About Academia Tica

The Spanish School in Costa Rica

Academia Tica is proud to be one of the first Spanish schools in Costa Rica. After more than 25 years educating people from all over the world, we can say that we know our business very well.

Academia Tica is recognized for its quality by Instituto Cervantes and accredited by ADES and many other language institutions. Also, we have been officially awarded the title: El mejor lugar del mundo para aprender español or “The best place in the world to learn Spanish” by our former student Brian Reid .

School locations

Coronado

Our first school, Academia Tica Coronado, was founded in 1986. Coronado is a semirural town close to the city and also from great touristic spots, great to plan all your trips around Costa Rica. It’s more relaxing here, which is perfect for studying. It’s also safer here than in the very center of San José.

Buses to all regions of the country start in San José, which makes it very easy to go on weekend trips. But you can enjoy the rainforest and live many adventures just minutes away from our campus. The town is set at the foot of the Braulio Carrillo National Park. Coronado is also a good place to live a true Costa Rican cultural experience.

The school is situated on the grounds of an old farm known as the «Quinta Toyopán» (place for the gods). The name Toyopán recalls the indigenous people who buried their high priests here and named the settlement area Toyopán before the conquest by Spain’s Vásquez de Coronado. There is a bus stop directly in front of the school, and buses travel from Coronado’s central bus station (just 850 meters away) to the center of San José and back every 10 to 15 minutes from early morning until late at night. The bus fare is $0.60 round trip.

Learn more about Coronado.

Jacó

Academia Tica Jacó came as a natural expansion in 2006. Located in Jacó Beach, it is the perfect place to satisfy tropical urges and catch some good waves since Jacó and its many nearby beaches are recognized as great surf spots worldwide. This town is also one of the most popular destinations in Costa Rica, just 1.5 hours away from the international airport and offering all the attractions of a seaside city.

Learn more about Jacó.

Learning

The learning process of the participants is shaped by our philosophy: competence, authenticity, a reflection of Costa Rican democracy and equality, and respectful interaction with one another.

Spanish Lessons

Lessons are given by experienced native speakers, all of whom have academic degrees and experience in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. The teaching approach is geared to oral communication, but written language techniques, vocabulary work, grammar, and current Latin American affairs are not left out. We don’t restrict ourselves to just teaching Spanish. We also teach the important intercultural, Latin American aspects of Spanish that are necessary for a true understanding of the language.

Facilities

In addition to the seminar rooms, participants have access to the lounge in the reception area, a terrace, a small reference library and computer room with Internet connection. If you want to actively relax, you can play table tennis, borrow a bicycle, or chill out in our swimming pool (available in Jacó). Wi-fi access on both campuses.