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ULACIT Costa Rica

Join the Latin American University of Science and Technology (ULACIT) in Costa Rica for a life changing study abroad semester. ULACIT combines quality academics for credit transfer from the only undergraduate programs in the region taught 100% in English with the opportunity to experience the amazing natural sanctuaries, beautiful beaches and amazing rain forests and volcanoes of Costa Rica.

Contact us at [email protected] to learn about our study abroad programs as well as our undergraduate course offering and begin planning your study abroad experience at the best ranked private university in Central America. Enquire on our Spanish Immersion Program and our Host Family Program for a world class intercultural experience.

ULACIT is an innovative, entrepreneurial and bilingual university, leading higher education in the Central American region since 1987.

Reasons to study abroad at ULACIT:

The best ranked private university in Costa Rica for 13 consecutive years according to QS International University Rankings.
The only bilingual university in Costa Rica. Over 65 courses taught 100% in the English language to choose from, regularly offered & subject to credit transfer.
Accredited undergraduate academic programs that comply with international academic standards.
International student community, join local Costa Rican students along students from over fifteen nationalities from around the world.
Competency based curriculums applying Teaching For Comprehension methodology (0% exams and 100% projects) and LinkedIn Learning Certifications incorporated in courses.
Student centered campus life; internationalized, fun, vibrant and dynamic; sports, arts and civic student clubs, you will be greeted by our ULACIT Ambassadors students group.
Unique study abroad experience that combines quality academics, with experiential learning and unforgettable tour and leisure trips to beaches, rain forests, volcanoes and more.
Experience beautiful Costa Rica, the most biodiverse country in the planet, a country of peace with friendly people and friendly climate, no army since 1948, a leading educational system, multilingual and multicultural and powered by Green Energy.
ULACIT integrates an international dimension into its learning and teaching experience. We promote the formation of global citizens with the ability to cooperate to understand and address international problems and perform successfully in intercultural and globalized contexts.

Country

Costa Rica

Top choice for

Intrepid global explorers

City

San José ,

Campus location

Main campus

Language prerequisites

No language requirement

These is no language prerequisite for joining this institution as a free mover

Some useful info

Number of students

4000

Founding year

1987

Acceptance rate

90%

Semester fees

3000 USD

Accommodation

University partnership/sponsorship

Accommodation details

ULACIT works with host families in San Jose who have welcomed international students into their homes for years. Each home has been carefully selected by ULACIT program administrators to ensure comfort and safety for international students.

Our Home Stay Program allows our international students to experience authentic Costa Rican culture, while staying in a safe family environment, benefit from the host families support during their stay, establish unique lasting friendships and practice Spanish with native language speakers.

Host families provide independence and a safe environment for our international guest students. Each home has been carefully vetted to ensure comfort, independence, and safety for our international students.

Our homestay program provides:

A safe and welcoming host family environment
All meals included (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Wi-Fi internet Access
Private room and independence
Use of the kitchen and laundry room
Access keys to the house
Access to all common areas
Linens once a week throughout your stay
Laundry once a week

All Host Families are located at the most 30 minutes away from campus and downtown San José. Students can choose how long to stay with a host family, stay per month or pay for the complete academic period.

Price per month (4-week stay): $760
Price for academic period (16-week stay): $3.040

Our Home Stay Program assures you access to homely comforts and a safe environment in San José, each home has been carefully chosen to guarantee a welcoming and safe stay.

If you want more information simply reply to this email and let us know. We will provide you with information on the families and their homes.

Fall semester application deadline

August 16, 2025

Spring semester application deadline

December 16, 2024

Cost of living

2000 USD/month

Major expenses

To maintain standard of living for a single person, students should plan for a budget in a range from $1,500 to $2,000 a month which would include housing, meals, and utilities.

An additional budget for tour and travel should be planned, hotel rooms to range from $60 to $400 per night, one day trips from $80 to $180. Weekend trips usually include a 3 night stay plus $6 to $10 per meal.

Our Global Education Office may arrange hotel reservations, complete weekend, or week tours.

Visa and immigration

Visitors to Costa Rica must have a valid passport as well as proof of their intent to exit the country before their visa or entry stamp expires. All non-resident travelers must possess a return ticket or a ticket as proof of when they intend to exit the country, commonly referred to as an outbound exit or onward ticket. Please carry a digital or physical copy of your admissions letter in case it is requested by a migration officer.

Incoming international students have different legally viable options to resolve their migratory status in Costa Rica for their short-term stay (one or two academic periods). Once in Costa Rica we will aide and advice you on different options to renew your migratory status in accordance with the applicable migratory policies at the moment.

Students are advised to enter and remain in Costa Rica with an up to 180-day provisional tourist visa. Your country of origin determines the number of days available to stay in Costa Rica as a tourist before the need of renewing the tourist visa. USA and European Union residents are commonly awarded a 180-day tourist visa.

For this migratory status no previous process is required, the tourist visa is automatically issued by Migration Authorities for any international traveler entering the country by land or air. So, either a dated or open-ended return ticket for an international flight or bus transfer service are needed when entering Costa Rica. The immigration officer will ask for it upon your arrival.

The departure plans from Costa Rica must be shown to Migration Authorities at the airport with a return ticket, but that the ticket can be open ended, so incoming exchange students need a return ticket but not necessarily with a set return date.

Once in Costa Rica to maintain their legal migratory status after 180 days or if the tourist visa is awarded for less time, students can either exit any land border (a quick weekend trip to Panama o Nicaragua) to renew their tourist visa or request a student visa through ULACITs migration lawyer with a cost of $200 which will automatically suspend the expiration of their 90-day tourist visa until Migratory Authorities process their student visa request which takes over 6 months in average. This is a common practice for short term exchange students and would be sufficient to maintain their legal migratory status while the short-term exchange student completes there 115-day academic period stay.

The process is carried out with the student already in Costa Rica, it is not required to go to a consulate. The requirements to process a student visa extension for a short-term stay are:

Two passport size photographs, 5cm x 5cm, on a white background;
Complete photocopy of your current passport. your passport and visa must be valid;
ULACIT acceptance letter as an Exchange student;
A payment of $250 to the migration lawyer who will take care of the initial request process and accompany the process. This payment already includes tax stamps and the fee charged by the General Directorate of Migration to process the visa extension request. These payments are to be made once the student is in Costa Rica.

Students who wish to stay for longer than 10 months should prepare the following documents and have them before arriving, this process is also carried out with the student in Costa Rica:

Birth certificate duly legalized or apostilled where the name of the parents is recorded. all documents must be in Spanish, if not, they must be officially translated in Costa Rica. If you cannot obtain your birth certificate with the apostille, you can present it without apostille momentarily;
Certification of criminal records from your country of origin or where you have resided for the last three years duly legalized or apostilled. All documents must be in Spanish, if not, they must be officially translated;
A bank statement from them or their parents from the last 12 months to prove their solvency and the existence of income to support their stay in Costa Rica. The bank statement should be notarized by a Certified Public Accountant.