National University of Costa Rica

National University of Costa Rica, known as UNA, is a public university based in Heredia, Costa Rica, and one of the five institutions that make up the country's public higher-education system.哥斯达黎加国立大学（Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica，简称 UNA）是哥斯达黎加埃雷迪亚的一所公立大学，也是该国公立高等教育体系的五所院校之一。

Founded by Law 5182 of 15 February 1973 and opened on 14 March 1973, UNA teaches 19,590 students, including 18,478 undergraduates and 850 postgraduates, and offers more than 100 degree and postgraduate options.该校依据 1973 年 2 月 15 日第 5182 号法律创建，并于同年 3 月 14 日开学，现有 19,590 名学生，其中本科生 18,478 人、研究生 850 人，提供 100 多个本科与研究生项目。

In the QS World University Rankings 2027 UNA sits in the 1201-1400 band, Times Higher Education lists it at 2001 and beyond for 2027, and it did not enter the 2026-2027 U.S. News global table or the 2026 ShanghaiRanking main list.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，该校位列 1201-1400 区间；泰晤士高等教育将其列在 2027 年榜单第 2001 位及以后；该校未进入 2026-2027 年度《美国新闻与世界报道》全球大学榜单，也未进入 2026 年软科世界大学学术排名主榜。

History

• UNA was ratified on 15 February 1973 by Law 5182, after years of advocacy by Uladislao Gámez Solano, Minister of Public Education in the government of President José Figueres Ferrer.经过乌拉迪斯劳·加梅斯·索拉诺多年推动，该校于 1973 年 2 月 15 日依第 5182 号法律正式设立；加梅斯当时在何塞·菲格雷斯·费雷尔总统政府中任公共教育部长。
• An ad hoc organising commission prepared the university, and its members included Gámez Solano, the planning minister Óscar Arias Sánchez and Francisco Morales Hernández.一个特设组织委员会负责筹建该校，成员包括加梅斯·索拉诺、计划部长奥斯卡·阿里亚斯·桑切斯以及弗朗西斯科·莫拉莱斯·埃尔南德斯。
• The university opened on 14 March 1973, inheriting the traditions of the Escuela Normal de Costa Rica and the Escuela Normal Superior, the teacher-training schools that had occupied its site.该校于 1973 年 3 月 14 日开学，继承了哥斯达黎加师范学校与高等师范学校的传统，这两所师资培训机构此前就设于此地。
• Those normal schools descended from the Instituto Pedagógico Centroamericano, created by the 1907 Washington conventions to train teachers for Central America and first sited in Barva before moving to Heredia.这两所师范学校源自中美洲师范教育学院，该院根据 1907 年华盛顿公约设立，为中美洲培养教师，最初选址巴尔瓦，后迁至埃雷迪亚。
• The 1973 law absorbed the Escuela Normal de Costa Rica and the Escuela Normal Superior into the new university, ending their separate existence as teacher-training institutions.1973 年的法律把哥斯达黎加师范学校与高等师范学校并入新大学，两校作为独立师资培训机构的历史就此结束。
• The new university adopted the idea of the Universidad Necesaria, an institution committed to opening higher education to the least privileged sectors of Costa Rican society.新大学确立了“必要的大学”（Universidad Necesaria）理念，致力于向哥斯达黎加社会中最缺乏资源的群体开放高等教育。
• Its founders combined humanism with a diverse academic offer, and the university now covers exact and natural sciences, earth and sea sciences, education, social sciences, health, philosophy, letters and the arts.创办者把人文主义与多元学科结合起来，该校如今覆盖精确与自然科学、地球与海洋科学、教育、社会科学、健康、哲学、文学与艺术等领域。
• In 1984 the university created OVSICORI, the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica, which monitors the country's volcanoes and earthquake activity.1984 年，该校创建哥斯达黎加火山与地震观测站（OVSICORI），负责监测全国火山与地震活动。
• The Colegio Humanístico, a pre-university secondary school attached to UNA, was opened in 2009 to give students in Heredia a laboratory-based, humanities-oriented preparation.附属该校的人文中学于 2009 年开办，为埃雷迪亚的学生提供以实验室训练与人文取向为特色的大学预科教育。
• In 2010 UNA inaugurated the Registro-Financiero building and the Megalaboratorio Estudiantil, the largest recent addition to the Omar Dengo campus.2010 年，该校启用注册财务大楼与学生大型实验室（Megalaboratorio Estudiantil），这是奥马尔·登戈校区近年来最大的一次扩建。
• An agreement with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, the UNA-BCIE accord, financed the renovation of the philosophy and letters and social sciences buildings.该校与中美洲经济一体化银行签订的 UNA-BCIE 协议，为哲学与文学学院及社会科学学院大楼的翻新提供了资金。
• In 2025 UNA began the academic year with a record number of new admissions and pressed the government to release the full resources of the Higher Education Special Fund.2025 年，该校以创纪录的新生人数开学，并要求政府全额拨付高等教育特别基金。
• By 2026 enrolment stood at 19,590 students, of whom 18,478 were undergraduates and 850 postgraduates, taught across five campuses and several regional sites.到 2026 年，该校注册学生达 19,590 人，其中本科生 18,478 人、研究生 850 人，分布在五个校区与若干地区教学点。
• Jorge Herrera Murillo became rector for the 2025-2030 period, with Alejandra Gamboa Jiménez as deputy rector and a team of five vice-rectors.豪尔赫·埃雷拉·穆里略出任 2025-2030 年任期的校长，亚历杭德拉·甘博亚·希门尼斯任副校长，并设有五位副校长分管各项事务。
• The university is organised around five vice-rectorates, for research, extension, teaching, student life and administration, each with its own budget and programmes.该校围绕五个副校长辖区组织，分别负责科研、社会推广、教学、学生生活与行政，各自拥有预算与项目。
• UNA's regional structure took shape through five sedes, Central in Heredia, Interuniversitaria in Alajuela, Chorotega, Brunca and Huetar Norte y Caribe.该校的地区结构由五个校区构成，即埃雷迪亚的中央校区、阿拉胡埃拉的大学间校区、乔罗特加校区、布伦卡校区以及北乌埃塔尔与加勒比校区。
• Its sports association, A.D. Universidad Nacional, was founded in 1973, and the mapache, or raccoon, became the university's mascot.该校的体育协会“国立大学体育会”成立于 1973 年，浣熊（mapache）则成为学校的吉祥物。
• The university press, Editorial UNA, publishes textbooks, research monographs and regional histories, and it is part of the institution's extension work.大学出版社 Editorial UNA 出版教材、研究专著与地区史，是该校社会推广工作的一部分。
• In the QS World University Rankings 2027 UNA appears in the 1201-1400 band.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，该校进入 1201-1400 区间。
• The university's history is closely tied to Costa Rica's welfare state, and its founding is presented as an extension of the country's 1948 decision to abolish its army and invest in education.该校历史与哥斯达黎加的福利国家紧密相连，校方把建校视为该国 1948 年废除军队、转向教育投入这一决定的延续。

Academics

• UNA's academic core consists of the faculties of exact and natural sciences, social sciences, philosophy and letters, health sciences, and earth and sea sciences, together with the Centre for General Studies.该校的学术核心包括精确与自然科学、社会科学、哲学与文学、健康科学、地球与海洋科学五个学院，以及通识教育中心。
• The Centre for Research and Teaching in Education, CIDE, trains teachers and conducts research on curriculum, assessment and rural education.教育研究与教学中心（CIDE）培养教师，并开展课程、评估与农村教育研究。
• The Centre for Research, Teaching and Artistic Extension, CIDEA, runs the university's music, theatre and visual arts programmes and stages public performances.艺术研究、教学与推广中心（CIDEA）负责该校的音乐、戏剧与视觉艺术项目，并组织公开演出。
• The Graduate School coordinates more than 65 postgraduate programmes, including 16 master's degrees and specialisations in education, health, ecology and social policy.研究生院统筹 60 多个研究生项目，其中包括 16 个硕士项目以及教育、健康、生态与社会政策领域的专业方向。
• The university is strongest in ecology, sociology and education, fields in which its research centres produce long-running data sets on Costa Rican society and environment.该校在生态学、社会学与教育学方面实力最强，其研究中心在这些领域积累了关于哥斯达黎加社会与环境的长期数据。
• OVSICORI, the volcanological and seismological observatory, maintains a national network of sensors and advises the emergency commission on eruptions and earthquakes.火山与地震观测站 OVSICORI 维护全国传感器网络，并就火山喷发与地震向应急委员会提供建议。
• The International Centre for Economic Policy for Sustainable Development, CINPE, researches trade, taxation and environmental economics and advises public institutions.可持续发展经济政策国际中心（CINPE）研究贸易、税收与环境经济，并为公共机构提供咨询。
• The Institute of Social Studies in Population, IDESPO, surveys households and migration and supplies data used by national and municipal governments.人口社会研究所（IDESPO）开展家庭与移民调查，其数据被国家与市政府使用。
• The Institute for Forestry Research and Services, INISEFOR, works on reforestation, forest management and wood technology in Costa Rica's tropical forests.林业研究与服务中心（INISEFOR）从事哥斯达黎加热带森林的再造林、森林经营与木材技术研究。
• The National Centre for Animal Nutrition, CINAT, studies livestock feed, dairy production and the environmental impact of cattle farming.国家动物营养中心（CINAT）研究牲畜饲料、奶业生产以及养牛业对环境的影响。
• The International Institute for Wildlife Conservation and Management, ICOMVIS, trains biologists and manages research on protected areas and species recovery.国际野生动物保护与管理研究所（ICOMVIS）培养生物学家，并开展保护区与物种恢复研究。
• The marine biology station at Golfito, named after Juan Bertoglia Richards, gives students and researchers access to the Pacific coast and its coral and rocky reefs.位于戈尔菲托的海洋生物站以胡安·贝尔托利亚·理查兹命名，为师生提供研究太平洋海岸珊瑚礁与岩礁的基地。
• Admission is selective: applicants sit a 50-question aptitude test in verbal and mathematical reasoning, supplemented by a psychosocial assessment and school records.该校招生具有选拔性：申请者须参加 50 道题的语言与数学推理能力测试，并接受心理社会评估与中学成绩审核。
• Some degrees also require a specific aptitude test, which applicants may take only after passing the general admission examination.部分专业还要求专门能力测试，申请者须先通过通用入学考试方可参加。
• The Nursing School and the Social Work School train health and welfare professionals for Costa Rica's public hospitals, clinics and municipal services.护理学校与社会工作学校为哥斯达黎加的公立医院、诊所与市政服务培养健康与社会福利专业人才。
• The Language School and the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters teach languages, literature and linguistics, and they supply the country's secondary-school language teachers.语言学校与哲学文学学院教授语言、文学与语言学，为该国中学培养语言教师。
• The Agrarian School, based in the Faculty of Earth and Sea Sciences, teaches sustainable agriculture, agroecology and rural development.农业学校设在地球与海洋科学学院之下，教授可持续农业、农业生态与乡村发展。
• The Faculty of Earth and Sea Sciences teaches biology, geography, environmental science and marine biology, and it manages the Golfito marine station.地球与海洋科学学院开设生物学、地理学、环境科学与海洋生物学，并管理戈尔菲托海洋生物站。
• The Faculty of Health Sciences teaches nursing, nutrition and human movement sciences, and its graduates work in the public hospital network and in community health programmes.健康科学学院开设护理、营养与人体运动科学专业，毕业生进入公立医院网络与社区健康项目工作。
• The Centre for General Studies teaches the humanities, science and civic courses that every undergraduate takes before specialising.通识教育中心开设人文、科学与公民课程，全体本科生在进入专业学习前均须修读。
• Recent postgraduate additions include master's degrees in remote sensing systems and in bioethics, reflecting the university's response to environmental and health policy demands.近年新增的研究生项目包括遥感系统与生命伦理硕士，反映出该校对环境与健康政策需求的回应。
• UNA's 19,590 students include 850 postgraduates, and the university's five vice-rectorates coordinate teaching, research and extension across the faculties and regional campuses.该校 19,590 名学生中有 850 名研究生，五个副校长辖区在学院与地区校区之间协调教学、科研与社会推广。

Campus

• Campus Omar Dengo is the central seat, spread across the cantons of Heredia, San Rafael and San Pablo, and it houses most faculties, the rectorate and the central services.奥马尔·登戈校区是主校区，横跨埃雷迪亚、圣拉斐尔与圣巴勃罗三个县，设有多数学院、校长办公室与中央服务设施。
• Campus Benjamín Núñez is named after the founder and first rector, Benjamín Núñez Vargas, and it houses additional faculties and administrative offices.本哈明·努涅斯校区以创办人兼首任校长本哈明·努涅斯·巴尔加斯命名，设有其他学院与行政办公室。
• The Interuniversitaria campus in Alajuela is shared with other public universities and serves students from the western part of the Central Valley.阿拉胡埃拉的大学间校区与其他公立大学共用，服务中央山谷西部的学生。
• The Chorotega regional campus has sites in Liberia and Nicoya, serving Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula.乔罗特加地区校区在利韦里亚与尼科亚设有教学点，服务瓜纳卡斯特省与尼科亚半岛。
• The Brunca regional campus operates in Pérez Zeledón and Coto, the latter about five kilometres from the Panamanian border.布伦卡地区校区在佩雷斯塞莱东与科托办学，后者距巴拿马边境约五公里。
• The Huetar Norte and Caribbean campus is based in Sarapiquí, in the humid lowlands that connect the Central Valley to the Caribbean coast.北乌埃塔尔与加勒比校区位于萨拉皮基，地处连接中央山谷与加勒比海岸的湿热低地。
• The 2010 Registro-Financiero building and the Megalaboratorio Estudiantil added modern laboratories and student services to the Omar Dengo campus.2010 年的注册财务大楼与学生大型实验室为奥马尔·登戈校区增添了现代化实验室与学生服务设施。
• Heredia sits in the coffee-growing highlands north of San José, and the campus is linked to the capital by bus and rail lines.埃雷迪亚位于圣何塞以北的咖啡种植高地，校区经公交与铁路与首都相连。
• The Golfito marine station and the Casa Golfito give the university a presence on the southern Pacific coast, far from the Heredia campuses.戈尔菲托海洋生物站与戈尔菲托之家使该校在南部太平洋海岸拥有据点，远离埃雷迪亚各校区。
• The Museo de Cultura Popular, attached to the university in Heredia, preserves Costa Rican crafts, oral history and traditional festivals.附属于该校的流行文化博物馆位于埃雷迪亚，保存哥斯达黎加的手工艺、口述历史与传统节庆。

Reputation

• In the QS World University Rankings 2027 UNA is placed in the 1201-1400 band.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，该校被列入 1201-1400 区间。
• QS also ranks UNA around 96th in Latin America and the Caribbean, and around 17th in the Central American sub-region.QS 还把该校排在拉丁美洲与加勒比地区第 96 名左右，在中美洲次区域约列第 17 位。
• Times Higher Education lists UNA at 2001 and beyond in its 2027 world ranking.泰晤士高等教育 2027 年世界大学排名把该校列在第 2001 位及以后。
• UNA did not enter the 2026-2027 U.S. News global universities table, and it is absent from the 2026 ShanghaiRanking main list.该校未进入 2026-2027 年度《美国新闻与世界报道》全球大学榜单，也不在 2026 年软科世界大学学术排名主榜之列。
• OpenAlex records 9,786 works and 190,983 citations for UNA, a research profile concentrated in ecology, education, social science and earth science.OpenAlex 记录该校有 9,786 项成果与 190,983 次引用，研究集中于生态学、教育学、社会科学与地球科学。
• As one of the five public universities coordinated by CONARE, UNA shares national planning and funding with the University of Costa Rica, the Technological Institute and two other institutions.作为由 CONARE 协调的五所公立大学之一，该校与哥斯达黎加大学、技术学院及另外两所院校共同参与全国规划与经费分配。
• Its self-description as the Universidad Necesaria reflects a mission to serve less privileged communities, and its regional campuses are judged by that standard.该校以“必要的大学”自居，体现服务弱势群体的使命，其地区校区也以这一标准接受评价。
• The university's research centres, especially OVSICORI and CINPE, are cited in national policy on volcanoes, earthquakes, trade and environmental taxation.该校的研究中心，尤其是 OVSICORI 与 CINPE，在火山、地震、贸易与环境税等国家政策中被广泛引用。
• UNA is affiliated with CONARE, the national rectors' council, and with UDUAL, the Union of Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean.该校加入全国大学校长委员会 CONARE，并属于拉丁美洲与加勒比大学联盟 UDUAL。

Student life

• UNA's 19,590 students are divided between the Heredia campuses and the regional sedes, with 18,478 undergraduates and 850 postgraduates in 2026.该校 19,590 名学生分布在埃雷迪亚各校区与地区校区，2026 年有本科生 18,478 人与研究生 850 人。
• The admission test of 50 verbal and mathematical questions is a shared experience for most applicants, and preparation courses are offered by public schools.由 50 道语言与数学题组成的入学考试是多数申请者的共同经历，公立中学也会提供备考课程。
• The university's sports association, A.D. Universidad Nacional, founded in 1973, competes in national university games and organises teams for students on several campuses.该校体育协会“国立大学体育会”成立于 1973 年，参加全国大学运动会，并在多个校区组织学生队伍。
• The mapache, or raccoon, is the university's mascot, and it appears at sports events and on student merchandise.浣熊（mapache）是该校吉祥物，出现在体育赛事与学生纪念品上。
• The Vice-Rectorate for Student Life runs health, counselling, housing and food programmes, and it coordinates student representation across the faculties.学生生活副校长辖区负责健康、心理咨询、住宿与餐饮项目，并协调各学院的学生代表事务。
• The Colegio Humanístico gives pre-university students access to university laboratories and field trips, and many of its graduates continue at UNA.人文中学让大学预科学生使用大学实验室并参加野外考察，其许多毕业生继续在该校就读。
• CIDEA's music, theatre and visual arts groups perform on campus and in Heredia, and the university press publishes student and faculty work.CIDEA 的音乐、戏剧与视觉艺术团体在校园及埃雷迪亚演出，大学出版社则出版师生作品。
• Students from the Chorotega and Brunca campuses often study away from home, and the regional sites provide libraries, laboratories and local support services.乔罗特加与布伦卡校区的学生常常离家求学，地区教学点为此提供图书馆、实验室与本地支持服务。
• UNA students compete in UInnova, a national innovation contest for public universities held in 2025, and in other inter-university research competitions.该校学生参加 2025 年面向公立大学举办的全国创新竞赛 UInnova，以及其他校际科研竞赛。
• The academic year begins in February and ends in November, with a mid-year break in July that coincides with the start of the rainy season.该校学年于二月开始、十一月结束，七月中有一次期中假期，恰逢雨季开始。

Notable people

• Benjamín Núñez Vargas, a priest and educator, founded UNA and served as its first rector from 1973 to 1977.本哈明·努涅斯·巴尔加斯是神父与教育家，创办了该校并于 1973 年至 1977 年任首任校长。
• Jorge Herrera Murillo became rector for the 2025-2030 period after a career in research and university administration.豪尔赫·埃雷拉·穆里略在从事科研与大学管理多年后，出任 2025-2030 年任期的校长。
• Óscar Arias Sánchez, Nobel Peace Prize laureate of 1987, sat on the ad hoc commission that prepared the university while serving as planning minister.1987 年诺贝尔和平奖得主奥斯卡·阿里亚斯·桑切斯在担任计划部长期间，参加了筹建该校的特设委员会。
• Uladislao Gámez Solano, Minister of Public Education under José Figueres Ferrer, was the political driving force behind the 1973 founding law.乌拉迪斯劳·加梅斯·索拉诺在何塞·菲格雷斯·费雷尔政府中任公共教育部长，是 1973 年建校法的政治推动者。
• José Figueres Ferrer, president of Costa Rica in 1970-1974, approved the creation of UNA in the final year of his third term.何塞·菲格雷斯·费雷尔是 1970 至 1974 年的哥斯达黎加总统，在其第三个任期的最后一年批准创建该校。
• Francisco Morales Hernández, a member of the organising commission, helped design the university's initial academic structure.弗朗西斯科·莫拉莱斯·埃尔南德斯是组织委员会成员，参与了该校最初学术架构的设计。
• Alejandra Gamboa Jiménez, deputy rector in the 2025-2030 administration, is an academic administrator who has worked on teaching and student affairs.亚历杭德拉·甘博亚·希门尼斯是 2025-2030 年任期的副校长，长期从事教学与学生事务的学术管理。
• Jeannette Valverde Chaves, vice-rector of teaching in the 2025-2030 administration, oversees curriculum, faculty development and academic quality.珍妮特·巴尔韦德·查韦斯是 2025-2030 年任期的教学副校长，负责课程、教师发展与学术质量。