Students from Costa Rica’s five public universities began marching on public streets in downtown San José on Tuesday to protest the administration of President Laura Fernández-Delgado’s refusal to increase funding for higher education.


At the center of the dispute is the Special Fund for Higher Education, known by its Spanish acronym FEES. The fund supports the University of Costa Rica (UCR), the National University of Costa Rica (UNA), the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (TEC), the State Distance Education University (UNED) and the National Technical University (UT).


The demonstration follows student opposition to the government’s proposal to freeze the FEES at its current level, with no increase through 2027. Last year, the combined budget for the country’s public universities reached approximately $1.3 billion.

According to the Student Federation of the University of Costa Rica (FEUCR), hundreds of students began marching at 8:30 a.m., covering a route of about 2 miles from the university’s facilities in San Pedro District to the Congress Building (Legislative Assembly) in downtown San José, where lawmakers are expected to vote on the university budget on Tuesday.

Organizers expect the demonstration to end at 5 p.m.

Traffic police urged drivers to avoid the march route while protesters remain on the streets. Officers will be stationed at key points along the route to redirect traffic.

The march comes after Fernández’s recent trip to El Salvador, where she reached an agreement to implement a “tough-on-crime” strategy inspired by policies pursued by Salvadoran President Nayib Armando Bukele-Ortez.

Traffic police are responsible for controlling traffic, patrolling highways and addressing traffic violations. They are authorized to make arrests and enforce the law and operate under the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT).


A.M. Costa Rica encourages readers to share this traffic warning with their friends, family and social networks.

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What strategies should Costa Rica pursue to reach a budget agreement with its public universities? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com

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