Davis United World College Scholars

About the Davis UWC Scholars Program

Philanthropist Shelby M.C. Davis founded the Davis UWC Scholars program in 2000. His aim for the program, as it states on the Davis UWC Scholars program website, is to “advance international understanding through education.” The Davis UWC Scholars Program has grown over the past decade into the largest international scholarship program for undergraduates in the world. To receive a Davis Scholarship, UWC graduates must choose one of the designated Davis partner schools and be accepted into the school on their own merits. Whitman is proud to be a Davis UWC Scholar partner school. For more information on Davis UWC Scholarships at Whitman College, contact the Office of Admission. 

Whitman’s Davis UWC Scholars are a cohesive group and are an active and vital part of our campus culture. They are united by their shared backgrounds and their interest in bringing the values of the UWC movement to their college campus, and serve as a network of support for each other and as a source of inspiration and information to new students.

About United World Colleges (UWC)

The UWC program endeavors to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures in the pursuit of peace and a sustainable future by promoting personal responsibility, integrity and an appreciation of diversity. As of 2023, there are currently 18 UWC schools on four continents, each of which draws its student body from all over the world.

A UWC education provides:

• International and intercultural understanding
• Celebration of difference
• Personal responsibility and integrity
• Mutual responsibility and respect
• Compassion and service
• Respect for the environment
• A sense of idealism
• Personal challenge
• Action and personal example

Whitman College shares many of the values of the United World Colleges, including a dedication to environmental responsibility and a strong involvement in community service. A strong interdisciplinary environmental studies program, a growing emphasis on global education, and an increasing number of off-campus experiential learning opportunities are highlights of our rigorous academic program.

“American institutions of higher education could become better communities for learning if their student bodies became more internationally diverse and reflective of the real world around them. [...] We believe that fostering personal relationships between students who are different from one another will build an effective network of future leaders committed to mutual respect.”

–Philip O. Geier, Executive Director of Davis UWC Scholars Program