ABOUT COSTA RICA  Situated between the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean in Central America, Costa Rica is a country of approximately 4 million people. Costa Rica enjoys a stable economy and democratic government. Costa Ricans value education and are one of the most literate populations in Latin America. The development and expansion of Costa Rica’s higher education system over the last several decades has produced four state-funded universities and a multitude of private universities. Competition for access to state-funded, more prestigious public universities, combined with the high cost of private universities, has excluded many students from accessing higher education, especially those from low-income or rural backgrounds.

The Pathways to Higher Education programs at participating institutions aspire to build the quality and equity of Costa Rica’s education system so that all students can benefit from their services. To counter trends that exclude students from poor and marginalized populations, the Pathways program is encouraging such students to seek higher education in the following manner. It is making efforts to increase the access of underprivileged high school graduates to agricultural colleges; through “access” programs these graduates are assisted in enrolling successfully in the prestigious Agricultural University of the Humid tropical Regions (EARTH). It is also taking actions to ensure their throughput attendance and graduation in this institution through tutorial programs that accompany them during their studies, especially in the initial stages when they are gaining familiarity and confidence in their abilities.