A case study of Costa Rica's Universidad Estatal a Distancia, an Open University school with a distance learning system, is presented. Areas of discussion include characteristics of the country, the educational system of Costa Rica, and the university. Specific topics include: the physical setting of Costa Rica; the population; the economy; communications; the political situation; the educational system since the early 1970's; the national plan for higher education 1976-1980; origins of the Universidad Estatal a Distancia; characteristics of students; programs of study; curriculum development; television and radio instructional programs; student admission, registration, and records; types of student assessment, and the organizational structure of the university. (SW)