Exposure, Knowledge, and Appropriation of the Sustainable Development Goals Among University Students: A Case Study at Universidad Latina De Costa Rica

Higher education institutions have been identified as playing a pivotal role in the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through teaching, research, and professional training. However, previous studies indicate that the integration of the SDGs into students’ learning processes remains uneven, with students often demonstrating general awareness but limited structured knowledge of the 2030 Agenda. This exploratory case-based study examines how SDGs are encountered, understood, and appropriated by university students at Universidad Latina de Costa Rica within a 2024–2025 collaborative project with the National System of Accreditation of Higher Education (SINAES). A mixed-method, cross-sectional design was employed using a structured questionnaire administered to 434 students across campuses and disciplines. The study analyzes the relationship between exposure, knowledge, and disciplinary appropriation. Findings show that while institutional visibility of the SDGs is associated with greater conceptual familiarity (r = 0.85; p < 0.01), this does not necessarily translate into their integration within disciplinary training. Students tend to interpret the SDGs primarily as ethical frameworks, with limited connection to professional practice. These results suggest that the main challenge lies not in awareness, but in curricular and pedagogical integration, highlighting the need to approach SDG implementation as a situated educational process shaped by disciplinary contexts and learning environments.