September 2, Dilijan. UWC Dilijan opened its doors to a new cohort of students as the 8th academic year began. With the total number of students, 220, 111 young people have been accepted to UWC Dilijan as the first-year students of the IB Diploma Programme. Our incoming class is diverse by nationality, geography and socio-economic background. Our new students represent 46 countries and all continents. Ten students are from Armenia. Many students continue availing of the opportunity to study at UWC Dilijan thanks to the generous support of private donors, corporate entities and organisations. Over 70% of students are on scholarships: 30.6% – on full scholarships and 41.4% – on partial scholarships.
As we welcome the returning and new students and staff to campus, we are delighted to announce that UWC Dilijan has been awarded the Council of International Schools (CIS) International Accreditation. An accreditation sets benchmarks for the performance against similar organisations and as such, is an ongoing self-improvement process. A major achievement at any time, our accreditation is even more significant given the process took place over the last two very challenging years. The award letter says: “A college that is about to embark on the next phase in its journey, justifiably proud of what it has achieved in a relatively short time but aware of the challenges it faces in fully realising its mission and vision. It is a college with huge potential, and it understands that to be a ‘force to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future’ in a world outside its campus, that grows increasingly dark, it must re-imagine and reinterpret its mission, its guiding statements, and the vision that led to its creation.”
Another reason to celebrate at this time of the year is the academic performance of the Class of 2022, whose education was most disrupted by both the global pandemic and the war in Armenia. The pass rate of IB exams is 93%, with over 20% of students achieving 40+ points on their exam scores.
Commenting on the start of the academic year, Gabriel Ernesto Abad Fernández, Head of College, said, “I start the year filled with hope and high expectations for the school. The hope is that the geopolitical situation in the region will get resolved for the welfare of the peoples involved, for the world and each one of us. And my expectations are that as a community we can overcome any challenges together as we have done over the last two years.
Press Contact:
Arpen Ghahriyan
External Relations Manager
+374 93 206 104
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About UWC Dilijan
UWC Dilijan is the first international boarding school of the UWC education model in the region. The college opened in 2014 in the Armenian town of Dilijan and currently has 220 students from more than 80 countries and 35 academic staff members from 15 countries.
UWC Dilijan is part of the UWC movement, which comprises 18 international schools and colleges as well as national committees in almost 160 countries.
UWC Dilijan was initiated and masterminded by impact investors and entrepreneurs Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend with the support of other Founding Patrons. Its admissions policy is in accordance with the UWC movement. Students are enrolled regardless of their socio-economic background, on the basis of demonstrated need.
The UWC Dilijan academic programme – The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) – is an assessed programme for students aged 16 to 19.
UWC Dilijan has seven generations of alumni from 2016 to 2022; many of them continue their education at leading universities worldwide.
