San José, Costa Rica

ULACIT’s central campus does not offer traditional student residences like on-campus dorms. Students are recommended to live in one of the housing programs: Homestay or Selina Hostels. ULACIT will contact the students to ask about their accommodation choice about 1-2 months before the semester start and provide more information about the accommodation options.

Host family homestay

Living with a local host family is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the local culture and practice Spanish. Costa Ricans are famous for their friendliness and warmly welcome you as part of the family. The host families are carefully selected and have been cooperating with ULACIT for years. All the chosen families live in the capital area, in a convenient location from the university. The price for the academic period (16-week stay) is $3.040 total ($760 monthly or $190 weekly).

Selina Hostels

The Selina Hostels are working as a student dorm for the international students of ULACIT. In addition to everything you need for a comfortable stay, Selina hostels also offer coworking spaces that you can use for studying, refreshing wellness classes, and an inspiring international atmosphere. As the Selina room can also be rented by the day, you can transfer to any of the 10 Selina hostels in Costa Rica during your travels and weekend trips. You can select from the following types of rooms:

• Selina micro room (private room shares bathroom with another micro room, meals are not included) for $2.856 for the academic period ($178,5 weekly)
• Selina standard room (private room and private bathroom, meals are not included) for $4.400 for the academic period ($275 weekly)
• Selina dorm rooms (4, 6, or 8 pax community private room and bathroom) for $1.648 for the academic period ($103 weekly)

You can also look for accommodation within the city or nearby the campus independently. There are many hostels and bed-and-breakfasts available, and it is also possible to find fully equipped apartments for a short-term lease. Airbnb and VRBO are also an option in Costa Rica. If you decide to rent accommodation from private owners before signing a contract, it is good to see the place with your own eyes to avoid being scammed. The online announcements often do not match reality and the location markers might be misplaced, especially when out of the metropolitan area. While you’re checking out your future accommodation, or at the latest when signing, little hassling is a normal part of finding your accommodation. This is mainly due to cultural differences and different ways of doing business. A good sense of humor, a little patience, and some effort to understand a different culture will help sort things out.