UWC Mostar - Building bridges between people and cultures through inspiring, quality education
UWC Mostar offers a practical demonstration of education that unites, inspires, and engages students and the wider community to strive for a peaceful and sustainable future through active local partnerships. UWC Mostar aims to develop educational practices relevant to post-conflict and transitional societies.
United World College in Mostar (UWC Mostar) is housed within one of the most beautiful Austro-Hungarian buildings in the city of Mostar, Mostar Gimnazija. From its opening in 1898, Gimnazija remained one of the most prestigious schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina, widely recognized for its academic excellence. Located in the city center at the very frontline, it was severely damaged during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992 to 1995. Due to its central location and enormous symbolic value for post-war reconciliation, its renovation emerged as one of the key objectives, placing a great emphasis on the importance of formal education. UWC Mostar itself played a very important role in the process.
One of the long-term consequences of the war is a deep divide and segregation in post-war formal education. As a result, two distinct curricula are currently taught in Gimnazija Mostar - the Croatian language program and the Bosnian language program. An important part of the UWC Mostar mission remains the integration process within Gimnazija, starting with the shared school building and other facilities. UWC Mostar occupies premises on the first (laboratories) and second (classrooms, offices) floors, while Gimnazija’s premises are on all three floors of the building. Gimnazija and UWC Mostar also share the library situated in the attic.
UWC Mostar opened in 2006 as the 12th member of the UWC movement. Our local students represent all three constituent peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs) and national minorities, while international students come from all over the world. Students live, study, and work together, setting a unique example of an integrated education model in Bosnia and Herzegovina. UWC Mostar teaches its students to learn and appreciate their differences while promoting equality, tolerance, and critical thinking.
In the academic year 2025-2027, the College is attended by 206 students coming from 72 different countries.
Your generation, the twentieth, starting education in August 2025, will have 24 students from Bosnia and Herzegovina and more than 70 students coming from other countries.