History of UWCSEA

In 1970, the site on which the Dover Campus now stands was occupied by the St John's Army School, run by the British Army. Vacated by the British military on its withdrawal from Singapore, the Singapore International School was officially opened in August 1971 by the then Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

The school was established as a result of an agreement between Lord Mountbatten, then President of the United World College (UWC) movement, and the Singapore government, who were keen to have a school for the education of expatriate children. Initially an associate member of the UWC movement, the school became a full member in 1975, renaming itself as United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA).

The Dover Campus opened with 900 students and 84 teaching staff as a secondary school for Grades 6  to 12. From 1998, the school gradually expanded its age range to include primary and kindergarten students and today Dover Campus educates over 2,900 students from over 70 nationalities in Kindergarten 1 to Grade 12. There are around 280 full and part time teachers from more than 25 nationalities.

In August 2008 UWCSEA East opened its doors. Operating in Ang Mo Kio for the first three academic years, the East Campus opened at its permanent premises in Tampines in August 2011. The East Campus will offer an additional 2,540 students the life defining UWCSEA education when fully enrolled in 2015. The UWCSEA East Campus has set a benchmark in international school design, and has been awarded two of the Singapore Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) highest accolades, the Greenmark Platinum award for environmental design and the Universal Design Gold Award for universal design and accessibility.

In August 2012, the East Campus enrolled nearly 2,000 students in Kindergarten 1 to Grade 11 including its first intake of IB Diploma students.