Top research institutions in Costa Rica
Universidad de Costa Rica ranks first in Costa Rica on research quality in 2022–2025 (#3,174 worldwide), followed by Universidad Nacional and Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica.
Ranked by research quality, 2022–2025
| # | Institution | World rank | Top-10% rate | Works | All time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Universidad de Costa RicaUniversity · San José | #3,174 | 8.6% | 3,845 | #1 |
| 2 | Universidad NacionalUniversity · Heredia | #8,302 | 8.2% | 1,060 | #3 |
| 3 | Instituto Tecnológico de Costa RicaUniversity · Cartago | #10,073 | 7.5% | 891 | #4 |
| 4 | Universidad de Ciencias MedicasUniversity · San José | #10,253 | 3.4% | 630 | #5 |
| 5 | Ministerio de Educación PúblicaGovernment institution · San José | #12,020 | 13.1% | 444 | #7 |
| 6 | National Biodiversity InstituteNonprofit · Santo Domingo | #15,716 | 17.5% | 151 | #11 |
| 7 | Universidad IndependienteUniversity · San José | #15,868 | 5.0% | 842 | #15 |
| 8 | Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y TecnologíaUniversity · San José | #18,395 | 10.7% | 122 | #27 |
| 9 | Instituto Costarricense de Investigación y Enseñanza en Nutrición y SaludInstitution · Tres Ríos | #18,481 | 7.4% | 97 | #10 |
| 10 | University of TourismUniversity · San José | #18,893 | 9.7% | 133 | #20 |
| 11 | Distance State UniversityUniversity · San Pedro | #19,096 | 5.4% | 570 | #9 |
| 12 | Universidad Autónoma MonterreyUniversity · San José | #21,604 | 7.2% | 305 | #24 |
| 13 | Latin University of Costa RicaUniversity · San Pedro | #21,619 | 10.5% | 99 | #26 |
| 14 | Universidad Bíblica LatinoamericanaUniversity · San José | #21,634 | 11.4% | 96 | #8 |
| 15 | Universidad Autónoma de Centro AméricaUniversity · San José | #22,450 | 4.6% | 283 | #14 |
| 16 | Costa Rican Department of Social SecurityInstitution · San José | #22,518 | 2.2% | 236 | #12 |
| 17 | Hospital Nacional de NiñosHospital / health system · San José | #22,614 | 6.5% | 90 | #6 |
| 18 | Iberoamerican UniversityUniversity · San José | #23,327 | 7.5% | 67 | #36 |
| 19 | Universidad CentralUniversity · San José | #23,873 | 6.4% | 106 | #19 |
| 20 | Universidad HispanoamericaUniversity · Heredia | #24,224 | 5.4% | 154 | #25 |
| 21 | Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería de Costa RicaGovernment institution · San José | #24,799 | 11.4% | 67 | #23 |
| 22 | Central American Adventist UniversityUniversity · Alajuela | #25,372 | 9.0% | 64 | #34 |
| 23 | Guanacaste Conservation AreaArchive · Liberia | #25,875 | 5.7% | 68 | #17 |
| 24 | Universidad del ValleUniversity · San José | #25,928 | 2.4% | 111 | #18 |
| 25 | Instituto Centroamericano de Administración de EmpresasUniversity · Alajuela | #26,445 | 14.9% | 71 | #28 |
| 26 | Instituto Interamericano de Derechos HumanosResearch facility · San José | #26,759 | 4.9% | 111 | #32 |
Institutions above the volume floor, ranked within Costa Rica on the quality composite for 2022–2025; research measures only, not teaching. The tick on each rate track is the world’s rate in this record, 16.5% — teal above it, red below; bars are scaled to the largest institution on this page.
Size against quality inside Costa Rica
The upper left is the interesting corner: institutions that publish less than the national giants and land more of it in the world top 10%.
above the meannear itbelow it
One dot per institution in the table above.