Avancemos
Avancemos is Costa Rica's national conditional cash transfer program, run by the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social (IMAS) together with the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) and the Ministry of Labor (MTSS), that pays monthly stipends to students from primary through secondary school in households classified as living in extreme or basic poverty. Payments are conditioned on staying enrolled and attending a MEP-recognized educational program, and are meant to prevent dropout and child labor. Created in 2006 and codified by Law No. 9617 (2018), it is funded by the Costa Rican government through the Fondo de Desarrollo Social y Asignaciones Familiares (FODESAF). It is one of the largest and longest-running CCT programs in Latin America, currently reaching several hundred thousand students annually.
Costa Rica, Conditional Cash Transfer, Education Retention, IMAS, SINIRUBE, Youth Poverty, National Program
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social (IMAS)
- City
- San Pedro
- State / Province
- San José
- Country
- Costa Rica
Contact
- Phone
- +506 2202 4000
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Rolling
- Number of recipients
- 319,411
- Funding type
- Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- Ongoing / unconditional
- Yes
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Debit Card
- Benefit details
Monthly amounts are tiered by grade: primary school students receive approximately ₡18,000/month; secondary students in grades 7-9 receive approximately ₡30,000/month; secondary students in grades 10-12 receive approximately ₡40,000/month. Historically funds were loaded onto IMAS/Banco Nacional prepaid cards; since 2024-2025 IMAS has been migrating beneficiaries to standard savings/debit accounts ("bancarización") requiring households to register an IBAN account through the "Mi Expediente" online platform. Some households under IMAS's "Plan Familiar"/"Plan de Ascenso" case-management model also have measurable commitments tracked through institutional accompaniment. A 2025 Comptroller General (CGR) audit found budget cuts of 20% (2022-2024), coverage of only ~68-78% of the eligible secondary population, and wait times up to 7.5 months for new applicants.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Targets children and adolescents enrolled in formal primary or secondary education (public, private, or subsidized, in any MEP-recognized modality) whose households are classified as being in extreme or basic poverty according to Costa Rica's national beneficiary registry (SINIRUBE). Since 2024 the program has prioritized full coverage of secondary students under 18 in extreme/basic poverty. The household's designated representative (usually a parent or guardian) applies and receives the deposit on the student's behalf.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 6
- Maximum age
- 18
- Education level
- Elementary, Middle School, High School
Geography
- Countries covered
- Costa Rica
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Application Process
- How to apply
Households apply through IMAS by registering in the national beneficiary registry SINIRUBE (via a Registro de Información Socioeconómica, RIS, or the Registro Especializado de Personas Institucionalizadas y en Situación de Calle, REPIC), which can be completed at an IMAS regional office. Applicants must present a valid ID (verified against the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones or Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería), a proof-of-enrollment document less than six months old from the educational center (or via the IMAS-SINIRUBE-MEP data-sharing mechanism), a signed sworn declaration of household income, and a notification contact method. To receive payment, the household representative must register an IBAN bank account through the online "Mi Expediente" self-service platform (web.imas.go.cr/autogestion). Prospective beneficiaries can check candidacy status through the online "Padrón Avancemos" tool.
- Selection process
An IMAS professional verifies the household's socioeconomic classification (extreme or basic poverty) as recorded in SINIRUBE, confirms active school enrollment/attendance status with the Ministry of Public Education, and monitors ongoing conditionalities (enrollment status, school-transfer or modality changes, grade repetition, and student death) to determine whether the transfer is granted, renewed, or suspended. The interinstitutional Consejo de Coordinación de Avancemos (IMAS, MEP, and MTSS) sets overall program direction and eligibility priorities.
