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Costa Rica, San Jose
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The Residential Life Program provides Community Wellbeing Activities that create a preventive culture space in the residential area for students' comprehensive well-being. Life at UWC Costa Rica is Safe, Exciting, and Diverse. The program uses an experiential learning approach to empower students as agents of change. Eight Day Residence Coordinators and two Night Coordinators support daily life, along with seven other residential staff. The team includes licensed psychologists, nurses, paramedics, physical trainers, educators, and a doctor to support students' physical and mental well-being. Wellness activities, such as outings, camps, excursions, movie nights, dinners, meditations, and exercise, are regularly organized to support students' academic and social journeys.
The school offers a bilingual program in English and Spanish. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme allows a two-year school-supported self-taught course in a student's first language if it is not English or Spanish.
The Residential Life Program includes licensed psychologists, nurses, paramedics, physical trainers, educators, and a doctor to support students' physical and mental well-being. The staff focuses on ensuring students lead healthy, balanced lifestyles. Wellness activities accompany daily life, including outings, camps, excursions, movie nights, and meditation. The team collaborates with health professionals to monitor and promote student well-being.
UWC Costa Rica safeguards all students from harm and promotes student welfare. Safeguarding covers protection from physical, emotional, neglectful, and sexual abuse, and supports well-being in both physical and digital environments. A Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy exists in English and Spanish. The UWC International Common Standards for Safeguarding are in place. A Student Procedure for Reporting Safeguarding Cases provides students with a clear path to report incidents with respect, compassion, and discretion.
United World College Costa Rica is a two-year residential IB Diploma Programme school for students aged 13 to 18. It delivers the full IB DP in Spanish with a bilingual diploma option (Spanish and English) and emphasizes experiential learning through Experiential Days across Costa Rica. The campus moves from Santa Ana to San Isidro, Heredia, on 40 hectares of nature reserve to support nature-based inquiry. The college operates as a foundation with an Executive Board and a Board of Trustees, and a Board of Directors was established in 2013. The IB DP core includes Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity, and Service across six subject groups. Co-curricular initiatives such as Agents of Change, Thematic Weeks, and CAS Experiences extend learning beyond the classroom. Eight residences host students with wellness support and vegetarian and vegan dining. One-on-one university counseling helps students pursue global destinations, with Davis Foundation scholarships for UWC Costa Rica students at over 100 U.S. universities. Arts opportunities include Music Ensemble, Art, Film Production, and CAS activities.
