An apparatus and method of constructing a universal polar code is provided. The apparatus includes a first function block configured to polarize and degrade a class of channels Wj to determine a probability of error Pe,j of each bit-channel of Wj, wherein jε{1, 2, . . . , s}, in accordance with a bit-channel index i; a second function block configured to determine a probability of error Pe(i) for the universal polar code for each bit-channel index i; a third function block configured to sort the Pe(i); and a fourth function block configured to determine a largest number k of bit-channels such that a sum of corresponding k bit-channel error probabilities Pe(i) is less than or equal to a target frame error rate Pt for the universal polar code, wherein the indices corresponding to the k smallest Pe(i) are good bit-channels for the universal polar code.