UWC Mahindra College
7 February 2025
Pune, India
245 Students - Aged 16 to 18 years- Founded - 1997
In 1997, UWC Mahindra (MUWCI) was established as a vibrant college located on the hilltops of rural Maharashtra in Pune, India. The college is known for its curricular innovation and community engagement. MUWCI pioneered the International Baccalaureate’s (IB) World Studies Extended Essay and Film Studies programme, while also housing the Akshara Foundation, fostering local impact and offering students 
opportunities for project-based and service learning.
Three unique features:
Curricular richness: Recognised for its curricular innovation, MUWCI has contributed to the global International Baccalaureate curriculum, with several programmes conceived here. Recently, MUWCI introduced its MUWCI Core, encompassing four pillars of learning - social and emotional, outdoor and ecological, place-based and contextual and 
political. The College also provides real-world experiences through the Project Based Certificate.
Student-led initiatives: Students actively participate in campus decision-making processes, including resource management initiatives in campus and neighbouring villages. Their involvement also leads to enduring traditions like the Community Fund and the annual Theatre Season, where students direct and perform plays around campus throughout a two-week period in February.
Indian context: At MUWCI, not only do students enjoy a diverse classroom with peers from over 60 countries, but also through influences from the surrounding valley's linguistic and cultural richness. Courses like 'This is India' and 'Global Affairs' provide important contexts and rare opportunities to engage with the community, while Project Week and Experience India Week offer brief immersive experiences across the country.
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: 15
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 & literature: English Literature, English A Language & Literature, Hindi Literature, Spanish Literature, School Supported Self-Taught Literature, Language & Culture - Language acquisition: English B, French B, French Ab Initio, Hindi B, Spanish Ab Initio, Spanish B
- Individuals and societies: Economics, History, Global Politics, Philosophy, Psychology
- Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Systems & Societies, Computer Science
- Mathematics: Maths - Analysis & Approaches, Maths - Applications & Interpretation
- The arts: Visual Arts, Theatre, Film Studies
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 social service activity. Our Triveni (CAS) programme is extensive and a crucial part of a MUWCI education, with particular focus on community engagement and outdoor education. We also have a rich variety of inclusive campus events, celebrating the diversity of our students and the local 
culture and festivals.
The CAS activities on offer change each year as they are student-led and faculty mentored. Typically, we offer 30+ creative and physical activities and 25+ on and off campus service learning opportunities. A sampling of what’s on offer is below:
Physical activities:
- Bollywood Triveni
- Afro Latin
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Cricket- For Beginners and Advanced Football
- Frisbee
- Martial Arts for Beginners
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Yoga and meditation
- Futbal
Creative activities:
- Arabic for Habibis
- ArtSoc
- Pottery Club
- Bollywood
- Club Stonks
- Ensemble
- Hair Workshop
- Humans of MUWCI
- Improvisational Theatre
- K-Dance Sitar
- Lingua Franca
- Manlymen
- Model United Nations
- MUWCI-preneurs
- MUWCI Techraiders
- MUWCI Podcast
- Paper Making & Knitting
- Race Space Spectrum
- Rhetorix Music
- The Improv Dance
- Upcycled Fashion
- Writer’s Lab
Social service:
Amaavasya
- Amnesty International
- Animal Rescue Service
- Astronomy Centre x High School Science
- AVNI Letters for Learning Aruni
- Biomonitoring
- Community Theatre
- Computers 4 All
- Dukaan
- Fire and Rescue
- Fitness & Nutrition Gym
- Global Affairs
- Gomukh
- Green Team
- Kriya Shivaji Community Theatre
- LGBTQ+
- Library Service
- Light & Sound Fix It Around Us
- MedSoc
- MUWCI Media
- Night School
- Outdoor Education Service
- Peer Tutoring
- Project Sita
- Sadhana Friends
- Service Community Funds
- SuperPeople
- The UWC Buzz
- Travelling with Arts
Facilities and residences
Located on a beautiful hilltop in rural Maharashtra, MUWCI has a sprawling 180-acre built-to-purpose campus with a biodiversity reserve within the Sahyadri mountain ranges – a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Facilities
Medical Centre- Theatre Stage
- Outdoor Swimming Pool
- Gym
- Football Pitch
- Basketball Courts
- Indoor badminton court
- Tennis Courts
Obstacle Course (rope climbing, climbing wall, monkey bar)- Kayak facility
- Art Centre
- Tree House
- Music Room
- TV room
- Multipurpose Hall
- Spaces for Spiritual Practice
- Digital film lab
- Indoor/Outdoor Cafeteria
- Library
- Art studio
- IT Centre
- Social Centre: recreation room, tuck shop, outdoor education store
Residential accommodation
MUWCI is divided into five ‘wadas’ (residential clusters). Students live with relative independence and responsibility in houses of eight arranged around a shared courtyard. Each room houses four students from different continents. So-called “Wada parents” and other faculty are part of the Wada community, living with their families and pets in adjacent homes. Residential buildings include common rooms with kitchens and separate laundry facilities.
Wellbeing support
Medical provisions
- Resident doctor and nurses
- 16-bed medical centre staffed by an on-call resident doctor and full-time nurses
- Specialist consultation and hospitals nearby in Pune, 90 minutes from campus via college ambulance.
Academic and emotional wellbeing
- Faculty advisors and wada (residence) parents provide pastoral care for students
- Head of Student Life and on-campus staff members focus on student well-being
- Psychologist available on campus
- Psychiatric specialists available for consultation in Pune when needed
