DILIJAN—The new academic year has started in UWC Dilijan. The college has opened its doors to 117 new students and now has 226 students in total coming from more than 80 countries. The teaching staff was expanded by new specialists and now consists of 36 instructors from 15 countries.

This year will mark the fifth anniversary of UWC Dilijan. Since its opening in 2014, UWC Dilijan has grown and gained strength together with modern-day Armenia. In five short years, the college made a journey from a mystery grand construction site to an integral part of the city, a member of the UWC movement, an important player in the region and an active participant in the development and internationalization of Armenia. Moreover, hospitable people of Dilijan continue to welcome a diverse international community and make UWC Dilijan’s staff and students feel at home.

With the support of many people and organizations connected with the college, here is what UWC Dilijan is today:



388 alumni from 105 countries

36 teachers from 15 countries

45 co-curricular social projects

500+ donors

$26 million in scholarships

60 alumni returning to volunteer

3000 local children attending co-curricular projects and events

Over the course of the 2019-2020 academic year, as the school celebrates its fifth anniversary, it has an opportunity to evaluate the past achievements and chart a course for the next stage of its development. The ambition is to make an impact personally – on the students; locally – on the Dilijan community; and globally – contributing through the power of education to a more peaceful, equitable and sustainable world. UWC Dilijan will be focusing on maintaining the world-class quality of its education and delivering diversity of its student body.

“One of UWC Dilijan’s biggest challenges was to align the school’s global mission with the authenticity of its host country in order to become ‘a force to unite people’ within the school community, Dilijan, Armenia and the UWC movement,” says Gabriel Abad Fernández, Head of College. “It seems to me that a huge amount of work has been done, and we continue to work so that the impact of UWC Dilijan’s values-driven education will be enabled by strengthening mutual responsibility, intercultural understanding and a focus-sustainability at personal, community and global levels.”

“As a member of the Armenian diaspora, coming to Armenia was my life’s biggest dream,” says Tro Mirzaian, who is returned to UWC Dilijan for his second year of studies. “However, with UWCD I didn’t just come to Armenia, I came with the opportunities of giving back to my motherland, through the extracurriculars or personal projects. We, UWCD family, love Armenia from its highest mountain to its deepest canyon.” Tro was born and raised to an Armenian family in Syria; in 2012, his family migrated to Beirut, Lebanon. Upon admission to the international school in Dilijan, Tro realized the importance of one’s national identity, which led him to being closer to his own culture and history.

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 228 students enrolled from more than 80 countries and 36 academic staff members from 15 countries.

UWC Dilijan represents an exciting extension of the UWC movement into the Caucasus region at the junction of Asia and Europe. Established in 1962, the UWC educational movement now comprises 18 international schools and colleges, national committees in more than 155 countries, and a series of short educational programs.

UWC Dilijan was initiated and masterminded by impact investors and entrepreneurs Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend with the support of other founding patrons. The college was built with generous donations from over 330 benefactors. Its admissions policy aims to make enrollment available to anyone, regardless of socio-economic background, on the basis of demonstrated need. Ninety-six percent of students receive full or partial scholarships; 82 percent is an average scholarship.

The UWC Dilijan academic program – The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP) – is an assessed program for students aged 16 to 19.

UWC Dilijan has four generations of alumni from 2016 to 2019; many of them continue their education at leading universities worldwide – Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, UCL, Duke, Berkeley, McGill, University of Edinburgh, Minerva School at KGI and many more.