Pearson College UWC
9 January 2025
Victoria, Canada
- 204 Students - Aged 16-19 years
- Founded - 1974
Pearson College UWC (PCUWC) draws accomplished young leaders from up to 160 countries and every province and territory of Canada. Pearson’s curricula feature a strong emphasis on experiential education at the residential campus. Located at the southern tip of Vancouver Island and on the traditional territory of the Sc'ianew (Beecher Bay) First Nation, the campus’ forested and temperate coastal location encourages students to undertake challenging learning in both modern classrooms and outdoors year-round.
Three unique features:
A Global Visionary – PCUWC was created and named to honour Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Lester B. Pearson, a visionary and former prime minister, and embodies his commitment to global cooperation. Pearson's Nobel Prize recognised his pivotal role in establishing the inaugural UN multinational peacekeeping forces, driven by his belief that peace hinges on mutual understanding and knowledge.
Climate Action Leadership Diploma (CALD): The new Climate Action Leadership Diploma (CALD) offered at Pearson College UWC is an IB Career-related Program (IBCP) and is among the first of its kind, two-year diploma for 16-19 year-olds who wish to specialise in climate leadership.
Ecological Marine Reserve: Pearson College UWC acts as eco-guardian for the world-renowned Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Students learn through marine science courses, diving activities and volunteering on the reserve and around Race Rocks islands.
Academic curriculum
Pearson College UWC provides two distinct two-year 
educational pathways for students aged 16-19: the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and the Climate Action Leadership Diploma (CALD), an innovative alternative to the traditional IB curriculum.
Average class size: 13
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Core components
- Theory of Knowledge: students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know.
- The Extended Essay: an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.
- Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS): students take part in a range of experiences and at least one project.
Subjects
- Studies in language and literature: English Language & Literature, English Literature, Chinese Literature, French Language & Literature, Spanish Language & Literature, School Supported Self-Taught Literature
- Language acquisition: English B, French B, French Ab initio, Spanish Ab initio Individuals and societies: Economics, History, Global Politics, Philosophy
- Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Marine Science
- Mathematics: Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches, Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation
- The arts: Visual Arts, Theatre, Performance
Climate Action Leadership Diploma
Pearson College UWC’s innovative alternative pathway is for students with a passion for tackling the most pressing issue facing humanity – climate change. The Climate Action Leadership Diploma (CALD) is an IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) for 16-19 year-olds wanting to specialise in climate leadership.
The CALD curriculum leverages unique programmatic strengths: the location on the shores of the Salish Sea and amongst the old-growth forests of Vancouver Island, a
commitment to collaboration and community building with indigenous elders and knowledge keepers, support for local partnerships with outstanding educational institutions and community leaders and a deliberately diverse cohort of inspired students. The curriculum is designed in alignment with UWC values, the IBCP, partnerships with local universities – Camosun College, Vancouver Island University and Royal Roads University – and informed by an analysis of what the world and our students need through the lenses of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and global intersectional movements for change and solidarity.
Co-curricular
All students at UWC complete a co-curricular programme called Creativity, Activity and Service
(CAS) - an integral part of the IB qualification. Students get the opportunity to choose a physical, a creative and a social service activity.
Physical activities:
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Expedition kayaking
- Football
- Paddlesports
- Scuba diving
- Sports and outdoor fitness
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Yoga
- Zumba
Creative activities:
- Astronomy
- Canoeing
- Ceramics
- Coastal biodiversity
- College choir
- College newspaper
- Drama club
- Eco Crafts
- International Show
- Model United Nations
- Music
- Painting
- Photography
- Robotics
- Sustainable fashion
- TEDx Talks
- World news
- Yearbook
Social service:
- Beach cleanup
- Campus restoration
- Food banks
- Peer listeners
- Work with elderly
- Work with refugees
- Work with young children (primary school)
Facilities and residences
In addition to classrooms, labs and a specialised marine sciences building, as well as trails and idyllic natural surroundings, Pearson has a number of amenities from meeting rooms and lodging, to bike, kayak and boat rentals.
Facilities
- Art Centre
- Auditorium-style Theatre
- Basketball Courts
- Darkroom
- Football Pitch
- Off-campus pool facilities
- Medical Centre
- Music Room
- Observatory with Telescope
- Pottery Studio
- Spiritual Centre
- Theatre Stage
- Workout Gym
Residential accommodation
There are ten rooms in each residence house and each room is usually shared by four to five students from various countries. Each student has a desk, a bed and a closet. Each house has a place to relax and rejuvenate and were recently renovated to include fully equipped kitchens. Each residence has two houseparents who are responsible for the smooth running of the house.
Wellbeing support
Medical provisions
- Full health & wellness team
- Two full-time nurses
- Nurse practitioner
- Clinical counsellors
- Pearson College Emergency Response Team (PCERT)
- Programme
Academic and emotional wellbeing
The Dean of Students promotes and preserves the health and well-being of students and community life at the College in collaboration with the health & wellness team, House Parents (parents providing residential support to students), adult residents, advisors, the host family coordinator and other members of the community.
