Location
  • Costa Rica
    • San José
Term
Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Subject Areas
Business Environmental Studies Health Sciences History Humanities Language Studies Latin American Studies Political Science
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, Payment plans, LGBTQIA+ funding, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Housing
Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Starting Price
500
Jun 18, 2024
Aug 01, 2024
10 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Study in the economic, cultural, and political capital of Costa Rica - San Jose. ISA offers students the chance to study Spanish Language, Environmental Studies, Health Care, Business and Liberal Arts at Veritas University, located in the Zapote neighborhood of San José.

ISA has a great history of students being very pleased with the support, excursions, housing, and every other aspect of the program. The excursions included with the ISA-San Jose program include trips to the Arenal Volcano, Playa Tamarindo, and Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio among others. Click the "Visit Our Website" link above to see all of the details!

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

BIPOC Support

Our team at ISA is committed to providing exceptional support through identity-focused advising and resources for students, university partners, and ISA staff. We have developed our ISA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to help serve all students and stakeholders, particularly the needs of underrepresented student populations. Our country-specific diversity pages offer information about the societies and cultural history of ISA destinations. This information can be used to start your reflection about how your intersecting identities relate to the host community context.

LGBTQIA+ Support

Our team at ISA is committed to providing exceptional support through identity-focused advising and resources for students, university partners, and ISA staff. We have developed our ISA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to help serve all students and stakeholders. Our country-specific diversity pages offer information about the societies and cultural history of ISA destinations. This information can be used to start your reflection about how your intersecting identities relate to the host community context.

Neurodivergent Support

ISA is committed to facilitating quality programming to students with varying levels of neurodivergence. Our Health & Safety team is available to answer questions about insurance and medication, as well as provide students with materials on overseas access to support.

Accessibility Support

ISA is committed to facilitating quality programming to students with varying levels of accessibility. With our wide portfolio of program types and locations we’re confident there is a suitable and accessible program for each student. Accommodations abroad can be complex and take time, so those with accessibility needs should inform ISA of any accommodations requests as early as possible in the advising process. Please contact accessibilityteam@studiesabroad.com with questions or for more information.

Impact

Sustainability

We have partnered with Fill it Forward to engage team members and program participants in waste reduction practices. The goal is to encourage the elimination of single-use waste. Every QR code scan shows the impact of reusable bottles and unlocks a donation to environmental impact groups.

Ethical Impact

WorldStrides, a global organization, is committed to educate and serve communities worldwide. Our commitment is fueled by the passion of our team members and partners to make experiential learning accessible, while also being socially, environmentally, and ethically responsible. Together, we accomplish this by investing in initiatives to promote inclusion, diversity, and sustainability.

Program Highlights

  • Costa Rica's official and predominant language is Spanish. There are also at least five living indigenous languages spoken by the descendants of pre-Columbian peoples: Maléku, Cabécar, Bribri, Guaymí, and Bugle.
  • San José, or Chepe, as it is lovingly called by locals, is the political, economic, and cultural hub of Costa Rica.
  • San José is a great place to try traditional foods as well as explore beautiful theaters and museums, such as the Gold and Jade Museum. It has plazas with free activities on weekends such as dances, concerts, and yoga classes.
  • The University is renowned for its design, art, architecture and photography programs
  • Open to students at all levels of Spanish - enroll in both Spanish language courses and electives taught in either English or Spanish

Popular Programs

san jose

Veritas University is an independent private university, fully accredited by the Costa Rican Ministry of Education and authorized by the National Council of Private Higher Education. The University is renowned in Costa Rica for its design, art, architecture, and photography programs. Additionally, it prioritizes internationalization and welcomes several hundred international students during any given semester or summer to study through its International Programs Department!

Program Reviews

4.85 Rating
based on 13 reviews
  • 5 rating 84.62%
  • 4 rating 15.38%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.15
  • Support 4.7
  • Fun 4.65
  • Housing 4.95
  • Safety 4.25
Showing 1 - 8 of 13 reviews
Default avatar
Miranda
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best 3 Months of My Life!

I became a more adventurous, independent, confident individual after studying abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica with ISA. I had so many opportunities to explore beaches and volcanoes, snorkel and whale watch, and participate in cultural immersion experiences. I got to try and learn how to cook many traditional Latin American dishes, take tropical dance classes, and learn about Costa Rican history. ISA was super supportive in guiding me to begin and move through this journey, and I would not have changed my experience for the world.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
My most nerve-racking moment from my time in San Jose was arriving at my homestay at the beginning of my study abroad journey. It had been a very long day of travel, and I hadn't taken a Spanish class in over 3 years. I arrived late to my homestay around 9pm, and got dropped in front of the house by a taxi driver, with no way of turning back. I met my host mom and housemate, and instantly had to converse in Spanish. I was flustered and had a difficult time saying more than a couple words at a time. However, my host mom was extremely patient and supportive and over my 3 months living with her, I regained some of my fluency and a whole lot of confidence, and the nerves from that first moment of speaking the language again were suddenly erased.
Pros
  • Food
  • Friends
  • Environment
Cons
  • Safety
  • Cancelled classes
14 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Finn
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Incredible experience where you are guarantied to get out of your comfort zone

I really enjoyed the aspect of being in a country that has a very different culture to that of the US or Europe but still have the support I felt like I needed to be comfortable in that environment. It was an incredibly immersive experience where I made incredible friends and enjoyed myself greatly. San Jose is a rough city but once you get out into the country it is absolutely beautiful and the culture is incredibly welcoming and kind.

The amount of excursions in this area is astounding. You can go ziplining in the cloud forests of Monteverde, scuba diving in Puerto Viejo or anything in between!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Just say yes! If you are hesitating on whether to do or not do something just go for it.
Pros
  • Beautiful country
  • Welcoming culture
  • Incredibly academics
Cons
  • San Jose is a bad city
  • Transportation can be long and in hot buses
  • Food isn't incredible
49 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ruth
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Summer to Remember

My month in Costa Rica was a trip to remember! I loved my homestay family and the friends I made with other students in my program. My Spanish skills improved by leaps and bounds. My Spanish class supported my learning in fun and engaging ways, and living with a host family gave my the opportunity to practice my skills in the real world. I loved the opportunity to travel around the country on the weekends. I got to spend time on both coasts and make a trip to Arenal Valcano. I can't wait for my next opportunity to travel to Costa Rica!

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
I ate fruits I'd never even heard of! Like pejibaye and maracuyá.
134 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Moira
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Studying abroad with ISA was a great decision

I loved the process of studying abroad with ISA starting from applying, getting credits approved, being in Costa Rica, and even coming back. Applying was easy by doing it online and ISA's employees consistently checked in on me while I was deciding. Their options for Spanish-speaking countries with classes that would transfer back to my school were great. Other options from other programs kept me from studying abroad with them. Being in Costa Rica was also the most fun summer I've had. I learned so much about the culture because of the cultural activities ISA had for us. We walked to the Jade Museum in San Jose, and I thought that was a nice touch because that's probably how locals get there (because it was so close, unless they had a car). I also did service-learning, which helped me get to know other locals from different backgrounds. When I returned to the US, I even chose to become a Global Ambassador so that I can speak about my study abroad experience with my fellow students and convince them to go with ISA!

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would've definitely gone on more adventures. I didn't go white water rafting or cliff diving mostly because I was scared and couldn't find anyone to do it with. Unfortunately, both those reasons kept me from having a lot more fun that I could've.
138 people found this review helpful.
Brooke
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

5 years later - and still one of my favorite experiences!

My time studying abroad with ISA in Costa Rica is still one of the highlights of my life, and it's been over five years since I was there. The ISA team was very helpful leading up to my departure, upon arrival, and throughout the three months of the program. I always felt cared for, and enjoyed interacting with the fun, on-site staff members. There were so many great people in my program, too! I've been lucky enough to stay in touch with my best friends from the program, and we've traveled all over the USA to visit each other.

Costa Rica is a fantastic country for people who want to practice Spanish, since Costa Ricans speak a very "clean," easy to understand version of the language. The only downside of studying in San Jose, rather than some of ISA's other options in Costa Rica, is that many locals speak English - and there are plenty of English-speaking students as well. It's not as immersive of an experience as a smaller town would be. Apart from that, Costa Rica is incredibly beautiful, full of outdoor activities, and easy to travel around. I'd recommend this experience to anyone!

What would you improve about this program?
My only (minor) complaint with the program is that some of my courses at Universidad Veritas were not very engaging or challenging. I took Spanish and Political Science courses while I was there. The Spanish classes were excellent, but the Political Science ones left something to be desired. Some of my friends focused more on Biology and pre-med classes, and they were pleased with them.
151 people found this review helpful.
Nikki
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Pura Vida Man

A few months before I graduated I was struck with the paralyzing anxiety that life as I knew it was over and I would soon be entering into a decades long career that offered no flexibility, little vacation time, and zero opportunities for me to travel ever again. Ok, so I was being a little dramatic, but regardless, in that moment I resolved to delay my career for a few short months and instead, I flew to Costa Rica the day after commencement and spent two months studying Spanish, living with a local family and traveling throughout Central America. I chose the ISA Intensive Spanish program because it was incredibly affordable and placed an emphasis on language and culture immersion, something that I value when it comes to meaningful travel experiences. The ISA Staff were very attentive and supportive of my needs but not overbearing or intrusive. Costa Rica is a great country for solo-travelers and people who want to learn Spanish. I found the culture to be very welcoming to outsiders, easy to navigate and friendly. As a female traveler, I felt safe, I felt welcome, I felt comfortable in going outside of my zone to learn new things and engage with new people.

154 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kyli
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Trip of a Lifetime

Choosing to study abroad in Costa Rica offers such a unique experience. While in Europe you have the chance to visit a multitude of countries, in Costa Rica you spend the time seeing the individual country itself. I learned to appreciate everything this place has to offer. I learned so much about the culture, the geography, the history, and the Spanish language. Every weekend was a new adventure. Not to mention, Costa Rica is "the happiest country in the world" and it showed through interactions with the locals. ISA's program made it super affordable and it was worth every penny.

What would you improve about this program?
It could be improved with more integration at the university with the local students. There was a clear divide between the foreign students and the Tico students.
139 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Samantha
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Living in San Jose, Costa Rica for 4 months!

These four months were a BLAST! ISA does a great job at ensuring that all of the participants stay safe and have a great time. The classes were a good challenge but not too time consuming. I never felt like they were getting in the way of my study abroad experience.

I had the opportunity to do an amazing internship with Fundacion Rahab, an NGO that helps women who were the victims of sex trafficking. This is a field that I have always been extremely interested in, so getting this opportunity was pretty big for me. I did a lot of fundraising for Fundacion, in addition to working on their budget. I became pretty close with the founder, and one day after my work was done she took me along to meeting she had with the Chilean ambassador and his wife!

ISA plans a few included weekend excursions which were a little nicer than our other weekends, which were usually spent in $15/night hostels (completely our choice). The included excursions were at three or four star hotels, and were a good way to get to know other students on the program.

I would have liked more activities that helped the program immerse more in the Costa Rican culture. In retrospect, I wish I had made more local friends but wasn't quite old enough at the time to have the confidence it takes to branch out like that. Additionally, I had a pretty tough home stay situation that I wish had been fixed earlier. My roommate and I reached out to ISA about our complaints, and no serious steps were taken to address them. Finally, we were moved out our final week for a few days. The good news is I don't think they'll be using that host home anymore, and no one else seemed to have any issues with host homes.

Overall, such a fun four months. ISA definitely understands the types of students that are coming to Costa Rica for a semester abroad and does a great job catering the experience to them.

What would you improve about this program?
I would have ISA check in on host homes throughout the program.
147 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers