Arriving to Costa Rica

Assuming you have already read all the past pages and uploaded all the needed documents to Blackbaud, you are in! This is your resources page for what you will need in your first weeks at UWC Costa Rica.

Airport Shuttles & Information

The College provides transportation services during officially assigned dates for student arrivals and departures. Students traveling outside these dates are responsible for arranging transportation to and from the airport. This can be done via taxi, Uber, or one of many shuttle businesses that have reserved online in advance. The students must submit permission to leave campus, reserve their spots, and allocate pick-up and departure times accordingly.

Here's a condensed information sheet of our College. Take a screenshot or write down the information, as you may need it in the Airport or while traveling to our campus:

Colegio UWC Costa Rica | +506 2282-5609 | info@uwccostarica.org
400 metros norte de la Iglesia de Santas Ana Centro. 10901. Santa Ana, San José, Costa Rica.
400 meters north of the Santa Ana Catholic Church. 10901. Santa Ana, San José, Costa Rica.

Emergency contact: +506 7016-4635, WhatsApp Link
Emergency email: arrivals@uwccostarica.org

Student Handbook & Resources

Our mission to cultivate in young people the passion and ability to serve humanity and our planet, learning from nature and from each other for a lifetime, is at the core of our education. Approximately 300 people—students and staff—representing 70+ countries, living and working together, share the same space. Please refer to the UWC Costa Rica Student & Family Handbook to familiarize yourself with college procedures, regulations, our Code of Conduct, and the disciplinary consequences of breaking it.

*Note: The College reserves the right to adjust these rules and regulations whenever necessary.

Attendance

Students must be on campus, attend all classes, and regularly schedule activities. Attendance to academic, residential, and co-curricular activities is fundamental and expected for success and community integration. Students may ask for permission to leave the College on weekdays, only if they do not have classes, between 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., in groups of 3 people, between Sunday and Thursdays, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on weekends (Friday and Saturday) from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. If students do not uphold these guidelines, they will embark on disciplinary processes that can lead to losing certain privileges, probationary status, campus restriction, and even complete removal from the College.

Vacation days are planned and included in the school calendar. Students and families should not expect to be granted additional leave days unless there is an emergency (such as the death or significant illness of an immediate family member). Requests for additional leave are discouraged.

Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct is meant to encourage honesty and integrity and foster an atmosphere of mutual care. Respect for oneself and others is essential for peaceful coexistence, and every UWC Costa Rica member is responsible for upholding the UWC values of empathy, reciprocity, and accountability.

Each student is responsible for reviewing the Code of Conduct at the beginning of each academic year. Further details on expectations for campus living and residential life will be explained during orientation.

UWC Costa Rica is a completely alcohol and smoke-free campus, and the use of illegal drugs is prohibited on or off campus. Students who currently have a dependency on tobacco products should consider carefully their decision to come to our College because smoking is not tolerated on campus. Additionally, smoking inside workplaces and public places is illegal in Costa Rica.

The College reserves the right to administer breathalyzers and/or urine tests at any time or any other inspection procedure that may apply. You are expected to agree to live within these guidelines. Disregarding them can result in expulsion.

We invite you to revise the Student & Family Handbook and Code of Conduct.

Our mission: To cultivate in young people the passion and ability to serve humanity and our planet—learning from nature and from each other for a lifetime.

San José, Costa Rica. 10901.
+506 2282 5609 | info@uwccostarica.org