University of Costa Rica

The University of Costa Rica is a public university in Costa Rica, with the main campus located in San Pedro, in the province of San Jose. It is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious university in the country when you visit with your San Jose, Costa Rica rent a car.

University history

When you visit with your San Jose, Costa Rica rental car, you may learn that the first university established in Costa Rica was University of St. Thomas, which was established in 1843. The University of St. Thomas was closed in 1888 by an anti-clerical government as part of a campaign to modernize public education. However, the schools of law, agronomy, fine arts, and pharmacy continued to operate independently. Costa Rica did not have a proper university until 1940 when those four schools were re-united to establish the University of Costa Rica, which you can visit today. It was the only university in the country until 1972. Today, there are four public and about 50 private universities in the country. The University of Costa Rica continues to be the largest and best-funded organization.

University programs

When you visit with your rent a car San Jose, Costa Rica, you will find there are six major academic areas that the university offers: Agricultural Sciences, Arts and Letters, Basic Sciences, Engineering, Health, and Social Sciences. In addition, the school manages 26 research institutes including the Central America Population Studies Center, Environmental Pollution Research Center, Center for Research on Agribusiness, Center on Women Studies, Research Center on Tropical Diseases, Center for Central American Historical Studies, Center of Studies on Latin American Identity and Culture, Research Center on Sea Sciences, National Research Center on Food Science, among others.

Exploring the campus� and the country

The University of Costa Rica is a public university with locations across the country. You could spend days exploring all of the campuses they offer with your rental car San Jose, Costa Rica! Part of the mandate of the university is to reach rural Costa Ricans. The western campus is in San Ramon, Alajuela Province. The Atlantic campus is in Turrialba City, Cartago Province. There is a campus in Liberia City, Guanacaste Province and another in Port Limon City. The Pacific Campus is in Puntarenas Port. In 2006, a campus was opened close to the Panamanian border. Local campuses offer different study options, including tourism management in Limon and Puntarenas. The university defines itself as a humanistic institution that encourages social work and research extension activities. In order for graduate, most students must work in the University Community Service, which is organized by the university.

University life in Costa Rica

When you are here with your San Jose, Costa Rica rent a car, you may learn a little bit about university life in Costa Rica. First of all, the school year runs from February to December, divided into two semesters. There is a summer term that may be mandatory, depending on the chosen career. Semana U is an event that is held in the middle of the first semester every year, and involves different student organizations. They offer concerts, talks, expositions, and many activities.

The University of Costa Rica is a well-recognized university within Costa Rica that is often sought out for its opinion in scientific, ethic, and economic matters in the country. It is also at the forefront of social work and research extension activities. The campuses cover much of the country, so it is unlikely that you will be able to see all that the university has to offer, but you can get a feel for what university life is like in Costa Rica.