Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong (LPCUWC) is a boarding-only school that offers a two-year IBDP programme to local and international students, and plenty of attractive scholarship opportunities.

Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong (LPCUWC) is a close-knit boarding school which offers the two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The school, which is part of the UWC movement, has a population of just over 250 students from over 80 different nationalities. Around 45% of students come from Hong Kong, and the remaining 55% come from around the world; all students live in the four residential blocks on campus.

Open to students aged 16 to 18 years, LPCUWC is a not-for-profit school with a strong academic record and small, mixed ability classes of around 16 students. In 2018, the college’s average IBDP score was 35.5, which is higher than the global average of 30, and there was a 92% pass rate. The majority of students went on to study at universities in the US, the UK, and Hong Kong.

Founded in 1992, LPCUWC is one of 17 colleges that share the value and philosophy of the UWC movement, which was founded by one of the world's most influential educationalists, Kurt Hahn. As well as previously founding Schule Schloss Salem in Germany and Gordonstoun in Scotland, Hahn is largely responsible for the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. Other UWC schools in South East Asia include UWCSEA Dover and East.

UWC schools are recognised for encouraging students to flourish intellectually, emotionally, and physically. They are also well-known internationally for their focus on embedding Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and mindfulness into the curriculum – and this philosophy seeps through into the school's current thinking.

Located on the edge of Ma On Shan Country Park in the New Territories, LPCUWC describes itself as “a tight-knit community on a quiet campus close to nature”. While this is part of its appeal, the main reason for more 500 students applying for places every year is its strong teaching of the IBDP and its Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) programme.

In the school’s own words,

“A special feature of Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong is the breadth and depth of activities that students undertake outside of the “taught” curriculum. In the afternoons and weekends, students are involved in over 90 different activities based around the themes of Creativity, Action and Service.”

The EOTC programme includes outdoor pursuits, cultural evenings, residential trips to China and other parts of SE Asia, and Quan Cai activities (meaning ‘development of the whole person’ in Chinese) ranging from sport and community service to environmentally focused experiences and theatre forums.

In terms of curriculum, the school fully embraces the IBDP, a learner centred and inquiry-based education that covers languages, humanities, sciences, maths, the arts, physical health education, and technology.  UWC’s philosophy is “to select students purely on merit and their financial background is not a hindrance for them to be selected”, and the majority of students here have a scholarship of some level.

All-inclusive fees are HKD 277,000 for local Hong Kong students and HKD 360,000 for overseas students.

Academic results

For 2023, the school has to announce the average IB score, but has revealed that in the cohort of 118 students, 25.2% received 40 or more points. Out of a maximum of 45 Diploma points, three students obtained 44.

Read our roundup of Hong Kong's 2023 IB results here.

A full review will be posted shortly.

Are you looking for a place for your child, and want help from our school consultants? If so, click on the link below, and we will forward your request for information to the school or schools of the same type that we are confident have availability. This is a free service for our readers. Request Information