Classic YWAM DTS in Costa Rica
Discipleship Training School (DTS) is designed to help you understand God more deeply, live more like Jesus and identify your unique gifts and purpose to use in missions. DTS is an intensive, residential training course which begins with an 12 week lecture phase, followed by an 8-12 week intercultural outreach, normally in another nation. DTS emphasizes cross-cultural exposure and global awareness, preparing students to answer the call to "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations" Matthew 28:19.
To Know God and
Make Him Known
This school dives deep into more intimacy with God and fearless obedience to participate with God in His Mission. During the school you will live in a community, engage with outreach ministries in the rural communities of Guanacaste. You will be challenged to find your part and place in God's big plan and equipped to do so.
In a classic YWAM way, we will pray as a group and ask God where He wants to send us on outreach... it could be anywhere in the world! During the outreach, we will get a hands-on intercultural missions experience. We are determined to learn to hear God's voice and act in obedience to it.
Discipleship Training School is a new adventure with Jesus
Some of the topics covered in the school:
- Character and Nature of God
- Life and Work of Jesus
- Hearing God's voice
- Intercessory Prayer
- Spiritual Warfare
- Evangelism
- The person and the work of the Holy Spirit
- Intercultural communication
- Biblical Christian Worldview
- Bible Overview and Inductive Study Method
- Relationships and Biblical Sexuality
- Worship
- Identity and Destiny by Design
- Missions
Each week of the lecture phase consists of lectures, small groups, worship and intercession times, local ministry, personal study times, practical chores and individual mentoring.
During outreach we learn to share the Gospel in many different ways and to serve the local Christians.
Upcoming Classic DTS Dates:
September 25, 2025 - February 27, 2026
Spend the lecture phase in the tropical rainy season in Costa Rica. Right after Christmas you and your team will fly to another nation for outreach. This school finishes in time if you are interested in doing in doing the Integrative Bible School right after your DTS.
January 8 -
June 5, 2026
Our first ever January DTS!
The lecture phase will take place during the dry season in Costa Rica. Outreach starts in the beginning of April and in the beginning of the summer you will already be graduated and ready for your next adventure.
September 3, 2026 - February 5, 2027
Our classic fall DTS, usually with a wide international student body. This school finishes in time if you are interested in doing in doing the Integrative Bible School right after your DTS.
DTS Prices
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Australia
Austria
Barbados
Belgium
Canada
Czech Republic
Denmark
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Guam
Hong Kong
Iceland
Ireland {Northern & Republic}
Israel
Italy
Japan
Korea, South
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
United Kingdom
United StatesThe University of the Nations bases the costs of the Per Capita Income (PCI) of each nation. This allows us to cover school costs and make our schools more affordable to students from various countries where the income level is lower. We use the following two sources of information to derive country categories:
The World Almanac and Book of Facts and The Internet CIA Fact book. -
American Samoa
Argentina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
Costa Rica
Croatia
Dominican Republic
Estonia
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
Mexico
Palau
Panama
Poland
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Slovakia
South Africa
Thailand
Trinidad/Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Uruguay
VenezuelaThe University of the Nations bases the costs of the Per Capita Income (PCI) of each nation. This allows us to cover school costs and make our schools more affordable to students from various countries where the income level is lower. We use the following two sources of information to derive country categories:
The World Almanac and Book of Facts and The Internet CIA Fact book. -
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Armenia
Belize
Benin
Bolivia
Bosnia Herzegovina
Burkina Faso
Cambodia
Cameroon
China
Colombia
Congo
Cook Islands
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Ethiopia
Fiji
French Polynesia
Ghana
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
India
Indonesia
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Jordan
Kiribati
Kenya
Lebanon
Liberia
Malawi
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Mongolia
Mozambique
Nepal
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Niue
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines
Rwanda
Samoa
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Sri Lanka
Tanzania
Togo
Tonga
Uganda
Ukraine
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Zambia
ZimbabweThe University of the Nations bases the costs of the Per Capita Income (PCI) of each nation. This allows us to cover school costs and make our schools more affordable to students from various countries where the income level is lower. We use the following two sources of information to derive country categories:
The World Almanac and Book of Facts and The Internet CIA Fact book.
Student testimonies
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I appreciated the active nature of the base, they were always reaching out to the community and people around them. The staff is committed to serving God in and out of the class room and have a strong Biblical worldview.
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Everyone involved in the DTS was very passionate, very Christ centered, helpful, and overall just amazing people. The environment and base are amazing, and the curriculum was very good.
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The experience was challenging, but amazing. I made many connections, grew personally, learned a lot, and grew in my relationship with the Lord.
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![Person wearing blue tassel earrings and a black top smiling.]()
The DTS structure was really good. Loved how we did ministries during lecture phase, it was a good preparation during lecture phase for the outreach. The outreach was well organized and the pastoral visit was perfect.
DTS FAQs
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The school is fully bilingual (Spanish and English), meaning that everything is translated and there is no requirement for the students to be bilingual. It is enough if you speak English or Spanish fluent enough to understand text and speech, to communicate and to write assignments.
However, it is a great opportunity to learn Spanish and to further develop your fluency if you already speak it.
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Our Discipleship Training School is an accredited university course of the University of the Nations. You get 22-24 credits from completing a DTS. DTS is a prerequisite for taking further courses with the University of the Nations.
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We usually receive 9-15 students per school.
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Most of our students are young adults (18-28 years old). We do welcome adult students as well.
Normally we have both local Costa Rican and international students from several different nationalities in each school. DTS is very much an intercultural experience!
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You cannot. DTS requires your full attention to receive the growth and the outcome that it is designed for. DTS is a full-time residential course where full learning weeks often include activities in the evenings and weekends as well. An essential part of a DTS is to spend your limited free time doing the required homework and reading, connecting with the other community members and spending time with God.
Internet access will also be limited during the DTS, especially on outreach.
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YWAM Nicoya is located in a beautiful rural village in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. You will be surrounded by a lot of nature.
The base functions on two different properties a walking distance from each other. We have a main building where meals are prepared and served and where we have most of our community gatherings. The classroom is a separate building and our only room with A/C.
Students live in cabins and tiny homes, in shared rooms between 4 to 8 people. Each cabin and tiny home has its own bathroom. The rooms have bunkbeds, limited shelf/closet space for personal items and fans.
At the moment we have 50 bedspaces for students, staff, volunteers, visitors and outreach teams.
The porches, the yard and outdoors serve as spaces for studying and hanging out. Bring your own hammock to get the best out of it!
