University of Costa Rica

The University of Costa Rica is a public university in San José, Costa Rica, the oldest and largest institution of higher learning in the country, whose main campus, the Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, lies in San Pedro de Montes de Oca.哥斯达黎加大学是位于哥斯达黎加圣何塞的一所公立大学，是该国历史最悠久、规模最大的高等教育机构，其主校区罗德里戈·法西奥大学城位于圣佩德罗·德蒙特斯德奥卡。

It traces its origins to the University of Saint Thomas, established in 1843, and was re-established in its modern form on 26 August 1940 under President Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, remaining the country's only university until 1972.其前身可追溯至 1843 年创办的圣托马斯大学，现代意义的哥斯达黎加大学于 1940 年 8 月 26 日在总统拉斐尔·安赫尔·卡尔德隆·瓜迪亚任内重新建立，并在此后长期是该国唯一的大学，直至 1972 年。

It is placed 463rd in the 2027 QS World University Rankings, in the 1801-2000 band of the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 1002nd in the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities and in the 901-1000 band of the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities, with OpenAlex recording 43,030 works and 786,105 citations.该校在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中位列第 463，在 2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名中处于 1801 至 2000 区间，在 2026 至 2027 年度 U.S. News 全球最佳大学排名中位列第 1002，在 2026 年世界大学学术排名中处于 901 至 1000 区间；OpenAlex 统计其成果 43,030 项、累计被引 786,105 次。

History

• The first centre of higher learning in Costa Rica was the Casa de Enseñanza de Santo Tomás, founded in 1814 in San José as a house of studies under the patronage of Saint Thomas Aquinas.哥斯达黎加最早的高等教育机构是 1814 年在圣何塞创办的圣托马斯学院，以圣托马斯·阿奎那为庇护。

• In 1843 that house of studies was elevated into the University of Saint Thomas, the first university in the country, whose school of jurisprudence opened on 3 May of that year.1843 年，该学院升格为圣托马斯大学，成为该国第一所大学，其法学部于同年 5 月 3 日开课。

• Closely tied to the Roman Catholic Church, the University of Saint Thomas operated for about 45 years before being closed in 1888 by the progressive and anti-clerical government of President Bernardo Soto Alfaro.圣托马斯大学与罗马天主教会关系密切，运作约 45 年后，于 1888 年被总统贝尔纳多·索托·阿尔法罗领导的进步派反教权政府停办。

• After that closure the schools of law, agronomy, fine arts and pharmacy continued to operate independently, keeping higher education alive for more than half a century.该校停办后，法学、农学、美术与药学四校继续独立运作，使高等教育在半个多世纪中得以延续。

• On 26 August 1940 Law No. 362 re-united those four schools to establish the modern University of Costa Rica during the reformist administration of President Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia.1940 年 8 月 26 日，第 362 号法律将这四所学校重新合并，在总统拉斐尔·安赫尔·卡尔德隆·瓜迪亚的改革政府任内建立了现代哥斯达黎加大学。

• The new university opened its doors on 7 March 1941 with 719 students, and its first faculties included engineering and philosophy and letters.这所新大学于 1941 年 3 月 7 日开学，首批学生 719 人，最初设有工学院与哲学与文学学院。

• In 1949, after the Costa Rican civil war, the National Constituent Assembly redefined the nature and powers of the university, giving a legal framework to the principles of university autonomy and academic freedom.1949 年哥斯达黎加内战之后，全国制宪会议重新界定该校的性质与权力，为大学自治与学术自由原则提供了法律框架。

• The economist and diplomat Rodrigo Facio Brenes became rector on 27 September 1952 at the age of 32 and was re-elected twice, serving until 15 January 1961.经济学家与外交家罗德里戈·法西奥·布雷内斯于 1952 年 9 月 27 日以 32 岁之龄出任校长，两度连任，至 1961 年 1 月 15 日卸任。

• Facio's rectorate reshaped the university as a secular and humanist institution, and the main campus later took his name as the Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio.法西奥的校长任期将该校塑造为一所世俗的人文主义学府，主校区后以他命名为罗德里戈·法西奥大学城。

• In 1970 the university founded the Clodomiro Picado Institute, which became a leading centre for research into snake venoms, antivenoms and tropical toxicology.1970 年，该校成立克洛多米罗·皮卡多研究所，该所后来成为蛇毒、抗蛇毒血清与热带毒理学研究的领先中心。

• The University of Costa Rica remained the country's only university until the Costa Rica Institute of Technology and the National University of Costa Rica were opened in 1972 and 1973 respectively.哥斯达黎加大学一直保持该国唯一大学的地位，直到 1972 年哥斯达黎加理工学院与 1973 年国立哥斯达黎加大学相继成立。

• In 1979 the government opened the Distance State University, modelled on the British Open University, and the National Technical University followed in 2008 after the merger of several trade schools.1979 年，政府仿照英国开放大学开设国立远程大学；2008 年，数所技工学校合并组建国立技术大学。

• Today Costa Rica has five public universities and about fifty-three small private ones, yet the University of Costa Rica remains the largest and best-funded of them all.如今哥斯达黎加有五所公立大学与约 53 所小型私立院校，而哥斯达黎加大学仍是其中规模最大、经费最充裕的一所。

• Under the 1949 constitution the Costa Rican Congress must seek the university's opinion on certain proposed laws, giving it a formal advisory role in national legislation.依据 1949 年宪法，哥斯达黎加国会就某些法案必须征求该校意见，使其在国家立法中具有正式的咨询职能。

• The university grew in close partnership with the Costa Rican state, training the professional staff of institutions such as the Costa Rican Electricity Institute, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund and the State Bank.该校与哥斯达黎加国家机构紧密合作，为哥斯达黎加电力学院、哥斯达黎加社会保障基金与国家银行等机构培养专业人才。

• The university is a founding member of the National Council of Rectors, the watchdog body that oversees higher education quality and the recognition of foreign university degrees in Costa Rica.该校是全国校长理事会创始成员，该机构负责监督哥斯达黎加的高等教育质量与外国大学学位的认可。

• In 2018 the university recorded 391 scientific articles indexed in Scopus and spent about 23.7 billion colones on research.2018 年，该校有 391 篇科学论文被 Scopus 收录，投入科研经费约 237 亿科朗。

• For the 2026 fiscal year the university approved a budget of 373,595 million colones, with an emphasis on increasing socio-economic scholarships.2026 财年，该校批准预算 3735.95 亿科朗，重点用于增加助学金。

• The Rodrigo Facio campus hosts the Costa Rican headquarters of the Organization for Tropical Studies, a consortium of universities that has been based at the university since the 1960s.罗德里戈·法西奥校区设有热带研究组织的哥斯达黎加总部，该大学联盟自 1960 年代起即以该校为驻地。

• The main campus in San Pedro offers the widest range of courses of any campus and hosts both the medical school and the university's graduate programmes.位于圣佩德罗的主校区提供的课程门类在各校区中最广，并设有医学院与该校的研究生教育。

• Its graduates include a Nobel Peace laureate and several presidents of Costa Rica, and the university is one of the most frequently cited institutions in Costa Rican public debate.该校毕业生中包括一位诺贝尔和平奖得主与多位哥斯达黎加总统，也是哥斯达黎加公共讨论中被引用最多的机构之一。

Academics

• The university is divided into six major academic areas, namely agricultural sciences, arts and letters, basic sciences, engineering, health and social sciences, each containing colleges, schools and departments.该校下设六个学科学部，即农业科学、艺术与人文、基础科学、工程、健康与社会科学，各部分下设学院、系与研究所。

• It manages 42 research institutes and centres, among them the Clodomiro Picado Institute and the research centres for sea sciences, nuclear and molecular sciences and molecular and cellular biology.该校管理 42 个研究所与研究中心，其中包括克洛多米罗·皮卡多研究所，以及海洋科学、核与分子科学、分子与细胞生物学等研究中心。

• Research units also cover agronomy, food science, materials science, geophysics, space research, mathematics, sustainable development, communication and neuroscience.其研究单位还涵盖农学、食品科学、材料科学、地球物理、空间研究、数学、可持续发展、传播学与神经科学。

• Its faculties and schools include agrifood sciences, basic sciences, economic sciences, social sciences, education, engineering, letters, law, pharmacy, microbiology, medicine and dentistry.该校的学院包括农业食品科学、基础科学、经济科学、社会科学、教育、工程、文学、法学、药学、微生物学、医学与牙医学等。

• It operates the National Laboratory of Materials and Structural Models, which tests bridges, roads and buildings on behalf of the Costa Rican state.该校运营国家材料与结构模型实验室，代表哥斯达黎加国家机构检测桥梁、道路与建筑。

• Applicants must sit an admission test similar to the American SAT, scored out of 800, with a minimum of 442 required for admission.申请者须参加一项类似美国 SAT 的入学考试，满分为 800 分，最低录取分数线为 442 分。

• Undergraduate admission is highly selective, with an acceptance rate of roughly 25 per cent.该校本科录取竞争激烈，录取率约为 25%。

• In 2009, of the 31,042 candidates who completed the admission test, only 16,593 scored above the 442 points required for admission.2009 年，完成入学考试的 31,042 名考生中，仅 16,593 人达到 442 分的录取线。

• Admission to the university does not guarantee entry to a chosen major, since in some years only about 60 per cent of admitted students received a place in their first-choice programme.获得大学录取并不等于进入所选专业，某些年份仅有约 60% 的录取者如愿进入首选专业。

• The university employs about 3,000 academic staff, and roughly 45,000 students are enrolled across its faculties each year.该校有学术人员约 3,000 人，各学院每年注册学生约 45,000 人。

• It offers some 105 degree programmes, ranging from bachelor's to doctoral level, spread across its six academic areas.该校开设约 105 个学位项目，覆盖从学士到博士各层次，分布于六个学科学部。

• The Graduate Studies System awards master's and doctoral degrees across a wide range of fields and offers a national programme shared with the other public universities.其研究生教育系统在广泛领域授予硕士与博士学位，并与其它公立大学共享一项全国性研究生项目。

• Undergraduates are required to complete a general studies component and, to graduate, a supervised community service project organised by the university.本科生须完成通识教育课程，并且为毕业须完成由学校组织的社区服务项目。

• The library system holds the country's principal academic collections, and the Rodrigo Facio campus library is the largest of the university's facilities.该校图书馆系统收藏全国主要的学术文献，罗德里戈·法西奥校区图书馆是其规模最大的馆舍。

• International cooperation spans more than 41 countries, with partners including the German Academic Exchange Service, the European Union and the Organization of American States.该校国际合作遍及 40 多个国家，合作伙伴包括德国学术交流中心、欧盟与美洲国家组织。

• It maintains links with United States research institutions such as the University of Kansas, whose agreement with the university is among the oldest standing university partnerships in the Western Hemisphere.该校与美国堪萨斯大学等研究机构保持联系，与堪萨斯大学的协议是西半球历史悠久的高校合作协议之一。

• Fourteen of its scientific journals are ranked in Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports, reflecting the breadth of its research publishing.该校有 14 种科学期刊被收录于科睿唯安期刊引证报告，体现了其研究出版的广度。

• Its researchers work on tropical diseases, biodiversity, materials science, geophysics and social policy, areas tied closely to the country's development needs.其研究人员致力于热带疾病、生物多样性、材料科学、地球物理与社会政策等领域，这些领域与该国的发展需求密切相关。

Campus

• The main campus, the Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, occupies a site in San Pedro de Montes de Oca, a suburb east of central San José.主校区罗德里戈·法西奥大学城位于圣何塞市中心以东的圣佩德罗·德蒙特斯德奥卡。

• The main campus lies in the Central Valley at roughly 1,200 metres above sea level, giving San Pedro a mild climate throughout the year.主校区位于中央谷地，海拔约 1,200 米，使圣佩德罗全年气候温和。

• The university also runs six regional campuses, in San Ramón, Turrialba, Liberia, Puerto Limón, Puntarenas and Golfito, bringing teaching to all regions of the country.该校还设有六处地区校区，分别位于圣拉蒙、图里亚尔瓦、利比里亚、利蒙港、蓬塔雷纳斯与戈尔菲托，将教学延伸至全国各区。

• The Western campus in San Ramón and the Atlantic campus in Turrialba each include local branches, in Tacares and Grecia and in Paraíso and Guápiles respectively.位于圣拉蒙的西部校区与位于图里亚尔瓦的大西洋校区各设分校，分别在塔卡雷斯与格雷西亚、以及帕拉伊索与瓜皮莱斯。

• The Guanacaste campus is based in Liberia with a branch in Santa Cruz, while the Limón and Pacific campuses serve the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.瓜纳卡斯特校区设在利比里亚并在圣克鲁斯设分校，利蒙校区与太平洋校区则分别服务加勒比海与太平洋沿岸。

• An internal free shuttle moves students around the main campus and its satellite areas, including the research campus, sports facilities and a cluster of laboratories separated from the main campus by a river.校内免费班车往返主校区及其附属区域，包括研究园区、体育设施，以及被一条河流隔开的若干实验楼群。

• The campus includes the medical school, the graduate school, the main library, the university dining and sports facilities and the headquarters of the Organization for Tropical Studies.校区内设有医学院、研究生院、主图书馆、大学餐饮与体育设施，以及热带研究组织总部。

• Much of the university's land is given over to green space and to farms and experimental fields used by the agricultural sciences.该校大量土地用于绿地，以及农业科学使用的农场与试验田。

• The regional campuses were created to widen access, so that students outside the central valley need not move to San José to study.设立地区校区是为扩大就学机会，使中央谷地以外的学生不必迁往圣何塞即可求学。

Reputation

• In the 2027 QS World University Rankings the University of Costa Rica is placed 463rd, making it the highest-ranked university in Central America in that edition.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，哥斯达黎加大学位列第 463，是该年度中美洲排名最高的大学。

• In the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings it stands in the 1801-2000 band, and in the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities it is placed 1002nd.在 2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名中，该校处于 1801 至 2000 区间；在 2026 至 2027 年度 U.S. News 全球最佳大学排名中位列第 1002。

• In the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities it stands in the 901-1000 band.在 2026 年世界大学学术排名中，该校处于 901 至 1000 区间。

• According to OpenAlex the university has produced 43,030 research works attracting 786,105 citations.据 OpenAlex 统计，该校已产出 43,030 项研究成果，累计被引 786,105 次。

• In the QS World University Rankings it has been listed as the leading university in Central America and the Caribbean, and among the top twenty in Latin America.在 QS 世界大学排名中，该校长期被列为中美洲与加勒比地区领先的大学，并跻身拉丁美洲前二十。

• In the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities it is regularly placed among the leading universities of Central America and the Caribbean.在世界大学网络计量排名中，该校长期位居中美洲与加勒比地区领先大学之列。

• Its graduates include the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias Sánchez, who served twice as President of Costa Rica.该校毕业生包括 1987 年诺贝尔和平奖得主奥斯卡·阿里亚斯·桑切斯，他曾两度担任哥斯达黎加总统。

• The university exerts strong influence on Costa Rican policy, and its opinions on scientific, ethical and economic matters are widely reported in the national media.该校对哥斯达黎加政策影响深远，其对科学、伦理与经济事务的意见常被全国媒体报道。

• It is the country's principal centre for research, accounting for a large share of Costa Rica's scientific publications and hosting the Clodomiro Picado Institute, a reference centre for antivenom production.该校是该国主要的研究中心，占哥斯达黎加科学论文的很大份额，并设有抗蛇毒血清生产领域的权威机构克洛多米罗·皮卡多研究所。

• The university defines itself as a secular and humanist institution, a positioning that underpins its strong reputation in Costa Rican society.该校自称是一所世俗的人文主义学府，这一定位铸就了其在哥斯达黎加社会中的良好声望。

• It is the most frequently cited governmental institution in Costa Rican media, and Costa Rican law obliges Congress to consult it on certain proposed legislation.该校是哥斯达黎加媒体中引用最多的政府机构，哥斯达黎加法律也要求国会在部分立法上征求其意见。

Student life

• The university has no single formal motto, but the law that founded it in 1940 committed it to making university education accessible to as many citizens as possible.该校并无单一正式校训，但 1940 年创建它的法律使其致力于让尽可能多的公民获得大学教育。

• The academic year runs from March to December and is divided into two semesters, with an additional summer term from early January to late February.学年从 3 月延续至 12 月，分为两个学期，另有从 1 月初到 2 月底的暑期学期。

• Semana U, held during the first semester, is a university-wide week of concerts, talks, exhibitions and other activities organised by student associations.每学年第一学期举行的「大学周」是由各学生组织筹办的全校性活动周，包含音乐会、讲座、展览等。

• Expo UCR, sometimes simply called la Expo, is a biennial event that showcases the university's work and research to the wider public.「大学博览会」这一两年一度的活动向公众展示该校的工作与研究成果。

• To graduate, most students must complete a supervised community service programme, a requirement that reflects the university's humanist ethos.大多数学生须完成一项有指导的社区服务才能毕业，这一要求体现了该校的人文主义精神。

• University life is closely tied to the city of San José, and the main campus in San Pedro is linked to the capital by an extensive public transport network.校园生活与圣何塞市紧密相连，位于圣佩德罗的主校区通过发达的公共交通网络与首都相连。

• Student organisations run concerts, exhibitions and cultural events throughout the year, and the university operates sports facilities for its students and staff.学生组织全年举办音乐会、展览与文化活动，该校也为学生与教职员提供体育设施。

• The university's large intake of international and exchange students, together with its research stations across the country, gives it a distinctly outward-looking campus culture.该校招收大量国际与交换学生，加上遍布全国的研究站点，形成了明显向外开放的校园文化。

Notable people

• Rodrigo Facio Brenes, rector from 1952 to 1961, was the driving force behind the modern humanist university, and its main campus is named after him.罗德里戈·法西奥·布雷内斯于 1952 至 1961 年任校长，是现代人文主义大学的推动者，主校区即以他命名。

• Óscar Arias Sánchez, who studied law and political science at the university, won the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize and served as President of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2010.在该校学习法律与政治学的奥斯卡·阿里亚斯·桑切斯获 1987 年诺贝尔和平奖，并于 1986 至 1990 年、2006 至 2010 年两次出任哥斯达黎加总统。

• Laura Chinchilla Miranda, a graduate of the university, became the first woman to serve as President of Costa Rica, holding office from 2010 to 2014.该校毕业生劳拉·钦奇利亚·米兰达成为哥斯达黎加首位女性总统，任期为 2010 至 2014 年。

• Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera, also a graduate, served as President of Costa Rica from 2014 to 2018, and Carlos Alvarado Quesada, another alumnus, held the presidency from 2018 to 2022.同为该校毕业生的路易斯·吉列尔莫·索利斯·里维拉于 2014 至 2018 年任总统，另一位校友卡洛斯·阿尔瓦拉多·克萨达则于 2018 至 2022 年任总统。

• Helio Fallas Venegas, an economist trained at the university, served as Vice President of Costa Rica from 2014 to 2018.在该校接受经济学训练的海利奥·法哈斯·贝内加斯于 2014 至 2018 年任哥斯达黎加副总统。

• María Luisa Ávila Agüero, a physician and graduate of the university, was Minister of Public Health of Costa Rica from 2006 to 2011.该校毕业生、医生玛丽亚·路易莎·阿维拉·阿圭罗于 2006 至 2011 年任哥斯达黎加公共卫生部长。

• Jeannette Benavides, who earned her doctorate in physical chemistry at the university, worked as a scientist for the United States space agency NASA.在该校获得物理化学博士学位的珍妮特·贝纳维德斯曾在美国国家航空航天局担任科学家。

• Fernando Baudrit Solera, a jurist who served as dean of the university's law school, was one of the leading Costa Rican legal scholars of the twentieth century.曾担任该校法学院院长的法学家费尔南多·鲍德里特·索莱拉是二十世纪哥斯达黎加杰出的法学者之一。

• Montserrat Sagot, a sociologist and emeritus professor of the university, is known for her research on gender-based violence in Central America.该校社会学教授、荣休教授蒙特塞拉特·萨戈特以其中美洲性别暴力研究而闻名。

• Floria Pinto, an artist who taught and studied at the university, is remembered as a major figure in twentieth-century Costa Rican art.在该校学习并任教的艺术家弗洛里亚·平托被视为二十世纪哥斯达黎加艺术的重要人物。