Costa Rica boasts a one of the highest literacy rates worldwide with 96% of its natives being educated at least through 11th grade. That's undoubtedly thanks to the mandatory schooling for children. The Costa Rica government provides their education free of charge. The children are educated in many of the areas that are studied in Europe and North America?math, science, history, etc.?and are also taught English as their second language while continuing to master their native Spanish linguistics.

One main difference in the Costa Rican educational system is that schooling ends at 11th grade in most schools. However, there are select educational institutions that do teach courses through the 12th grade. Those that decide to continue with their education in Costa Rica have the option to pursue higher education at one of the local universities or elsewhere in the world.

The four main public universities in Costa Rica are la Universidad de Costa Rica, el Instituto de Tecnologico de Costa Rica, la Universidad Nacional Estatal a Distancia and la Universidad Nacional Autonoma. Each of the Costa Rica universities is designed to focus on specialized areas. Here's a more detailed description of each facility:

La Universidad de Costa Rica

La Universidad de Costa Rica, the largest higher education institution in the nation, is located on a vast and scenic piece of Costa Rica real estate in San Jose. It caters to approximately 35,000 students each year and has a diverse course offering. Students can focus their studies in fine arts, the sciences, social science, education, engineering, medicine and more. Graduate courses are also available.

Universidad Nacional Autonoma

La Universidad Nacional Autonoma Costa Rica is located in the Heredia province of the nation. Some of the undergraduate coursework specializations include language, finance, plus Cultural Identity, Art & Technology. Postgraduate programs are also available.

Instituto de Tecnologico de Costa Rica

El Instituto de Tecnologico de Costa Rica is a smaller institution. It is comprised of three regional campuses, each of which is situated on smaller plots of Costa Rica real estate. Still, each of the facilities has classrooms and well as extensive research laboratories for student use. The curricula at el Instituto de Tecnologico de Costa Rica is focused primarily on engineering specialties (biological, architectural, industrial design, etc.) but does offer some course work in other areas as well as graduate programs.

Universidad Nacional Estatal a Distancia (UNED)

La Universidad Nacional Estatal a Distancia is primarily a correspondence learning university. Undergraduate courses at UNED include work in Education, Natural Sciences, Administration, and Social Sciences / Humanities. The school also offers about two-dozen masters / doctorate programs. Students who live in rural areas populate this school most often.

In addition to the four public universities, there are also a number of private higher learning institutions throughout the country that students can attend. The universities vary in purpose and thus the campuses are built on varying sizes of Costa Rica real estate. Some of the more notable private institutions include la Universidad Cato?lica de Costa Rica, Universidad Auto?noma de Centroame?rica, Instituto Centroamericano de Administracion de Empresas, and the United Nations University for Peace.

by David B Lovendahl, Developing Paradise TM