Education is the renewal of the world – the future of our world depends upon what happens in the classrooms of today’s schools.

Li Po Chun United World College brings together students from all over the world to offer a memorable and often life-changing bridge between school and university. Our graduates consistently tell us that spending the final two years of their schooling at a UWC has been one of the most significant formative experiences of their lives, providing a multitude of opportunities to develop leadership, service towards others, a sense of justice and excellence in academic formation.

The fascinating multi-cultural mix, the intensity of residential life, the excellent relationships between teachers and students, and the large degree of independence given to students, all in the context of the vibrant world city of Hong Kong, combine to ensure that every student is prepared fully to face the challenges of rapid globalisation.

Established in 1992, Li Po Chun United World College is situated on a large peninsula on the edge of Ma On Shan Country Park, overlooking Tolo Harbour in Hong Kong’s New Territories. There is a strong sense of international community, as all students and teaching staff live on campus. Excellent purpose-built facilities and residential accommodation provide an outstanding environment for academic study, recreation and quiet reflection. All students at the College study the International Baccalaureate Diploma.

At Li Po Chun United World College, all students are encouraged to develop their talents and abilities fully while contributing to the well-being of others. An important feature of the College is the Quan Cai program, through which students develop creativity, action and service.

We are unusual in offering financial assistance to nearly all our students according to need – up to 100% funding where necessary – and this enables us to bring together young people from the widest possible range of socio- economic backgrounds. We have a clear focus on making every opportunity and option in our program accessible to every student. We hope that this strong message of equity will stay with all our graduates as a value which they will treasure, protect and promote throughout their lives.

I do have pride in Li Po Chun United World College, not only for what it is and will be in the future, but for what it can offer towards the education of young men and women from many countries, committed to making the world a better place. Whether you are a student, an educator or a casual visitor, I hope you will sense something of the flavour of this great school through your visit to our website. It is not possible to include every aspect of life at College, but I hope there is enough information to give a sense of the energy, innovation, idealism and creativity of our students and the variety of options they have at this great school.

Please share with us the challenges and excitement we see in educating young men and women for tomorrow’s world.

Dr. Stephen Codrington
Principal

The first College, Atlantic College, Wales was founded in 1962 inspired by the ideas of the distinguished German-born educator Kurt Hahn, who also founded schools in Germany and Scotland as well as inspiring the Outward Bound Movement.

Attracting the support of many prominent people, including the Honorary President of the UWC International Council, Mr. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, the movement has expanded in recent years with LPCUWC opening in 1992.

250 students aged 16-19 attend this residential College from over 60 countries, the majority selected on scholarships by a network of UWC National Committees in 100 countries worldwide.

The College invites applications from students of high academic calibre and motivation, who have shown independence and maturity and who have a genuine interest in facing new challenges and meeting young people from other countries. The two year UWC programme is challenging and rewarding, and UWC graduates are highly regarded by many of the best Universities in the world.

For more information about the UWC movement, please visit: http://web.mac.com/scodrington/UWC/United_World_Colleges.html

While speaking at a meeting at the NATO Defence College in Paris, Hahn had seen former enemies working towards new common goals. He realized how much more could be done to overcome the hostility of the Cold War if young people from different countries could be brought together in a similar way. Hahn and a number of like-minded colleagues developed the concept of a college for students aged 16 to 18 who were already grounded in their own cultures but impressionable enough to learn from others.

Drawn from all nations, the students would be selected purely on merit, regardless of race, religion, nationality, background or financial means. The result was the first UWC, Atlantic College, which opened in 1962. The idea spread, and inspired visionaries in other countries towards the idea of starting more UWCs.

Because the UWCs were catering for a diverse international community, the need was seen for a curriculum programme that would qualify students for entry into universities anywhere in the world. At that time, no such international credential existed, and so with the establishment of the early UWCs and some other pioneering international schools, the International Baccalaureate was born. Indeed, several people who helped begin the UWCs were instrumental in establishing the IB Diploma. The early development of the UWCs and the IB were interdependent, and many aspects of the IB philosophy (especially the TOK and CAS dimensions) are integral to the thinking behind the UWCs. The UWCs pioneered the IB, and the UWCs remain an innovative force within IB programmes.

The concept of an international movement gathered momentum during the 1970s under the Presidency of Lord Mountbatten, and many national committees were established to promote UWCs within their own countries and to select students for the colleges. As more students experienced a UWC education, the size of the UWC graduate community grew.

In 1978, Lord Mountbatten passed the presidency to HRH The Prince of Wales who, during his term as President, officially opened several new Colleges, including Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong. In 1995, Prince Charles was succeeded by HM Queen Noor of Jordan and President Nelson Mandela (whose own children and grandchildren attended Waterford KaMhlaba UWC).

Since the movement’s foundation in 1962, United World Colleges students have come from 177 countries, and the list continues to grow. Today, the UWC movement is an international NGO in Operational Relations with UNESCO and has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

[Summarised from the publication “United World Colleges – An Overview”, 2003]

The birth of LPCUWC can be traced back to 1978 when Dr Lee Quo-Wei GBM JP (Sir Q W Lee) was Chairman of the Selection Committee that was choosing Hong Kong students to study in UWCs overseas. He was deeply impressed by the calibre of UWC graduates and their contributions to society. Even after he left the Committee in 1982, his devotion to the UWC movement remained strong, and he dreamt of establishing a UWC in China. The concept of opening a United World College in Hong Kong was initiated around 1987 by Sir Q W Lee (by that time Executive Chairman of the Hang Seng Bank) and Mr Li Shiu Tsang MBE JP, whose family had set up the Li Po Chun Charitable Trust, which remains a major provider of educational grants in Hong Kong. The trust was named after Li Po Chun (died in 1963), a prominent Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist. The idea to open a UWC in Hong Kong received enthusiastic support from Sir David Wilson , then Governor of Hong Kong, and Mr David Sutcliffe, then Principal of Atlantic College in Wales. A trust fund was established in Lord Wilson’s name that still provides scholarships exclusively to enable students to come to the College.

Members of the founding Board visited other United World Colleges as did the architects chosen to build the College, and the founding Principal of Pearson college, Jack Matthews, visited Hong Kong to help develop and advise on the basic ethos and organisation of the College programme. After several sites were considered and following long negotiations, the present large site – an area from which rocks had been quarried to build the wall of Plover Cover Reservoir , as seen by the steep slope down to the Sports Centre – was gifted to the College by the Government of Hong Kong on a fifty year lease, with the agreement of the Sino-British Land Commission. At the time the site was selected, the location was quite remote, facing Tolo Channel in one direction and Ma On Shan Country Park in the other, with no substantial urban development or transport infrastructure nearby.

Once funding was secured, building commenced in 1991, the foundation stone being laid by Lord Wilson on 12 February 1992. The College opened to its first students in September 1992, and was formally opened by Prince Charles on 6 November 1992, less than 18 months after the UWC International Board approved the project.

The first staff appointment was Dr David Wilkinson, the founding Principal, initially working out of a hotel suite in Sha Tin, as staff were recruited and the College was equipped in the early part of 1992. Many pioneer staff still serve the College . Dr David Wilkinson left in 1994 to found a school in Bangkok, and has since been appointed founding Principal of the Mahindra United World College of India.

Mr Blair Forster became Principal in August 1994. He served with distinction as Principal for nine years before passing away after a long illness in September 2003. During his time as Principal, the College developed and matured, in accordance with the UWC philosophy. Academic results improved steadily to the point where the College’s IB results were among the best of the UWCs. The Quan Cai programme expanded to embrace a huge range of activities in the areas of creativity, action, service and campus support. An ongoing legacy is the ‘Blair Forster Memorial Trust’, dedicated to providing scholarships to aid young people from East Timor.

Dr Stephen Codrington became Principal in May 2004. Dr Codrington brought extensive experience as an IB Deputy Chief Examiner in Geography as well as a commitment to developing LPCUWC as a bridge of understanding between the cultures of China and the rest of the world. He also began the initiative to establish links between the College and North Korea.

Dr Lee stepped down as Chairman of the Board in April 2000 to be replaced by Dr Li Yuet-ting, CBE, JP, the former Director of Education for Hong Kong.  Dr Li Yuet-ting stepped down as Chairman of the Board in December 2007, being replaced by Mr Anthony Tong Kai Hong, BBS.

UWC Selection Committee

The Selection Committee is appointed by the Secretary for Home Affairs Bureau, as many of the scholarships awarded to Hong Kong students derive from Charitable Trusts managed by the Government. 

Li Po Chun United World College is located along the Tolo Channel about six kilometres to the north of Shatin in the New Territories. The College consists of an academic centre with classrooms, laboratories, a library, sports hall and a small lecture room. There are four residences each comprising sixteen four bedded rooms and a number of staff apartments together with common room and laundry facilities. The College has a main dining room and kitchens which can accommodate up to a maximum of 240 people. Recreational facilities include a swimming pool and hardcourts for tennis and basketball, all of which are flood-lit for evening use. 

The below College facilities are available for hire by outside organisations during the summer vacation from early June to early August. Please contact the Head of Administration (Tel: 2640 0441) for booking details.

Campus Map

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