How to Apply

Naropa University seeks students who have a strong appetite for learning and enjoy experiential education in an academic setting. Those interested in engaging in a personally rigorous program within a contemplative community are encouraged to apply. GRE scores and Miller Analogy tests are optional.

Suggested Deadlines

Naropa University uses a rolling admission policy. Applicants may apply as early as September
for summer and fall admission. Applications received between September 1 and the suggested deadline will be given equal consideration. Applications received after the suggested deadline will be reviewed on a space-available basis. Consequently, we encourage early application. To see if spaces are open after the suggested deadline, email admissions@naropa.edu.

As of March 1 we are still accepting applications for all programs.

• January 15 for summer semester admission (MFA Writing & Poetics, MFA Creative Writing,
  MA Contemplative Education, MA Transpersonal Psychology and MA Ecopsychology)
• January 15 for fall semester admission (All programs except MA Contemplative Education and MA Ecopsychology.)
• October 15 for spring semester admission (MFA Writing & Poetics and MFA Creative Writing)

Three Ways of Applying

Apply to one of Naropa University's graduate programs in one of the following ways:

• Apply online. When you apply online, you will be required to submit the application fee with a Visa or MasterCard. Current students, staff, faculty and alumni are not required to submit an application fee.
• Download the Naropa University graduate application.
• Request that an application be mailed to you.

The links below are PDF files and require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Graduate Application Requirements

Regardless of which method of applying you choose, a completed application includes the following items:

• Completed application form
• $60 nonrefundable application fee
• Three-to-five-page typed, double-spaced statement of interest
• Résumé
• Three letters of recommendation: All must be on the forms provided, must not be older than twelve months and may not be from family members, spouses or current therapists. Archival copies accepted if within these parameters.
• Official transcripts of all previous college-level study that reflect the completion of a bachelor's degree, sent directly to Naropa University’s Admissions Office from the registrar of previous institutions or in a sealed envelope with the application
• Proof of prerequisites as may be required by specific departments or programs
• Manuscripts and portfolios may be required by specific departments
• Auditions may be required by specific departments
• In addition to the standard graduate application requirements listed above, supplemental application materials and/or prerequisites are required by the following programs:
• MA Contemplative Education
• MA Contemplative Psychotherapy
• MA Environmental Leadership
• Graduate Religious Studies Programs
• MA Somatic Counseling Psychology
• MA Transpersonal Counseling Psychology
• MA Transpersonal Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy
• MA Transpersonal Counseling Psychology: Wilderness Therapy
• MA Transpersonal Psychology (low-residency)
• MA Transpersonal Psychology: Ecopsychology (low-residency)
• Master of Divinity
• MFA Creative Writing
• MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance
• MFA Writing and Poetics

   

Please note that Naropa University now offers many of its prerequisite courses online.

Students may not apply to more than one Naropa graduate program at a time.

The Office of Admissions strongly recommends that applicants submit one envelope containing all of the elements of a complete application (including the letters or recommendation and the sealed official transcripts) by the suggested deadline.

Applications will be reviewed once the Admissions Office receives all of the aforementioned materials. For many programs, selected applicants are required to come to the university for an interview. If international applicants are invited for an in-person interview, they are strongly urged to come to campus; however, a telephone interview may occasionally be substituted. If an international applicant is granted a phone interview, the phone call will be at the expense of the applicant.

International Students

International students must also supply the Office of Admissions with the following additional materials:

1. International applicants must document English language proficiency by submitting official score sheets on the test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) showing that they have achieved the following minimum requirements: An iBT score of 80 or better for undergraduate students and 100 or better for graduate students, a computer-based score of 213 or better for undergraduate students and 250 or better for graduate students, or a paper-based score of 550 or better for undergraduate students and 600 or better for graduate students. Exceptions are granted for native English speakers.
2. All records of postsecondary education, including grades earned in each subject, must be evaluated before being submitted along with the other application materials.
3. A Source of Funds document.

Establishing Transfer Credit

Naropa University’s graduate programs may accept up to 6 semester units of transfer credit
from other universities. This is not an automatic policy; it is at the discretion of each department. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Credits must have been earned within five years of application to Naropa and must carry the grade of “B” or better. No Pass (P), Credit (CR) or Satisfactory (S) work will be accepted. Credits must come from a regionally accredited college (international on a case-by-case basis), and no credit will be awarded for contemplative practice courses.