Program Overview

The University of Kansas program in San José, Costa Rica offers students the opportunity to directly enroll in classes at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) while providing a well-structured introduction to the country, its culture and history. Students earn academic credit, improve their language skills, and experience Costa Rican culture and history firsthand by living with local families and participating in orientation activities and field trips.  Students interested in studying in Costa Rica for an academic year will need to apply online for the first semester of study and notify the Program Coordinator of their intent to continue for a second semester.

Costa Rica

Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR)

The Universidad de Costa Rica was established in 1843 under the name Universidad de Santo Tomás.  In 1940, it was restructured and re-named the Universidad de Costa Rica. It is the oldest and largest university in Costa Rica, with a population of 35,000 students. The University of Kansas-Universidad de Costa Rica exchange program, initiated in 1958, is the oldest inter-university exchange of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

Grupo de Kansas

The Grupo de Kansas office is located on campus close to many UCR facilities with two Costa Rican staff members.

Grupo de Kansas Staff

Zaida Ugalde, On-site Program Coordinator & Isa Alcázar, On-site Assistant Program Coordinator.

Zaida Ugalde, On-site Program Coordinator & Isa Alcázar, On-site Assistant Program Coordinator

Zaida Ugalde was born in La Fortuna, which is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country.  Some highlights of the town include the active Arenal volcano, waterfalls, hot springs, and plenty of hiking sites.      

Zaida graduated with a BA in Education from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont and was granted an undergraduate Fulbright scholarship for her studies.  She holds a Master’s degree in Latin American Literature from the Universidad de Costa Rica.   She joined the KU Office of Study Abroad in 1994 as a program assistant for the Grupo de Kansas and then became On-Site Program Coordinator.  She has traveled extensively throughout Central America, loves gardening, TED lectures, hiking, and coffee, which she is trying to grow herself.       

María Isabel Alcázar (Isa) was born in Chile but her family decided to make Costa Rica their new home.     

Isa graduated from the Universidad de Costa Rica as an English major and later did graduate studies in Linguistics.   She started working with the KU Grupo de Kansas in 1994 as an intercultural communication instructor and a year later became the On-site Assistant Program Coordinator.   She continues teaching at the Universidad de Costa Rica and one of her main goals has been to increase volunteer opportunities and community service for students.  She is very knowledgeable of activities at UCR as well as off-campus.

Zaida and Isabel’s duties include advising students on matters related to academics, enrollment, student visas, volunteer opportunities, housing, and medical and non-medical emergencies. They organize an intensive in-country academic and cultural orientation with classes, lectures, and field trips.  They also serve as liaisons between UCR and the KU Office of Study Abroad and coordinate all the logistics for KU short term study abroad programs in Costa Rica.

Eligibility

Open to students from any accredited U.S. college or university, sophomore through graduate levels. Requirements include a 3.0 GPA  and at least 4 semesters of college-level Spanish (or the equivalent). Students with 4 semesters (or the equivalent) are eligible for the University of Costa Rica, San José program only if they enroll in the Early Start Program, for which a scholarship covering much of the extra month's costs is available to KU degree-seeking students. Students wanting to earn major-level credit through the Dept. of Spanish & Portuguese need to have completed SPAN 340 successfully before participating in the program. For more information, please contact the Office of Study Abroad (osa@ku.edu).

Academics

The University of Costa Rica, San José program consists of three parts. The first part is the Early Start Program which is optional for students who have 5 or more semesters of Spanish, but required for students with 4 semesters. The second part is a one month on-site orientation required for all students and the last part is a semester of classes at UCR. See below for more information about each part.

Early Start Program

Students with 4 semesters of college-level Spanish (or the equivalent) are eligible for the San José program only if they enroll in the Early Start Program. The Early Start Program allows students to take a one-month intensive Spanish course at the Universidad de Costa Rica to improve their Spanish skills and earn 3 Spanish credits at KU.  Students who have already completed 5 or more semesters of college-level Spanish are also eligible for the Early Start Program, which is optional for them.  However, many students decide to attend Early Start in order to improve their language skills and spend an extra month in Costa Rica.

Early Start Program Scholarship

This scholarship is open to KU degree-seeking students who have applied to the Early Start Program in conjunction with a Costa Rica semester Program (Fall or Spring). The scholarship is $1,200 which covers most of the expenses (tuition, room and board, on-site assistance, and an excursion) connected with studying in the Escuela de Filologia for the month.  Interested students should complete the application for the “Costa Rica Early Start Program Scholarship  Fund”.  

Non-KU students should check into the financial resources available to them at their home institution.

Credits

Early Start students will receive 3 credits of SPAN 170, SPAN 270, or SPAN 371, dependent upon placement level.

Applying

There will be a question on the University of Costa Rica online application where students can indicate if they would like to sign up for the Early Start Program.

Required on-site Orientation

The required one-month orientation at UCR is designed to prepare students for the challenges of rigorous academic work in a foreign language and culture. The orientation provides a cultural and historical introduction to Costa Rica through lectures and field trips, with an emphasis on upper-level academic writing skills.  Orientation excursions usually include trips to art museums, the Central Market, the National Theater, volcanoes, waterfalls, the rainforest, and beaches on the Pacific shore. Students may, among other activities, interview ticos (Costa Ricans) from different parts of Costa Rica on weekend excursions, put on skits, learn how to utilize the UCR library, and be introduced to traditional dances like the salsa and merengue.  Students will receive three hours of credit for SPAN 370 Hispanic Language and Civilization I.

UCR Orientation Syllabus

UCR Handbook (Spring 2013 term)

Semester at UCR

Costa Rica follows the Southern Hemisphere academic calendar which means that fall semester begins in late August and ends with final exams in early December; the spring semester begins in early March and ends with final exams in early July. This means that there is a 2 week break in July while there is a month and a half break in December.  Students who want to study in Costa Rica for a year may want to consider studying a consecutive spring and fall term with the two week break in between.  Students may also study in the fall and spring, but need to know that housing isn't provided from mid-December to the end of January because of UCR's summer break.  Students could use this time to return to the United States or travel.  Sometimes it is possible to stay with the host family during the break, but it can't be guaranteed. 

A normal course load is 12-18 hours or 4-6 classes. With a few exceptions, the number of credits a course is worth at UCR will be the same as the hours of credit received for the equivalent KU course. Credit and grades for all UCR courses in which a student is enrolled, including orientation, will be posted on his/her KU transcript.  Course offerings vary from semester to semester. It is not possible to guarantee that a course will be offered during a particular semester. Program participants should have 8-10 courses in a wide variety of departments approved by their home institution prior to arrival in San José.  Enrollment in graduate courses at UCR is limited to graduate students and requires the permission of the professor.

Important Enrollment Information

UCR Fall 2012 Timetable

UCR Spring 2013 Timetable

UCR Course Equivalencies

Student Life 

Students usually complement their studies by planning weekend excursions or joining University-sponsored activities, such as sports teams, volunteer activities, or cultural events.  University Week, held each year in the spring, provides an opportunity for the academic departments to compete in sports, put on shows, and sponsor on-campus dances and festivities.

Volunteer Opportunities

Students are encouraged to participate in community volunteer work, coordinated by the Grupo de Kansas office, during their free time. This may include working in orphanages, teaching English to adults, and volunteering in schools.  Students can also opt for a month-long volunteer program (before or after the UCR semester) with one of the Costa Rican National Parks. This is a great opportunity for biology, ecology, or tropical studies students. Students are responsible for their own room and board costs (~$12 per day) during the program. For more information, contact the KU Office of Study Abroad. Volunteer program website: www.asvocr.org/

Accommodations

Students live in private homes with Costa Rican families to help them improve language proficiency and immerse them in Costa Rican life. Three meals are provided daily. Most students use the very reliable, inexpensive city bus system to travel from their residence to the University.

Financial Aid

KU students who qualify for financial aid in the form of Stafford and/or other loans, Pell or SEOG Grants, and scholarships may apply the aid to the cost of a Study Abroad Program.

KU Study Abroad supplemental scholarships are available to KU degree seeking students.  Click here for the KU Study Abroad Scholarship Applications.  The scholarship application deadline is March 1 for Fall programs and October 1 for Spring programs.

Non-KU students should check into the financial resources available to them at their home institutions.

Application Procedures

All applicants will be required to complete several documents for each study abroad application.  Below is a list of the typical documents that will need to be completed for an application.  Please note that requirements will vary by program. 

        a. Statement of Purpose
        b. Autobiography
        c. Official Transcript
        d. 1 General Recommendation and 1 Language Recommendation
        e. Authorization to Release Student Information
        f. Any additional forms required by the specific program

For more detailed information about the application process, please visit our Application Process page.

Useful Websites

KU Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Universidad de Costa Rica website

Duncan McHenry's Travel Journal - Spring 2013 University of Kansas Participant