Costa Rican universities lead the way

Costa Rican universities occupy the first three places in Central America, and also placed among the top 150 in Latin America for 2013, according QS Quacquarelli Symonds, which evaluates over 300 institutions. 

The University of Costa Rica is number one in the isthmus, and 26th in the overall ranking, followed the National University of Costa Rica in 54th place, and the University of Science and Technology of Costa Rica in position 144. 

The National Autonomous University of Honduras came last in the region, in 286th place. 

The top-ranked and lowest-ranked Latin American institutions are the University of São Paulo, and the University of Santo Amaro, respectively both from Brazil. 

Criteria used in the study include academic reputation, placement of graduates, web impact, and faculty citations in professional publications (figures represent the position of the top six Central American universities in the Latin American ranking).

1. Universidad de Costa Rica (26)
2. Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (54)
3. Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnología (144)
4. Universidad de Panamá (147)
5. Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (151)
6. Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (154)