University of Costa Rica: Rankings

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The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st in Costa Rica, 737th in the global 2026 rating, and scored in the TOP 50% across 121 research topics. The University of Costa Rica ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EduRank's index has 34,767 academic publications and 346,859 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of 87 notable alumni.

Ranking Category
#737 of 14,131 In the World
#29 of 1,756 In Latin America
#1 of 54 In Costa Rica
#1 of 40 In San Jose
#105 of 2,330 For Animal Science
#243 of 3,467 For Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation
#256 of 6,713 For Philosophy
#976 of 8,074 For Alumni Impact
#703 of 14,131 For Non-academic Prominence
Top50% For 118 other topics

Jump to topical rankings below

Acceptance rate and other statistics

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Costa Rica and 456th in the World with 23,829 publications made and 139,831 citations received. Main research topics: Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, Law, History.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences ranking Location
#1 of 6 In Costa Rica
#33 of 442 In Latin America
#456 of 7,088 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Publications & Citations

Year Liberal Arts & Social Sciences publications Liberal Arts & Social Sciences citations
1993 147 171
1994 166 184
1995 171 260
1996 153 269
1997 138 307
1998 150 377
1999 165 428
2000 180 535
2001 217 633
2002 328 746
2003 279 903
2004 310 1071
2005 378 1138
2006 456 1418
2007 430 1750
2008 470 1977
2009 588 2736
2010 545 2666
2011 1726 3338
2012 895 3865
2013 1071 3966
2014 1112 5015
2015 1481 5335
2016 1481 5336
2017 1158 5656
2018 1061 6674
2019 1159 7553
2020 1320 10258
2021 1314 13035
2022 1159 12370
2023 1138 13979
2024 743 12304
2025 364 10685

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfield Costa Rica ranking Latin America ranking World rank
Philosophy 1 35 256
Genealogy 1 8 365
Political Science 1 36 643
Human Rights Law 1 46 695
Demography 1 31 745
Sports / Exercise science 1 53 777
Sociology 1 43 804
Broadcast Journalism 1 23 813
International Relations and Diplomacy 1 31 850
Early Childhood Education 1 16 887
Radio and Television broadcasting 1 22 901
Art History 1 33 928
Political Economy 1 41 969
Library and Information science 1 28 982
Classics and Ancient History 1 22 987
Gender Studies 1 43 998
Anthropology 1 40 1028
Public Policy / Administration 1 50 1067
History 1 35 1068
Archaeology 1 42 1150
Theology / Divinity / Religious studies 1 34 1159
Criminology and Criminal Justice 1 52 1168
Media Studies 1 39 1242
Education Majors 1 45 1260
Law 1 42 1261
Aesthetics 1 46 1278
Journalism and Digital Media 1 33 1294
Urban and Regional planning 1 51 1294
Linguistics 1 42 1371
Communications and Public Relations 1 87 2434

Environmental Science rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Environmental Science in Costa Rica and 656th in the World with 14,652 publications made and 226,934 citations received. Main research topics: Geography and Cartography, Ecology, Geology, Paleontology, Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation.

Environmental Science ranking Location
#1 of 6 In Costa Rica
#23 of 433 In Latin America
#656 of 6,888 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Environmental Science Publications & Citations

Year Environmental Science publications Environmental Science citations
1993 99 398
1994 109 409
1995 105 542
1996 109 494
1997 120 581
1998 130 780
1999 116 728
2000 140 1128
2001 170 1236
2002 185 1434
2003 162 2121
2004 195 1980
2005 223 2176
2006 291 2685
2007 246 3244
2008 261 3720
2009 382 5079
2010 338 4675
2011 621 5587
2012 436 6186
2013 584 6639
2014 642 8217
2015 744 8257
2016 927 9284
2017 735 9850
2018 631 10704
2019 740 11756
2020 825 14985
2021 881 19042
2022 774 17975
2023 787 19094
2024 595 18974
2025 419 17645

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Environmental Science.

Environmental Science subfield Costa Rica ranking Latin America ranking World rank
Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation 1 13 243
Forestry 1 40 358
Agricultural Science 1 24 373
Geography and Cartography 1 20 559
Ecology 1 27 607
Oceanography 1 31 795
Paleontology 1 39 906
Petrology and Geochemistry 1 37 920
Geology 1 39 925
Hydrology and Water resources management 1 48 1021
Earth science and Geophysics 1 38 1028
Meteorology and Atmospheric Science 1 38 1208
Urban and Regional planning 1 51 1294
Environmental Management 1 55 1399
Geotechnical Engineering 1 53 1413
Environmental Engineering 1 64 1469
Environmental Chemistry 1 74 1634

Biology rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Biology in Costa Rica and 991st in the World with 13,376 publications made and 261,473 citations received. Main research topics: Biochemistry, Genetics, Paleontology, Botany, Zoology.

Biology ranking Location
#1 of 6 In Costa Rica
#41 of 433 In Latin America
#991 of 6,841 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Biology Publications & Citations

Year Biology publications Biology citations
1993 73 497
1994 102 514
1995 90 656
1996 120 690
1997 120 861
1998 114 1056
1999 90 1060
2000 149 1462
2001 164 1632
2002 167 1982
2003 152 2793
2004 184 2692
2005 208 3024
2006 214 3498
2007 254 4087
2008 242 4694
2009 346 6081
2010 276 5859
2011 405 6806
2012 376 7487
2013 466 7985
2014 580 9898
2015 612 9713
2016 817 10770
2017 667 11405
2018 595 12246
2019 715 13332
2020 774 16761
2021 861 21028
2022 760 20126
2023 774 21059
2024 603 20392
2025 504 19709

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Biology.

Biology subfield Costa Rica ranking Latin America ranking World rank
Animal Science 1 13 105
Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation 1 13 243
Zoology 1 15 264
Forestry 1 40 358
Agricultural Science 1 24 373
Horticulture 1 39 392
Toxicology 1 28 491
Entomology 1 29 499
Nutrition and Food Science 1 38 544
Botany 1 34 600
Virology 1 41 713
Evolutionary Biology 1 22 718
Microbiology 1 46 824
Paleontology 1 39 906
Molecular Biology 1 48 942
Immunology 1 44 988
Astrobiology 1 34 1026
Biochemistry 1 38 1104
Genetics 1 46 1186
Pharmacology 1 49 1246
Biotechnology 1 64 1276
Bioinformatics and Computational biology 1 45 1291
Neuroscience 1 58 1422
Biophysics 1 53 1444
Oncology and Cancer research 1 67 1650
Nanotechnology 1 90 2250

Medicine rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Medicine in Costa Rica and 1224th in the World with 7,704 publications made and 153,876 citations received. Main research topics: Pathology, Public Health, Immunology, Psychiatry, Surgery.

Medicine ranking Location
#1 of 6 In Costa Rica
#55 of 432 In Latin America
#1224 of 6,793 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Medicine Publications & Citations

Year Medicine publications Medicine citations
1993 41 286
1994 68 346
1995 48 319
1996 72 432
1997 60 533
1998 61 687
1999 55 708
2000 81 900
2001 96 914
2002 93 1182
2003 81 1569
2004 92 1463
2005 94 1761
2006 107 1871
2007 121 2283
2008 137 2479
2009 194 3537
2010 147 3332
2011 210 3792
2012 187 4228
2013 267 4538
2014 324 5473
2015 343 5451
2016 419 5814
2017 377 6490
2018 327 7037
2019 431 7500
2020 559 9992
2021 498 12635
2022 520 12295
2023 499 12925
2024 359 11631
2025 359 10812

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Medicine.

Medicine subfield Costa Rica ranking Latin America ranking World rank
Toxicology 1 28 491
Veterinary 2 41 496
Virology 1 41 713
Public Health 1 32 776
Sports / Exercise science 1 53 777
Gerontology 1 69 825
Pediatrics 1 54 910
Immunology 1 44 988
Dentistry 1 79 1050
Epidemiology 1 75 1063
Critical Care Nursing 1 57 1076
Anatomy and Physiology 1 47 1099
Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN) 2 126 1121
Gastroenterology and Hepatology 1 62 1122
Audiology 1 44 1186
Sports Medicine 1 54 1198
Urology 1 75 1238
Orthodontics 1 83 1244
Pharmacology 1 49 1246
Cardiology 1 56 1251
Dermatology 1 92 1256
Pathology 1 63 1283
Paramedicine and Emergency medicine 1 56 1305
Psychiatry 1 53 1307
Clinical Psychology 1 55 1326
Nursing 1 79 1417
Surgery 1 73 1447
Physical Therapy 1 70 1467
Family medicine 2 82 1506
Pharmacy 1 54 1547
Health Science 1 75 1555
Anesthesiology 1 88 1564
Healthcare Management (MHA) 1 75 1613
Oncology and Cancer research 1 67 1650
Radiology and Nuclear medicine 1 87 1670

Chemistry rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Chemistry in Costa Rica and 1309th in the World with 7,689 publications made and 185,325 citations received. Main research topics: Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Materials Science, Nutrition and Food Science, Chemical Engineering.

Chemistry ranking Location
#1 of 5 In Costa Rica
#43 of 420 In Latin America
#1309 of 6,561 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Chemistry Publications & Citations

Year Chemistry publications Chemistry citations
1993 54 324
1994 61 366
1995 60 443
1996 77 488
1997 81 652
1998 62 812
1999 57 822
2000 112 1155
2001 118 1324
2002 108 1636
2003 101 2339
2004 102 2089
2005 131 2400
2006 118 2767
2007 157 3062
2008 137 3475
2009 180 4543
2010 165 4403
2011 217 4955
2012 221 5469
2013 249 5698
2014 337 7324
2015 300 6691
2016 396 7519
2017 340 8147
2018 360 8745
2019 426 9370
2020 459 11724
2021 506 14697
2022 457 14104
2023 451 14447
2024 358 13705
2025 320 12967

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Chemistry.

Chemistry subfield Costa Rica ranking Latin America ranking World rank
Nutrition and Food Science 1 38 544
Petrology and Geochemistry 1 37 920
Biochemistry 1 38 1104
Organic Chemistry 1 58 1510
Pharmacy 1 54 1547
Environmental Chemistry 1 74 1634
Computational Chemistry 1 78 1673
Inorganic Chemistry 1 82 1825
Physical chemistry 1 83 1966
Materials Science 1 82 2039
Radiochemistry 1 122 2171
Nanotechnology 1 90 2250
Chemical Engineering 1 102 2321

Engineering rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Engineering in Costa Rica and 1742nd in the World with 6,590 publications made and 103,364 citations received. Main research topics: Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Metallurgical Engineering.

Engineering ranking Location
#1 of 6 In Costa Rica
#66 of 425 In Latin America
#1742 of 6,795 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Engineering Publications & Citations

Year Engineering publications Engineering citations
1993 31 133
1994 34 183
1995 23 167
1996 39 177
1997 43 264
1998 39 288
1999 34 320
2000 75 463
2001 75 629
2002 66 795
2003 59 1158
2004 66 967
2005 81 1105
2006 84 1328
2007 99 1448
2008 105 1687
2009 120 1868
2010 108 1996
2011 259 2315
2012 193 2781
2013 244 3053
2014 289 3653
2015 327 3675
2016 376 4335
2017 321 4695
2018 322 5295
2019 385 5932
2020 464 7850
2021 524 10228
2022 425 9821
2023 480 10612
2024 333 9662
2025 245 9158

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Engineering.

Computer Science rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Computer Science in Costa Rica and 1666th in the World with 5,617 publications made and 76,320 citations received. Main research topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Neuroscience, Human-Computer Interaction, Cyber Security.

Computer Science ranking Location
#1 of 6 In Costa Rica
#52 of 427 In Latin America
#1666 of 6,855 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Computer Science Publications & Citations

Year Computer Science publications Computer Science citations
1993 19 89
1994 16 93
1995 15 104
1996 38 157
1997 15 218
1998 28 231
1999 27 241
2000 37 284
2001 44 370
2002 44 391
2003 49 548
2004 57 579
2005 50 589
2006 63 709
2007 69 926
2008 95 1267
2009 124 1449
2010 100 1467
2011 220 1948
2012 196 2010
2013 206 2128
2014 254 2652
2015 288 2835
2016 323 3131
2017 320 3827
2018 278 4055
2019 361 4497
2020 403 5916
2021 428 7575
2022 371 7789
2023 429 8224
2024 278 7805
2025 212 7241

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Computer Science.

Computer Science subfield Costa Rica ranking Latin America ranking World rank
Human-Computer Interaction 1 8 390
Library and Information science 1 28 982
Bioinformatics and Computational biology 1 45 1291
Neuroscience 1 58 1422
Robotics 1 54 1427
Software Engineering 1 70 1533
Cyber Security 1 49 1624
Computational Linguistics 1 47 1656
Data Science 1 62 1714
Computer Graphics 1 72 1832
Multimedia 1 71 1875
Artificial Intelligence (AI) 1 72 2021
Computer Vision 1 87 2113
Computer Networking 1 78 2176
Management Information Systems 1 96 2225
Cognitive Science 1 74 2246
Machine Learning 1 84 2293
Telecommunications 1 82 2306

Physics rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Physics in Costa Rica and 1586th in the World with 5,350 publications made and 99,261 citations received. Main research topics: Quantum and Particle physics, Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Astrophysics and Astronomy, Acoustical Engineering.

Physics ranking Location
#1 of 6 In Costa Rica
#62 of 419 In Latin America
#1586 of 6,729 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Physics Publications & Citations

Year Physics publications Physics citations
1993 31 146
1994 37 188
1995 39 224
1996 38 197
1997 47 300
1998 47 330
1999 39 345
2000 68 478
2001 82 683
2002 67 859
2003 46 1178
2004 62 1037
2005 80 1190
2006 81 1395
2007 100 1592
2008 83 1690
2009 109 1863
2010 119 2074
2011 149 2385
2012 164 2778
2013 200 2887
2014 237 3607
2015 261 3674
2016 300 3943
2017 247 4307
2018 237 4665
2019 312 5327
2020 349 6656
2021 364 8437
2022 316 8036
2023 345 8756
2024 246 7887
2025 196 7237

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Physics.

Physics subfield Costa Rica ranking Latin America ranking World rank
Theoretical Physics 1 26 479
Astrobiology 1 34 1026
Astrophysics and Astronomy 1 40 1073
Nuclear Physics 1 42 1216
Atomic and Molecular physics 1 50 1254
Biophysics 1 53 1444
Acoustical Engineering 1 55 1663
Quantum and Particle physics 1 69 1730
Condensed Matter Physics 1 74 1747
Optical Engineering 1 82 1987
Materials Science 1 82 2039
Nanotechnology 1 90 2250

Psychology rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Psychology in Costa Rica and 1509th in the World with 3,067 publications made and 47,531 citations received. Main research topics: Psychiatry, Social Psychology, Neuroscience, Education Majors, Child Psychology.

Psychology ranking Location
#1 of 5 In Costa Rica
#56 of 417 In Latin America
#1509 of 6,663 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Psychology Publications & Citations

Year Psychology publications Psychology citations
1993 11 78
1994 6 79
1995 9 96
1996 19 136
1997 18 182
1998 19 219
1999 18 203
2000 19 254
2001 22 252
2002 30 363
2003 28 336
2004 38 451
2005 37 486
2006 43 552
2007 46 653
2008 51 800
2009 80 994
2010 48 947
2011 143 1163
2012 122 1249
2013 142 1375
2014 179 1711
2015 161 1851
2016 146 1783
2017 155 2104
2018 134 2320
2019 198 2601
2020 192 3515
2021 167 4411
2022 183 4440
2023 218 4702
2024 155 4407
2025 161 4241

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Psychology.

Psychology subfield Costa Rica ranking Latin America ranking World rank
Sexology 1 50 978
Child Psychology 1 43 1191
Education Majors 1 45 1260
Psychiatry 1 53 1307
Clinical Psychology 1 55 1326
Neuroscience 1 58 1422
Social Psychology 1 47 1508
Cognitive Science 1 74 2246

Art & Design rankings

The University of Costa Rica ranked 1st for Art & Design in Costa Rica and 994th in the World with 1,948 publications made and 16,508 citations received. Main research topics: Fashion Design, Literature, Aesthetics, Art History, Creative Writing.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

Art & Design ranking Location
#1 of 4 In Costa Rica
#32 of 367 In Latin America
#994 of 6,010 In the World

University of Costa Rica
Art & Design Publications & Citations

Year Art & Design publications Art & Design citations
1993 8 30
1994 7 38
1995 7 34
1996 12 35
1997 6 38
1998 14 44
1999 18 43
2000 13 40
2001 28 90
2002 24 106
2003 24 178
2004 32 142
2005 28 155
2006 26 155
2007 30 239
2008 35 240
2009 40 303
2010 43 362
2011 87 404
2012 76 459
2013 118 517
2014 87 591
2015 179 762
2016 143 1042
2017 105 838
2018 83 878
2019 111 1086
2020 104 1284
2021 104 1691
2022 88 1562
2023 98 1687
2024 55 1500
2025 42 1430

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of Costa Rica in various areas of Art & Design.

Art & Design subfield Costa Rica ranking Latin America ranking World rank
Painting and Drawing 1 14 491
Sculpture 1 14 491
Illustration and Concept Art 1 15 508
Music 1 14 547
Singing and Vocal Performance 1 33 709
Cinematography 1 73 767
Creative Writing 1 27 771
Photography 1 30 808
Literature 1 35 903
Fashion Design 1 33 917
Art History 1 33 928
Performing arts 1 40 954
Aesthetics 1 46 1278
Architecture 1 63 1333
Computer Graphics 1 72 1832
Multimedia 1 71 1875

Other rankings

Non-core subjects for the University of Costa Rica

Speciality Costa Rica Latin America World Rank
Agricultural Economics 1 39 970
Hospitality and Hotel Management 1 29 1158
Math Teachers 1 34 1320
Development Studies 1 50 1461
International Trade 1 50 1495
Applied Mathematics 1 63 1545
Economics 1 53 1580
Marketing 1 51 1664
International Business 2 63 1693
Advertising 1 40 1695
Finance 1 57 1731
Statistics 1 64 1796
Mathematics 1 59 1817
Business 1 60 1830
Project Management 1 101 1978
Econometrics and Mathematical Economics 1 70 1986
Management 1 74 2038
Accounting 1 100 2606