Costa Rica is a small, varied and accessible country which offers opportunities for a large variety of experiences for the students. The country is ten degrees north of the Equator in Central America. At its narrowest point from east to west, there are just 75 miles separating the Caribbean from the Pacific Ocean. This means that it is possible to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean, and then catch an early bus to arrive in time for the sunset on the Pacific coast.  The land mass of the country is 20,000 square miles - about the size of West Virginia.  Costa Rica is an ecological microcosm of the rest of Latin America, with lush jungles, high mountains and coastal plains.

The population of Costa Rica is roughly 4 million, about 90% of which are a mix of Spanish and Indigenous - or Mestizo.  There is also a Black population of Jamaican descent, as well as about 3,000 Indigenous living on land set aside by the government.  Significantly, there are now as many North American retirees here as there are Indigenous, and in recent years Costa Rica has become a haven for political and economic refugees from other Latin American countries.

In addition to the hospitable climate, students find that the Ticos, as the local people are known, the Center’s faculty and staff, and the homestay families are equally as warm. At the Latin American Center, students have the opportunity to live among and study the interweaving factors that make up the reality that is Central America today. Costa Rica is an ideal location as a departure point for the rest of the region since it comprises so many of the characteristics common to other countries.

Global College Costa Rica Center is located in the northeast part of Heredia City, across the street from the National University. Heredia, named after a Spanish Captain in 1763, is 10 miles north of San José, Costa Rica’s capital city.

The Center facilities include an administrative area, computer room, a small library, kitchen and dining room, a garden, a hall for community meetings, and rooms for seminars, Spanish language courses and academic advising.

The Center has eight IBM compatible computers connected to the internet for student use.  Internet can also be accessed through the centers wireless network from the student’s laptop, or through a DSL connection. Students also have access to a multimedia projector, digital camera and a video digital recorder for their presentations and projects. 

Global College - Costa Rica Center
Apartado 8496-1000
San José, Costa Rica
Telephone: (011) - (506)-2260-6672
Fax: (011) - (506)-2260-9656
E-mail: globalcollegecostarica@gmail.com
Website: www.liu.edu/globalcollege

For general information about Global College