Top 20 Universities in Costa Rica (2026)
Planning to study in Costa Rica? This list features 20 universities. Compare rankings, tuition fees, and acceptance rates to make a confident decision. Institutions are evaluated based on research output, global rankings, and academic performance.
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Select degree → Department → subject → continent → State → country → city. Each step unlocks the next option. Your selections are remembered for easier browsing.
Degree Level
Bachelor, Master, PhD
Subject Area
Science, Business, Arts
Location
Worldwide destinations
1
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
754 World
27 Latin America
1
Costa Rica
1 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
40%
Publications
34087
Citations
320244
2
Heredia, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
1923 World
102 Latin America
2
Costa Rica
679 Heredia
University Information
Acceptance
79%
Publications
7468
Citations
76548
3
Cartago, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
2915 World
181 Latin America
3
Costa Rica
1 Cartago
University Information
Acceptance
12%
Publications
3989
Citations
28755
4
Alajuela, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
4389 World
302 Latin America
4
Costa Rica
1 Alajuela
University Information
Acceptance
30%
Publications
444
Citations
8297
5
Guacimo, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
5039 World
344 Latin America
5
Costa Rica
3151 Guacimo
University Information
Acceptance
30%
Publications
322
Citations
7557
6
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
6618 World
426 Latin America
6
Costa Rica
2 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
30%
Publications
8709
Citations
9493
7
San Pedro, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
8413 World
566 Latin America
7
Costa Rica
1 San Pedro
University Information
Acceptance
33%*
8
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
9078 World
651 Latin America
8
Costa Rica
3 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
40%*
9
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
9205 World
667 Latin America
9
Costa Rica
4 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
44%*
10
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
9294 World
682 Latin America
10
Costa Rica
5 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
50%*
11
Cipreses de Curridabat, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
9705 World
748 Latin America
11
Costa Rica
University Information
Acceptance
57%*
12
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
10094 World
816 Latin America
12
Costa Rica
6 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
71%*
13
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
10176 World
832 Latin America
13
Costa Rica
7 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
89%
14
San Pedro, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
10366 World
863 Latin America
14
Costa Rica
2 San Pedro
University Information
Acceptance
72%*
15
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Rankings
10494 World
878 Latin America
15
Costa Rica
8 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
68%*
16
Uruca, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
10885 World
947 Latin America
16
Costa Rica
University Information
Acceptance
64%*
17
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
11002 World
957 Latin America
17
Costa Rica
9 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
63%*
18
Cartago, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
11105 World
975 Latin America
18
Costa Rica
2 Cartago
University Information
Acceptance
61%*
19
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
11546 World
1070 Latin America
19
Costa Rica
10 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
61%*
20
San Jose, Costa Rica
Latin America
Founded:
Rankings
11578 World
1075 Latin America
20
Costa Rica
11 San Jose
University Information
Acceptance
60%*