New Campus
San Isidro, Heredia | 2027
UWC Costa Rica's New Campus
San Isidro, Heredia
UWC Costa Rica is Getting Ready to Move to a New Campus
Since its opening in 2006, more than 1,800 alums and current students have experienced the UWC Costa Rica experiential learning model in Santa Ana downtown, a campus once home of the SOS International School and adapted for the UWC lifestyle. As the college has evolved over the years, the ambition and possibilities of expanding impact and accessibility grew. Thanks to the generosity of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, UWC Costa Rica was able to acquire a 50 hectare property and begin building a new space aligned with a rewed mission, principles, and values.
UWC Costa Rica’s new campus in San Isidro de Heredia enables the college to expand its mission to a broader audience, increase its capacity and scholarship opportunities, and provide a unique space immersed in nature that cultivates a new generation of agents of change.
UWC Costa Rica is Ready to Open its New Campus for the 2027-2028 Academic Year!
Since its opening in 2006, more than 1,800 alums and current students have experienced the UWC Costa Rica experiential learning model in San José, a campus inherited from SOS Villages and adapted for the UWC lifestyle. Thanks to the generosity of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, and many generous donors in the We Are United Campaign, in August 2027, UWC Costa Rica will inaugurate its new campus in San Isidro de Heredia, expanding its mission to a broader audience, increasing its capacity and scholarship opportunities, and providing a unique, nature-immersed space that cultivates a new generation of agents of change.
A Place to Grow in Community
San Isidro de Heredia provides a secure environment for experiential learning. It holds the number one (1) place in national citizen security metrics, offering a safe and peaceful setting for students to develop.
With different weather conditions and a completely new landscape, the New Campus property and facilities will provide new learning opportunities for students and community members via the Sustainability & Innovation Center.
Main Building
Located at the heart of the New Campus, the Main Building integrates multiple spaces intentionally designed to serve as collaborative and gathering points for the UWC Costa Rica community. Its architecture includes an internal amphitheater, the library, and the cafeteria, along with staff offices, co-working areas, and a maker space.
Main Building
Cafeteria
Located in the Main Building, the Cafeteria is envisioned as a spacious space designed to host our community and guests for daily meals and snacks. The buffet area features an optimized configuration to ensure a smooth flow for all students and staff. Complementing the indoor dining hall, the cafeteria opens onto a beautiful balcony, offering an outdoor dining option with views of the Central Valley.
Main Building
Library
Located within the Main Building, the library features an open-concept layout with expanded storage and display of books and learning materials, alongside spaces for both group and individual study.
Learning Spaces
Located right next to the Main Building and the lake, this academic building features 19 classrooms, 5 laboratories, 2 music rooms, and 2 art rooms. All learning spaces are designed to be versatile, offering multiple configurations to adapt to the specific needs of each subject, teacher, and student group.
Sports Center
Designed as a versatile space, the Sports Center serves as both an athletic hub and a community meeting point. The multipurpose court is fully equipped for basketball, volleyball, football, and handball. Adjacent to the court, the studio spaces include one dedicated functional training area and two versatile studios for dance, yoga, and similar activities. The building also features 5 gender-inclusive restrooms for staff and adults, 22 gender-inclusive restrooms for students, and 12 showers and changing rooms.
Clinic
Strategically located for easy access from the campus’s main buildings, the health center features one assessment room, treatment areas, and a dedicated ambulance bay to respond to all healthcare needs and potential emergencies.
Student Residences
Each student residence is intentionally designed to offer enhanced privacy and dedicated individual study spaces while maintaining a layout that cultivates healthy community living and meaningful connection. Each residence features:
- 8 suites with 2 Double Bedrooms and a Shared Bathroom
- 1 Individual Room with 1 Bathroom
- 1 Common Bathroom
- 1 Residence Coordinator Apartment with 3 Bedrooms
- 1 Common Area (Kitchen/Dining Room)
- 1 Study/Community Space
Sketch images represent what the spaces may look like. The design elements and finishes shown are not final and may change.
A Sustainable Construction as a Living Laboratory
Designed around the institutional Sustainability Framework and recently updated mission, principles, and values, the new campus serves as a reference model for eco-conscious construction (pursuing LEED & EDGE certifications). Developed alongside local and international partners, the facility further aligns with Costa Rica’s National Decarbonization Plan 2018–2050 by allocating 80% of its total property area (39 hectares) to ecosystem conservation and field education.
Pioneers in Sustainable Design & Construction
UWC Costa Rica’s New Campus is a blueprint for sustainable construction in the region, being the first project to utilize certified structural wood as a key foundational material.
It also pursues LEED & EDGE sustainability certifications to support responsible resource use and operational design.
Partners with EARTH University
UWC Costa Rica and EARTH University have signed a comprehensive framework agreement to strengthen academic collaboration, environmental research, and sustainable development, enabled by the New Campus.
Using non-recyclable plastics with RESIN8
The main roads across the New Campus are made of RESIN8 cobblestones, an innovative construction solution that reuses non-recyclable plastics, reducing our carbon footprint!
Sustainable Construction Practices
The construction of our New Campus is pursuing the local sustainability recognition “Bandera Azul Ecológica” and has created over 300 jobs since the start of the project, many of them for local residents.
Sketch images represent what the spaces may look like. The design elements and finishes shown are not final and may change.
Accessible Education: A Space for Everyone to Learn
As described once by an alum in 2019, being surrounded by nature at our new campus is a place “where we people come together to heal.” This description alludes to the proximity to nature as a proven approach, showing that our well-being also depends on reciprocity with the natural world.
Sustainability & Innovation Center
Conceived as a hub for education and global impact, the Sustainability and Innovation Center is designed to welcome alums from the UWC Network, educational institutions, and strategic partners to discover UWC Costa Rica’s experiential learning model. Its architecture features a multi-purpose auditorium, cafeteria, and co-working spaces, creating a collaborative environment that promotes active learning, networking, and new opportunities for all guests.
More Student & Scholarship Capacity
During phase one, the new campus will have a capacity of 224 students (a 12% increase). During phase two of construction, UWC Costa Rica will be able to host up to 288 students, representing a 38% growth in the student body. With this expansion, the College hopes to scale the Scholarship Fund and financial aid programs by 40%, widening access for youth worldwide regardless of socioeconomic background.
UWC Alum Global Impact Academy
An initiative designed for alums to collaborate and scale social impact projects. The academy offers mentorship, microcredentials, and strategic connections, giving the Global UWC Alum community a learning space after their two years at any UWC High School or College.
Sketch images represent what the spaces may look like. The design elements and finishes shown are not final and may change.
Stay updated!
The Construction of the New Campus Buildings is On Track!
Building the Future of Education: Construction Begins on Our New Campus!
Laying the Groundwork for Our New Home
Fueled by the We Are United campaign and with the Sustainability Framework deeply embedded within, UWC Costa Rica’s New Campus in San Isidro de Heredia allows the college to expand its mission, increase its capacity and scholarship opportunities and provide a unique space immersed in nature to foster a new generation of agents of change.
Equity & Access
Making UWC’s innovative educational model more accessible to all.
- Gradually increase our on-campus student population by 38%, starting with a capacity of 224 students and eventually growing to a total of 288 students.
- Grow our full scholarship programs by 40% to support more students.
- Ensure that 15% of our students come from Costa Rica.
- Each year, bring together more than 2,000 educators and young people to collaborate through innovative educational experiences.
Connection with Local and Global Communities
Creating open spaces to educate and strengthen inclusive, healthy, and sustainable communities.
- 6 km of in-forest trails to enhance experiential learning in nature.
- An indoor multipurpose covered court to be used by UWC students and other educational institutions.
- A public plaza and an amphitheater to enhance social, cultural, and economic activities with the local community.
- A Sustainability & Innovation Center to host initiatives that promote partnerships, connections, and collaboration among local and global educational communities.
One-of-a-Kind Model of a Sustainable Campus
To confront the climate crisis through sustainable construction.
- Use of timber (wood) as one of the primary construction elements.
- Water efficiency.
- Use of solar energy to generate clean, renewable power.
Regeneration and Conservation
Advancing the country’s groundbreaking decarbonization plan by 2050.
- Committing 80% of the new campus area (39 hectares) to conservation and educational purposes.
- Offsetting approximately 20,000 tons of CO₂ per year.