As we stand on the threshold of UWC Costa Rica’s 20th Anniversary, we are invited to look back on a year defined by the extraordinary strength of our global community. UWC Costa Rica is proud to launch the 2025-2026 Impact Report, a yearly celebration of the generosity, dedication, and collaborative spirit that turn our institutional mission into a daily reality.

True peace requires more than goodwill—it demands justice, radical empathy, and the bravery to stay at the table when conversations become difficult. At UWC Costa Rica, education helps shape a moral compass, teaching young people to lead with integrity and discover that true impact is never achieved alone. This year’s report is structured around the very heartbeat of our institution: the transformational two-year journey of a UWC Costa Rica student.

Uniting Potential, Powered by Generosity

Long before our students step onto our Santa Ana campus, a global web of volunteerism and solidarity sets their journey in motion. For the 2025-2026 academic year, our community welcomed 197 students representing 62 nationalities.

Because we believe potential, not financial capacity, should define who joins UWC Costa Rica, more than 80% of our student body relies on scholarships and financial assistance. Supported by our donors, partners, and over 150 volunteer-led National Committees, this philanthropic foundation allows exceptionally diverse youth to leave their home countries—often for the first time—and embark on an experience rooted in peace and sustainability.

Learning by Doing: A Day in the Life on Campus

A typical weekday on campus beautifully blends academic rigor, hands-on experiential learning, and intentional community living.

• Mornings of Academic Excellence: The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) serves as an active, real-world laboratory. This year, our students achieved a 90.8% pass rate, significantly outperforming the worldwide average, with 34 students earning bilingual diplomas.
• Afternoons of Community Action: Guided by our Co-Curricular Program, students translate classroom theory into local activism. Seed funding and philanthropy empowered incredible student-led initiatives this year, from Alejandro’s SuperNova project, which repurposed electronic waste for underserved communities, to Vivienne’s Girls to Lead initiative (GoMakeADifference, UWCx Initiative), which cultivates female empowerment. The COATL program also launched microgrants that empower Central American scholars to design community workshops and biodiversity projects across the region.
• Evenings of Shared Growth: As the sun sets, our intentionally diverse residential community comes alive. Supported by adult Residence Coordinators and student Residence Assistants trained in mental health first aid, our youth learn to navigate cooperative living, unlearn stereotypes, and practice authentic empathy.

Alternate Schedules: Deepening the Impact

Beyond the daily routine, UWC Costa Rica pauses regular academics to immerse students in intensive, hands-on development.

• During Community Action Week (CAW), students and staff traveled across Costa Rica, contributing 6,687 volunteer hours across 12 distinct project sites. Whether engaging in regenerative agriculture with Fundación Corcovado in Osa or painting murals at the neighboring Santa Cecilia School in San Isidro, students co-created sustainable projects alongside local organizations.
• Similarly, the First Years Camp took incoming students to the mountains of Santa Bárbara de Heredia for an overnight retreat. Facilitated by second-year student mentors, the camp created safe spaces to build intercultural communication, peer support, and enduring bonds.

Celebrating Our 1,645 Alums

This two-year journey in Santa Ana is never an endpoint, but the beginning of a lifelong commitment to serving humanity and the planet. In May 2026, we celebrated the graduation of 98 students, expanding our global network to over 1,645 alums.

Backed by $15 million in financial aid and transformational opportunities like the Davis UWC Scholars Program, 80 of our graduates transitioned directly to 55 universities across 13 countries, while 18 embarked on purposeful gap years.

Looking Ahead: The San Isidro Campus

As we honor our legacy, we also look to a monumental turning point. Thanks to our partners’ visionary trust, we are less than a year away from inaugurating our new campus in San Isidro de Heredia in August 2027.

This 39-hectare campus permanently dedicates 80% of its site to ecosystem conservation and operates as an eco-conscious living laboratory pursuing LEED, Edge, and Bandera Azul certifications. Beyond expanding our scholarship capacity, the new campus will feature the Sustainability & Innovation Center, a collaborative hub designed to welcome international partners and returning graduates ready to scale social impact projects.

Whether you are a donor, partner, family member, or friend, the achievements within the 2025-2026 Impact Report belong to you. Thank you to all who make the UWC Costa Rica experience possible.

Discover the full story of our community’s impact by reading the digital 2025-2026 Impact Report here.