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| About the People in Costa Rica |
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Universities in Costa Rica
The first university in Costa Rica was called "Universidad de Santo Tomas", located in San Jose. This institution was the "Casa de Ensenanza de Santo Tomas" since 1814, but it didn't become a full-fledged university until 1843. This university taught subjects such as Cosmography, History, Experimental Physics, Ethics, Mathematics, Latin and Law. The renowned Law School was the only department that survived when the whole university was shut down in 1888. The closure of this superior education center was due to the idea of establishing a more technological and "practical" institution; this proved to be a bad move, since another university wasn't inaugurated until 1940.
Today there are four public universities:
- The University of Costa Rica - this is the largest university, a population of 35,000 students with numerous undergraduate and graduate programs.
- The National University of Heredia - the second largest public university with an estimated 13,000 students.
- The Technological Institute (Located in Cartago) - is dedicated mostly to the teaching of scientific and technological careers.
- The State Correspondence University - it is designed after a British Open University and has had great success especially for people who live in rural areas.
These public universities have large facilities and some, like the University of Costa Rica, have very nice campuses. Even though the fee is small to moderate, these institutions still offer scholarships for students who can't afford even the minimum charge.
The private schools, which have multiplied within the past ten years, offer shorter careers since most of them don't require the liberal arts courses that are mandatory in the public universities. The charge per unit or per class is much more expensive than in public universities, but many students that can afford them prefer these universities because they're interested in a more focused education. Most private universities are located in San Jose or close by, since this is where most of the wealth and population are. Some of the more popular ones are: Universidad Latina, Universidad Autonoma de Centro America, Universidad Interamericana, and there are many.
Many Latin American students come to Costa Rican universities because they offer an excellent education in a stable environment, something they may not be able to find in their own country. Also, the professors are usually highly trained and educated individuals who hold Master or P.H.D. degrees from institutions in Costa Rica, the United States or Europe. There have also been many foreign students who have come to learn Spanish and then decided to stay in a Costa Rican university for a semester or for the duration of a whole career once they've realized the high level of education.
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