Costa Rica
Costa Rica's history & society ... photo album ... maps ... links

The program
Immersion in daily life ... schedule ... orientation ... field trips ... Spanish language ... Intro to Costa Rica ... Rural Stay ... Core Course ... Independent Study Project

Information
Eligibility ... credit and grades ... academic year program ... program staff ... living arrangements ... ACM Center ... costs ... how to apply

Contacts
Campus program advisors ... ACM office

Costa Rica and the region

Costa Ricans see themselves as Central Americans, but also as unique in the region. With their neighbors, Costa Ricans share the Spanish colonial heritage, a developing economy traditionally dependent on the export of coffee and bananas, and a close but occasionally troubled relationship with the United States.

Costa Ricans also face many of the same questions confronting small nations throughout Latin America and the developing world, such as defining the role of government in combating poverty, providing education and other public services, and conserving biodiversity.

Go to maps of Central America and Costa Rica and links for more information.

Above: The flag of Costa Rica.

Left: Touring San Jose.

Below: At the Costa Rican Independence Day parade in San Jose.

Unique qualities for academic study

Yet Costa Rica’s unique qualities bring definite advantages as a place to study such challenges. The abolition of the army in 1948 was symbolic of the country’s long tradition of relative social peace. In 1975, Costa Rica created a network of national parks and reserves that, while far from perfect, succeeded in slowing, and even recently reversing the country’s rapid deforestation. This has made Costa Rica attractive to biologists and to ecotourists wanting to explore the wonders of the tropics.

The Costa Rican government has been uniquely accessible to the demands of its citizens -- and even to the questions of foreigners. The “Ticos” (as Costa Ricans like to call themselves) are committed to public education, universal health care, social programs and democratic government.

ACM connections in Costa Rica

ACM has established ties with a wide variety of organizations, institutions, businesses and scholars in Costa Rica. Through these contacts, the consortium offers a remarkable range of independent study opportunities to students of Latin America.

For over 40 years, ACM students have found open doors, friendly interviews, and unique opportunities to observe up-close the Costa Rican experiment.