further scholarship opportunities available, please mark (X) if you would
be interested in attending any of the following UWC schools (tick as many as you would
like):

UWC Adriatic (Italy) UWC Atlantic (UK)

UWC Changshu China (China) UWC Costa Rica (Costa Rica)

UWC Dilijan (Armenia) UWC East Africa (Tanzania)

Li Po Chun UWC (Hong Kong) UWC Maastricht (The Netherlands)

UWC Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) UWC Pearson College (Canada)

UWC Red Cross Nordic (Norway) UWC Robert Bosch College (Germany)

UWC of South East Asia (Singapore) UWC Thailand (Thailand)

UWC-USA (USA)

Note: The Colleges’ academic year runs from September to May, except at Waterford Kamhlaba
UWCSA where the year runs from January to November and UWC of South East Asia where the
year runs from August to June.

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SECTION II: PROFILE (SHORT) QUESTIONS:

Note: Your responses must be within the indicated areas or boxes below, any response that is
beyond or outside the given space will NOT be considered.

1. Select up to 5 extracurricular activities in which you have been involved the most over the last
3 years. (An extracurricular activity is defined as anything that is not required for academic
credit, for example, school club, volunteer, community project, part-time job, start-up, sport,
music, art, etc.)

Indicate your period of involvement and the estimated number of hours per week you have
dedicated to the activity. Elaborate on your key responsibilities and achievements in the
“Details” section.

Activity Time of Involvement Detail

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2. Out of the extracurricular activities listed above, elaborate on one activity and the impact it
has made on your overall development.

3. Please tell us your proudest academic achievement and why. (It does not necessarily have to
be winning a competition or top ranking in class, but it can be anything as simple as finishing
an assignment and submitting it far earlier than the deadline, etc.)

4. Please describe a situation you have experienced in which you recognized and overcame
your own assumptions, biases, and prejudices in pursuit of greater understanding and
tolerance of others. You may also choose to describe such a situation which continues to
challenge you.

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5. What one piece of art/music/literature has influenced you the most and why?

6. Reflect on a community to which you feel connected. Why is it meaningful to you? (You may
define community however you like)

7. What is the most useful or inspiring advice that you have received? When did you receive it,
and how would you give this advice to others?

8. Why do you want to go to UWC? What do you hope to gain from the experience? How do you
think you can contribute to the UWC Mission?

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9. What qualities do you think are necessary for being an international student in a boarding
school? Why? Do you have all of these qualities you mentioned? If not, how will you gain
them? If you already have, how will you maintain or improve these qualities?

10. What language (s) do you speak at home? / What other language(s) can you speak?
Beginner = 1, Intermediate = 2, Advance = 3

Levels
Language
Writing Reading Speaking Listening

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SECTION III: ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate
those differences” by Audre Lorde. In your opinion, what is diversity and living in harmony with
those who are different than ourselves? Why is it important? What would you do, or what are
you currently doing to advocate for and celebrate our differences?
(Min. 300 words; Max. 500 words)
Note: Your responses must be within the indicated areas or boxes below, any response that
is beyond or outside the given space will NOT be considered.

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2. Please choose ONE of the following prompts and respond (Min. 300 words; Max. 500 words).

a. Which one is better, a strong dictatorship or a weak democracy? Please explain.

b. What is not being taught in schools that should be? Why?
c. Why does humanity need artists?

Note: Your responses must be within the indicated areas or boxes below, any response that
is beyond or outside the given space will NOT be considered.

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Applicant’s signature

I have read and understood the information section at the beginning of this application form. I
have discussed all aspects of the commitment involved in applying for entry to a UWC
school/college with my parent(s)/guardian(s). Should the application be successful, I hereby
undertake to observe the rules, regulations, and guidelines of the school/college. I recognise that
the school/college and UWC Lao National Committee have the rights to exclude me for violations
of such rules, regulations, and guidelines.

Signature of applicant Date

Applicant’s parent(s)/guardian(s) signature

I have read and understood the information section at the beginning of this application form. I
have discussed all aspects of the commitment involved in applying for entry to a UWC
school/college with my child. Should the application be successful, I hereby undertake to observe
the rules, regulations, and guidelines of the school/college. I recognise that the school/college
and UWC Lao National Committee have the rights to exclude me for violations of such rules,
regulations, and guidelines.

Signature of parent(s)/guardian(s) Date

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 Checklist
Please review and mark (✓) in the boxes below:

Read the application thoroughly before starting the application.

Read and understand the conditions of each scholarship.

Complete section (I) and make sure that all the information is correct.

The answers in Section (II) and (III) must be completed under or within the limit.

Obtained the official Transcript of Middle School (M4) or equivalent to International

Transcript grade 09.

Obtained the official transcript from grade 10 to the current academic year 2023-2024.

Obtained the Academic Reference form with completed information and signature.

Obtained the General Reference form with completed information and signature.

All sections that require signatures are signed.

The application and documents are be submitted before 29th December 2023.

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