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 online and pay the $60 nonrefundable application fee.
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.
We encourage you to be actively engaged in the admission process. Once you have submitted the first part of your application, you will receive an email with login information to MyNaropa. You can check your application status online in MyNaropa at any time. Note that document uploads can take up to one week to be reflected in MyNaropa.
If you completed any coursework at a foreign college or university (other than a study abroad program), an international education evaluation is required.
All of Naropa University's counseling psychology programs offer skills training and counseling career preparation, diversity work, contemplative practice, community engagement, and deep personal reflection.
Given this, in a three-to-five page double-spaced essay, please respond to the following:
How are you prepared to participate in this distinctive community, and how would your life and educational goals be reached by attending the Transpersonal Wilderness Therapy program? Using specific examples from your life experience, please describe your inspiration, intention, and commitment to studying psychotherapy in the Transpersonal Wilderness Therapy program. Describe your vision of how your education will allow you to be of service in the world.
Please be sure to include:
Your resume/CV should detail all pertinent academic, employment, and volunteer history with exact dates of participation.
Submit copies of your official transcript(s), statement of interest, and resume/CV.
You can check the status of your documents and application in MyNaropa at any time. Note that document uploads can take up to one week to be reflected in MyNaropa.
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.
A wilderness experience of ten consecutive days in the backcountry is a prerequisite for this program. This prerequisite may be completed with an organized outfitting company or as a personal trip. Please submit the following information regarding your trip: 1) the location, 2) the dates, and 3) the outfitting company (if applicable) along with 4) a statement that it meets all the trip criteria listed below. The trip criteria are: ten days under the stars / in a tent (no huts, cabins, or hostels); travel by personal means (no motorized modes of transport), and all necessary gear (i.e. food and equipment) carried on your person (e.g., no car camping, catered trips, or use of porters). As you are developing a plan, consider consulting with the Transpersonal Wilderness Therapy admissions counselor to ensure your trip meets the criteria.
Some possible organizations to use for guided wilderness trips are:
It is a requirement of the program that you have experience in wilderness travel, camp craft, and leave-no-trace camping. We recommend that students have developed one or more outdoor skills in addition to backpacking. It is also required that you are in adequate physical condition to participate in the field activities of the program. These include the following: the ability to carry a 40lb pack off trail for up to ten miles a day; intermediate-level swimmer; ability and willingness to participate in rock climbing, horseback riding, and gardening.
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.
The 2020 interview dates are:
One 3 semester credit course in either Abnormal Psychology, Developmental Psychology, or Theories of Personality or a bachelor’s degree in psychology
All courses are subject to approval and may require additional documentation such as a syllabus or course description.
A grade of "C" or above is required for all prerequisite coursework. All prerequisites are to be completed at accredited academic institutions for credit (not pass/fail or audited). Applicants must submit an official transcript showing proof of completion of the prerequisite coursework and bachelor's degree by June 30, 2020. To ensure that transcripts of 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.
Please review the Prerequisite Coursework Guide for more information on acceptable alternative course titles, recommendations on where to complete coursework, and much more.
If accepted into the program, you will be required to fill out a medical form prior to the first day of classes. This form will be used to verify that you do not have any medical (physical/psychological) issues that might put you at risk in the backcountry. If there is any medical condition that may put you at risk in the backcountry setting, you may be prohibited from starting the program.
View a sample medical form.
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:
Organizations to use for guided wilderness trips:
Alpine Backpacking and Adventure Course
Course details: This course is appropriate for those with limited backcountry experience or those who would like to experience backpacking and mountaineering in the Colorado Rockies with a review of backcountry skills. A peak ascent is a possibility.
Dates: July 5-15, 2019
Cost: $1150 ($300 deposit by May 1/balance by June 1)
Where: 10-day course will take place in the Sangre de Cristo Range in southern Colorado.
Focus:
Participants should be in good physical condition and prepare for the program with a regular exercise routine. Each person should have their own backpacking and wilderness travel equipment (list provided) for conditions that may be encountered. Recommended travel and meeting arrangements will be provided.
Please contact Dr. Rick Medrick, Director, at 303 320-0372 or rmedrick@olts-bt.com for further information and reservation.
