List of universities in Costa Rica

This is a list of universities in Costa Rica.

Public Universities

Public universities are the largest and most prestigious academic institutions in the country. Currently there are four public universities in Costa Rica, each assigned to emphasize on certain academic disciplines. A fifth university known as Universidad Técnica (UTCR, Technical University) was recently established in the city of Alajuela. All public universities are members of the Consejo Nacional de Rectores (CONARE, National University Presidents Council).

• Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (ITCR, Costa Rican Institute of Technology): also known as the TEC, is located in Cartago, Costa Rica. It has the mission of: "To contribute to the integral development of the country, by means of the formation of human resources, research and extension; keeping the scientific-technical leadership, the academic excellence and the strict attachment to the ethical, environmental and humanists norms, from a state university perspective of quality and competitiveness at national and international level". The ITCR has a partnership with Intel which allowed the Institute to upgrade its curricula and place its best students within the company.

• Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR, University of Costa Rica): its main campus is located in San Pedro, in the province of San José. It is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious institution of higher learning in Costa Rica. Its origins trace back to 1832. Approximately 40,000 students are enrolled at UCR.[1]

• Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED, Distance State University): focused on distance learning it is well known to have its main offices in Sabanilla and many local branch campuses for classes and exams.

• Universidad Nacional (UNA, National University): this university located in Heredia has a strong department of life sciences. About 30,000 students attend UNA.

Private Universities

• INVENIO: Is a campus based science and technology University, using the Dual Education model from the DHWB (Germany). INVENIO CAMPUS GML is located on the road to Los Angeles, Tilarán, in Cañas, Guanacaste. [2]

• UAM (Universidad Americana): Universidad Americana (UAM) offers a wide range of study possibilities, all approved by Conesup. Its main campus is located in Los Yoses, Montes de Oca. Where the Goethe Institut used to be. It was created in 1997 and started officially in 1998 in San José and Cartago simultaneously, after a few months another campus opened in Heredia. [3]

• U CENFOTEC (Universidad CENFOTEC): Universidad Centro de Formación en Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (U CENFOTEC) is a specialized university which focuses on ICT related careers. Founded in 2000 by a group of software development exporting companies with the purpose of training highly specialized and rapidly operational technicians in software development, in order to supply for an increasing demand of this type of professionals. Founded as a Technical Training Center focused solely on software development, it has evolved and was awarded university status in 2011 by CONESUP. Nowadays it includes careers in telecommunications, software development, development for the Web, and ICT infrastructure. Its campus is located in Montes de Oca, San José.

• UCIMED (Universidad de Ciencias Medicas): Universidad de Ciencias Medicas (UCIMED) is a medical school^{[citation needed]} located at San Jose,Costa Rica. UCIMED was founded in 1978 and it is solely dedicated to the teachings of medicine^{[citation needed]}

• Universidad Cristiana del Sur: Located in San José.

• Universidad EARTH: Located in Pocora, Limon. Specialises in Agriculture and the Environment. Approximately 400-500 students. It attracts a whole range of nationalities including North Americans and British interns who often study at the university for a semester to a year. The web page can be located at www.earth.ac.cr

• Universidad Hispanoamerica: The Universidad Hispanoamerica is private university dedicated to medical teaching. Based in San Jose, Universidad Hispanoamerica has campuses in several other provinces including Cartago and Heredia. [4]

• Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica (UNEM in short) The Business University of Costa Rica is a Private University. UNEM is an accredited institution of higher learning in Costa Rica. This university is consecutively listed in the UNESCO International Association of Universities Directory of Higher Education. UNEM is regionally accredited from State (Ministry of Public Education) and by approval of its charter from CONESUP (Consejo Nacional de Enseñanza Superior Universitaria Privada) (National Council on Higher Education Private University) during Session Number 336-97 which met on November 5, 1997. UNEM is authorized by (Asesoria Legal del Ministerio de Educación No. ATJ-167-CONESUP) to operate internationally and to offer international programs and to grant Bachelors, Masters and Doctorates Degrees with International Agreements with others universities (Outside Costa Rica Only).

• Universidad Latina:The Universidad Latina (abbreviated ULatina) is a private university located in Costa Rica. The university has several campuses around Costa Rica, although the main campus is located in San Pedro, in San José. As most private universities in Costa Rica it has remained solely as a teaching university. It does not have an admission exam and even admits students who have not passed the "Bachillerato" exams (basic education exams high school students must approve in order to graduate).

• Universidad San Juan de la Cruz:Universidad San Juan de la Cruz is a private university located in Costa Rica. The university is accredited by Consejo Nacional de Enseñanza Superior Universitaria Privada and recognized by the Ministry of Education. SLDLC offers courses in criminal justice, business, law, accounting and technology through campus and distance learning programs.

• University for Peace: The University for Peace was created in 1980 by the United Nations “to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and progress, in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations.” It is the only University in the UN family able to grant degrees and it has eight master's programs related to conflict resolution and peace building. Its main campus is in Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica, about 40 minutes outside of San Jose. [5]