The Mahindra United World College of India (MUWCI) is one of 13 United World Colleges, located 40 km west of Pune in Maharashtra, India. Established in 1997, the college has a population of about 200 students from all around the world who live together on campus for two years. Alongside academic performance, international experience and community service play a central role in the school's educational concept. On 28 November 1997, Queen Noor of Jordan alongside Nelson Mandela inaugurated the Mahindra United World College of India as one of the now thirteen United World Colleges (UWC) and the third UWC in Asia. It had been made possible largely due to financial donations (approximately US$ 8 m) and personal efforts by the Mahindra industrial family (especially the late Harish Mahindra, deceased 1999). The founding principal Dr. David Wilkinson previously founded the Li Po Chun UWC in Hong Kong, together with his wife. Dr. Veronica Wilkinson. The head of school from the year 2009 is Dr Jonathan Long, who is also a well known educator from the UK. The college is located near the village of Paud in the Taluka Mulshi region of the western state of Maharastra, India.