State of Affairs of Higher Education in Costa Rica

Sandra Palacios Palacios, Yalile Jiménez Olivares 
(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica)

Abstract: Higher education in Costa Rica is composed of two main subsystems: parauniversity and university. Para university higher education focuses on short term careers of only two or three years, while university higher education takes up to four or more years. The latter subsystem holds most of the population seeking a graduate degree. According to CONESUP (Consejo Nacional Nacional de Educacion Superior Privada), which regulates private higher education, there are fifty private universities in Costa Rica. On the other hand, there are only five state universities in CONARE (Consejo Nacional de Rectores), entity that regulates public universities. Considering these case scenarios, this investigation analyzes Costa Rican public and private education in terms of the number of students enrolled, academic program offerings, the number of degrees awarded, and accredited programs.

Key words: state of affairs of higher education, higher education, public and private higher education in Costa Rica, college education in Costa Rica