UWC Dilijan
27 January 2025
Dilijan, Armenia
- 224 students, aged 16 to 17
- Founded 2014
Located in Dilijan, Armenia, on the ancient silk route and at a crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and Russia, UWC Dilijan symbolises the idea of internationalism and friendship. The only UWC in the post-Soviet space, the school aims to work, through education, towards fostering peace and sustainable social, economic and environmental development in the region and the world as a whole.
Three unique features:
Educational Hub: One of the foremost objectives of the school is to contribute to the development of the region as an educational cluster, which in turn, fosters education throughout Armenia.
Conflict Resolution: Due to its geopolitical location and Armenian history, UWC Dilijan provides a unique opportunity for gaining hands-on experience in conflict resolution and peace in an authentic environment.
Glocal Approach: We believe in "glocal" - our aim is to be globally relevant but anchored into the local reality. We create an environment of understanding other cultures and celebrating diversity.
Academic curriculum
Our students follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), which is made up of three core components and six subject groups.
Average class size: 14 students
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Core components
- Theory of Knowledge: students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know.
- The Extended Essay: an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.
- Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS): students take part in a range of experiences and at least one project.
Subjects
- Studies in Language and Literature: Armenian Literature, English Literature, English Language and Literature, Russian Literature, School-Supported Self- Taught Literature
- Language Acquisition: English B, German Ab Initio, Language and Culture, Russian Ab Initio, Spanish Ab Initio
- Individuals and Societies: Economics, Environmental Systems and Societies, Geography, Global Politics, History, Language and Culture, Philosophy
- Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Systems & Societies, Physics
- Mathematics: Maths - Analysis and Approaches, Maths - Applications and Interpretation
- The arts: Visual Arts, Theatre
Co-curricular
All students at UWC complete a co-curricular programme called Creativity, activity and service (CAS) - an integral part of the IB qualification. Students get the opportunity to choose a physical, a creative and a community service activity.
The co-curricular programme at UWC Dilijan consists of 4 elements – CAS, Project Weeks, Focus Weeks and Cultural
Weekends. Students work closely with the local community in Dilijan, and in neighbouring villages, engaging in the activities of organisations working with kids and the disadvantaged. UWC Dilijan’s outdoor education includes hiking, skiing, sailing and caving expeditions with access to nature to inspire team building and a keen interest in the environment.
Physical activities:
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Football
- Swimming club
- Dance clubs
- First aid
Creative activities
- Art in the community
- Ceramic with the community
- Carpentry
- College Choir
- Film making
- Debate club
- DiliMUN (Model United Nations)
- Coding
- Web programming
- Robotics
- Tedx
Social service:
- Language courses - English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish
- Science with the community
- Swimming for community members
- Red Cross club
- Service in Bridge of Hope NGO
- Cineclub for local kindergarten kids
- Peer Listeners
- Work with refugees
- Hands for Youth
- Science with local kids
- Greenhouse and sustainability programs
- Student cafe
- School workshop
Facilities and residences
The cutting-edge campus is set on 8 hectares of sloping and wooded countryside, located in the Dilijan National Park. Its architectural design, employing the most advanced environmental standards, provides access to knowledge anywhere, at any time through technology that fuels a continuous and adaptive learning environment.
Facilities
24/7 Medical Centre- Cafeteria
- Outdoor tennis and basketball courts
- FIFA-standard football field
- Gardens and community greenhouse
- Indoor sports complex: heated swimming pool, gym, exercise spaces and multi-purpose sports hall
- Black Box theatre
- Art Studio
- Music room
- Darkroom
- Ceramics room
- 3D printing room
- Carpentry room
Residential accommodation
We have modern, well-equipped residential facilities and students live in one of six boarding houses, known as ‘Toons’ (the Armenian word for home). Typically, students are two or four per room with shared bathrooms. We do our best to ensure a mix of students - by country, culture or language - in each room to foster international understanding.
Students return home for the winter and summer breaks unless they are unable to. In this case, the school helps them to either find a host family or rent a shared apartment with other students.
Wellbeing support
Medical provisions
- Purpose-built 24/7 Medical Centre on site
- Doctor and team of nurses
- Well-equipped hospital in Dilijan
- Close connections with hospitals in Yerevan (90-minute drive from campus)
Academic and emotional wellbeing
- The school supports students’ academic and emotional wellbeing through:
- A full-time wellbeing counsellor
- A psychotherapist who visits weekly
- Mentor for students in two weekly tutorial sessions
- Live-in Toon Parents (as we call houseparents)
- Links with registered psychiatrists in Yerevan if specialist care is needed
- A full-time university and careers counsellor
- Peer Listeners - a group of students trained to support their peers
