If you have any questions please contact the Office of Admissions at 303-546-3572 (1-800-772-6951) or at admissions@naropa.edu.
Apply to one of Naropa University's graduate programs in one of the following ways:
Application documents should be sent to:
Naropa University
Office of Admissions
2130 Arapahoe Ave
Boulder, CO 80302
If your current financial situation warrants waiving of your application fee, submit a fee waiver request.
If you completed any coursework at a foreign college or university (other than a study abroad program), an international education evaluation is required.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of a 2.9 or higher. Applicants with a cumulative GPA lower than 2.9 must submit Miller Analogies Test (MAT) results taken within the last calendar year. Note that the MAT is only required for these applicants, and is optional for all others.
In a three-to-four page typed, double-spaced, 12 point font essay, please respond to the following three questions. Directly refer to Introduction to Art Therapy: Sources and Resources (J.A. Rubin, 2009) and Psychotherapy and Spirit: Theory and Practice in Transpersonal Psychotherapy (B. Cortright, 1997) when writing your essay. When pulling information from either book, paraphrase the author rather than lifting direct quotes.
Your resume/CV should detail all pertinent academic, employment, and volunteer history with exact dates of participation.
Applicants are required to submit a well-rounded portfolio of 20 different pieces of original art. Your portfolio must include both 2D and 3D work as well as any other areas of specialization. The portfolio needs to demonstrate two primary skill sets:
The portfolio needs to be accompanied by a portfolio summary that lists the following for each piece:
Portfolios should only be uploaded in the following file formats: GIF, JPG, PNG, PDF, PowerPoint or Word.
Submit copies of your official transcript(s), statement of interest, art portfolio, and resume/CV.
Two letters of recommendation are required.
Recommendations must be from pertinent academic or professional sources, and may not be from family members, spouses, friends, or current or former therapists or spiritual advisors.
The Office of Admissions will assess a candidate’s completed application to determine if the candidate will move forward in the process and be invited to an interview. On-campus interviews are a required part of the admissions process.
2020 Interview dates:
Naropa University requires an earned grade of "C" or higher for all prerequisite coursework. Due to the competitive nature and academic rigor of the MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Transpersonal Art Therapy program, a grade of "B" or above is recommended. All prerequisites are to be completed at accredited academic institutions for credit (not pass/fail or audited). All courses are subject to approval and may require additional documentation such as a syllabus or course description.
Applicants must submit an official transcript showing proof of completion of the prerequisite coursework and a bachelor's degree by June 30, 2020. To ensure that transcripts of prerequisite coursework arrive to the Office of Admissions by June 30, 2020, we strongly recommend that all coursework is completed no later than June 1, 2020.
*Applicants wishing to waive a college level studio art requirement must demonstrate basic technical abilities, integrated learning, and nascent artistic scholarship with the studio area. Requirements are as follows:
Additional portfolio of 10 diverse slides for each studio subject area (painting,
drawing, ceramics, or sculpture) that shows a range of demonstrated competency with
materials as outlined below. Note that 2 images may overlap with application portfolio.
Subjects to include in samples:
Scale of samples: 16x20 to 18x24
Materials to include in samples: oil, acrylic, and watercolor
Technical methods to include in samples: shading, cross-hatching, chiaroscuro, and
figure-ground relationships
Subjects to include in samples:
Scale of samples: 16x20 to 18x24 to 24x36
Technical methods to include in samples: hand-building (coil, pinch, and slab) and
wheel throwing; a variety of sizes of each.
Subjects to include in samples: a series of hand-built glazed objects from life and
sculptural forms from imagination.
Technical methods to include in samples: 3-4 examples of additive and subtractive sculpture, simple casting, carving & fabricating projects, figurative, non-figurative, working from imagination.
We encourage you to be actively engaged in the admission process. You can check your application status online at MyNaropa. Once your application form has been processed by the Office of Admissions you will receive login information via email.
Domestic applicants: learn more about how to apply for financial aid.
International applicants: learn more about how to apply for financial aid.
In addition to the graduate admissions requirements, international applicants must also complete the following international applicant admissions requirements:
International applicants must document their English language proficiency by submitting scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) tests. Applicants must earn the following required scores:
Exceptions are granted for applicants from countries where English is one of the official national languages.
Applicants (including U.S. citizens and permanent residents educated outside of the U.S.) must have all non-U.S. records of secondary and/or post-secondary education evaluated by a professional international education evaluation service. In this case, all non-U.S transcripts should be sent to one of the below evaluation service providers, not to Naropa University. Once the evaluation is completed, the applicant should request that the report be sent directly to: Naropa University, Office of Admissions (2130 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302).
Naropa works with the three following credential evaluation services. Evaluations will not be accepted by other services.
All undergraduate and graduate applicants must submit a complete course-by-course evaluation.
Please note: international applicants who have completed their undergraduate degree
at an accredited U.S. institution do not need to provide an evaluated transcript.
If accepted to Naropa University, international students are required to submit the
following:
