Julian Whiteley, Head of College, talks about the changes to the UWCSEA Admissions process. Please click on the video above, and take the time to explore the information on these pages.
UWCSEA has introduced a new admissions policy to allow for wider access to a UWC education.
The new policy is based on a system of annual applications, with a predetermined opening date for applications for each academic year.
With the change, places will be allocated upon a range of considerations: the guiding principle will be the enhancement of the diversity and range of talent within the College's student population. This will involve the consideration of a range of factors, the most important of which will be the applicant's holistic profile.
Why make the changes? A great deal of consideration went into the review process. The decision to implement these changes was undertaken only after several months of internal consideration, debate and questioning to ensure the new process was aligned with UWCSEA's goal of widening access to a UWC education.
The UWC movement promotes celebration of diversity, respect for other cultures and international understanding. Diversity and a range of talent in the student population are crucial elements that allow UWCSEA to effectively instill these values in students. The changes in the admissions process are designed to further enhance these key factors and allow wider access to the unique UWC education.
The length of the wait lists was another motivation. Under the earlier system, eligible applicants were sorted according to their date of application. The waiting period sometimes extended to eight years for Primary School and three years for Middle School. These long waiting periods created considerable anxiety for applicants, who had also paid a considerable fee to remain on a wait list for interminable periods of time with no guarantee of an outcome.
The expected easing of this situation with the opening of the East Campus did not happen. Newly added spaces in the second campus were immediately filled, while the wait lists for both campuses continued to grow.
The new system is also expected to ease access for families relocating to Singapore. Very often under the previous system, these families could not be considered due to the lengthy wait lists.
When does it take effect? The new policy will take effect from 1 September 2011 for new applications for the August 2012 intake onwards. Under the new admissions policy, applications will only be accepted for the coming academic year.
Expression of Interest Register Potential applicants can register interest at any time. This enables them to be regularly updated on events and developments at the College. It also allows the admissions department to contact them when applications open for the academic year intake for which they have indicated their interest. Click here to access the form.
More information Detailed information has been provided to all concerned parties including:
1. All families on the application lists and the expression of interest register have been emailed a letter from the Admissions Department outlining the changes as they relate to their specific circumstances and providing options for further action.
2. We have emailed the current parent community outlining the changes.
3. We have also placed detailed information on the 'Questions and Answers' section of this website.
4. We have contacted other international schools and relocation companies in Singapore and other interested parties, to provided details on the new process.
5. We have also hosted some key media to a short tour on the newly opened East Campus and provided them an opportunity to ask questions. Click here to view our press release.
Contacts If you have questions we have not answered, or anything else you would like to know in order to help you understand how the new process works and why we have changed it, please contact the Admissions Department via:
An email address dedicated to assisting families with queries on these changes: registrar@uwcsea.edu.sg.
