Admissions & AidCosts & AidGraduate Costs & Aid

Graduate Costs & Aid

Aligning Aspirations with Budgets

Financial Aid available to Graduate students, per year

Naropa offers scholarships and graduate assistantships. More than 75% of our graduate students receive some form of federal or institutional aid.

Scholarships
Naropa Fellowships : up to $29,000**
Presidential Scholarship: up to $500 per semester
Honor Scholarship: up to $1,500 per semester
Other Scholarships: up to $25,000
Outside Scholarships: monies awarded by non-Naropa sources

Graduate Scholarships Page

**Fellowships may not be available for all programs
Employment Opportunities
Graduate Assistantships: a form of employment with the University, awards ranging from $4,238 – $8,476.

Federal Work Study: Need based employment on campus or with approved community partners. To be considered, please email finaid@naropa.edu.

Naropa Student Employment: Non-need based student employment on campus. To be considered, please email finaid@naropa.edu
Student Loans
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans: up to $20,500

PLUS Loan: Federal credit-based loan available to cover the gap between aid and cost of attendance

Aid may available up to your cost of attendance (tuition & fees plus humble living expenses)

Graduate Program Costs

Important Information for All Programs

  • Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500/year in Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans.
  • Graduate students may be able to borrow a Federal Grad PLUS loan up to the total Cost of Attendance minus all other aid awarded (must credit qualify).
  • Students may set up a Payment Plan to pay their tuition bill.
  • Many students work part-time off and on campus. For available employment opportunities at Naropa University, visit the Graduate Assistantships webpage or submit a request for Student Employment to the financial aid office at finaid@naropa.edu.
  • Students who previously participated in Americorps programs may be able to apply their education award voucher to their tuition bill. Also, students enrolled in degree programs requiring internships may be able to earn credit toward an Americorps education award.

Graduate Aid Resources

 

Graduate Assistantships are a form of employment with the university. Graduate students selected for a GA position will receive a scholarship that is applied directly to their tuition bill, as well as a stipend, which is paid monthly to the student. GA’s are not need-based; however, students must fill out an aid application.

How to Apply

  • Students are required to apply for GA positions through Naropa’s online employment application (to be announced soon).
  • A link to Naropa’s online employment application is included in each GA position description.
  • Be sure to attach any required documents to your online application (i.e. resume).
  • Students will be notified if they have been selected for a GA position.

Requirements

  • Students can apply for an assistantship if they haven’t been accepted into Naropa; however, students must be accepted before we can offer them a GA award.
  • Students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours (all credits must count towards minimum number of credits needed to graduate) during any semester they may hold a GA position.
  • Returning students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5.
  • All students must submit an aid application (FAFSA for US citizens and eligible non-citizens, International Student Aid application for non-US citizens).

Additional Information

  • Receiving more than one institutional form of aid (including a GA) could affect your eligibility for, or the amounts of, other forms of aid, including scholarship awards.
  • If you are awarded a GA and you have already requested the maximum in the Grad PLUS Loan, we will need to reduce the Grad PLUS loan to make room for the GA award.

COMPLETE THE NEW HIRE PROCESS

  • Human Resources will email New Hire paperwork to the student.
  • Students who are selected for an assistantship must complete Naropa’s new hire process before they can begin working in their position.
  • We cannot apply your GA awards to your account until the new hire process is complete.
  • Students who are hired within two years of their last date of employment (i.e. work-study or a GA position) do not need to complete new hire paperwork.

GA Scholarships & Stipend

Students who are selected for a GA position will receive a GA scholarship that will be applied directly to their tuition bill, as well as a stipend. GA award amounts are based on the number of required hours of work each week.

For the 2023-2024 academic year, the award amounts are as follows:

  • 10 hrs/week: $4,500 stipend and $4,500 scholarship for the academic year
  • 7.5 hrs/week: $3,375 stipend and $3,375 scholarship for the academic year
  • 5 hrs/week: $2,250 stipend and $2,250 scholarship for the academic year
 

There are two federal student loans available to graduate students to assist in paying their educational expenses.

Direct Unsubsidized Loan

  • Lending Limit: $20,500 per academic year
  • Interest Rate:
    • 7.05% for the 2023-2024 academic year
  • Loan accrues interest while a student is in school
  • Origination Fee: 1.057% (for loans disbursed after 10/1/2021, but prior to 10/1/2023)*
  • Grace Period: 6 months

Graduate PLUS Loan

  • Students must credit-qualify for the PLUS Loan
  • Lending Limit: Awarded up to a student’s estimated cost of attendance minus other forms of aid a student has been awarded
  • Interest Rate:
    • 8.05% for the 2023-2024 academic year
  • Origination Fee: 4.228% (for loans disbursed after 10/1/2021, but prior to 10/1/2023)*

*Interest rates and origination fees change yearly based on auction of Treasury bill in spring

Review more information regarding Federal Student Loans.

Review federal student loan borrowing history

Students can review information regarding their federal grants and federal student loans, including borrowing history, through the Federal Student Aid Website.

  • You will need your Federal Student Aid ID (FSA-ID) to enter the site
  • You must create an FSA ID, if you haven’t already done so, in order to access Department of Education websites, such as FAFSA

Loan Repayment

There are various loan repayment plans available through the Department of Education. A few repayment plans are listed below:

  • Standard Repayment
  • Income Contingent Repayment Plan—ICR*
  • Income-Based Repayment—IBR*
  • Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan*
  • Revised Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan*

*Students may be eligible for loan forgiveness

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Individuals employed full-time with a public service organization may be eligible for loan forgiveness.

Private student loans

Naropa University awards educational loans primarily from the Direct federal student loan program. Some lenders advertise private loans that “mimic” the federal student loan program, but which differ in important ways. Private student loans:

  • Cannot be included in a federal consolidation loan
  • Are not eligible for income-driven repayment plans
  • Are not eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
  • Result in an additional monthly student loan payment for the borrower

Aid from all sources cannot exceed a student’s estimated cost of attendance. Please send an email to finaid@naropa.edu with the words “Private Loan” in the subject line if you would like to start the process of requesting the inclusion of a private loan in your financial aid package.

Naropa University does not endorse or promote any private loan program or lender. Borrowers are encouraged to review federal student loan options before considering private loans since federal loans will generally have more favorable terms and conditions.

Work-Study

While graduate students are not typically awarded federal work-study, they may email finaid@naropa.edu to request an award of work-study eligibility, and indicate a dollar amount that they would like to be awarded. The Grad PLUS loan will be reduced by the amount awarded in work-study eligibility. Students can work 5 to 20 hours per week. Students are paid twice per month. Earnings are paid to the student and are subject to taxation. Students must demonstrate financial need to be eligible for work-study. Receiving a work-study award is not a guarantee of employment.

The Resident Assistant position does not require students demonstrate financial need. This position requires a student live in University Housing for which a full housing scholarship is given. This is a 20-hour-per-week position in which students are paid twice per month. Please note that receiving more than one institutional form of aid (including the RA position) could affect your eligibility for, or the amounts of, other forms of aid, including scholarship awards. If you are awarded an RA position and you have already requested the maximum in the Grad/Parent PLUS Loan, we will need to reduce the Grad/Parent PLUS Loan to make room for the RA position payment and housing scholarship. If the application is open, it can be found via the work-study positions link below.

View and apply for work-study positions

Community Work-Study

Naropa employs a small percentage of students at the following nonprofit organizations in the Boulder area through the community work-study program:

Community work-study is a great opportunity to be of service to the community and work with children and adults in tutoring, counseling, and teaching. You must be eligible for work-study and be a United States citizen to hold a work-study job at a community work-study site.

View and apply for community work-study jobs

How to Apply for a Community Work-Study Job

  • Contact the site/organization directly to inquire about available jobs and the application process
  • If the site selects you for a position, students must also complete Naropa’s employment application and new hire process:
    • Background check release and authorization
    • New hire paperwork
  • Once you’ve completed the above listed forms, take them to Human Resources along with your work authorization documents noted on the third page of the I-9 Form
  • Common forms of identification include passport, driver’s license, and social security card or birth certificate. These documents need to be presented to Human Resources within 3 business days of your first day of work
  • If the site/organization selects you for a position and you have successfully completed Naropa’s new hire process, Student Financial Services will contact your site supervisor to confirm you can start working in your position

Naropa Student Employment (NSEP)

Naropa Student Employment is a form of employment with the University. NSEP is a university-funded form of financial aid that allows international students to work on-campus and earn a semi-monthly paycheck. Student employment earnings are not applied to a student’s tuition bill. NSEP is awarded to international students who demonstrate high financial need. Receiving an NSEP award is not a guarantee of employment. Open Naropa Student Employment positions are posted on Naropa’s employment webpage.

 

Can I use Veterans’ Benefits at Naropa?

Naropa University is approved by the Colorado Office of Veterans Education and Training (COVET) for Veterans Education Benefits. Students can use their VA education benefits for approved degree programs.

Individuals with questions about their eligibility for VA benefits in general, please review the VA website or contact your local Veterans’ Administration branch.

Naropa Student Veterans Benefits

Yellow Ribbon Program

What is Yellow Ribbon?

Yellow Ribbon is an agreement between the Department of Veteran Affairs and the school, which helps cover required out of pocket tuition and fee costs that exceed the annual Chapter 33 cap.

Is Naropa eligible?

Yes, Naropa participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Naropa University’s agreement allows for a matching grant up to $10,000 for 100 eligible students in a given year (50 graduate/50 undergraduate).

What students are eligible?

Students who are eligible for Chapter 33 benefits (Post 9/11) at the 100% rate

Note: At this time, you’re not eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program if you’re an active-duty service member or a spouse using the transferred benefits of an active-duty service member.

Starting on August 1, 2022, you may become eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program if you’re currently an active-duty service member who qualifies at the 100% level (you already served on active duty for at least 36 months) or if you’re a spouse using the transferred benefits of an active-duty service member who meets these qualifications.

Have Questions?

Schedule an appointment with a VA school Certifying Official

or email us at vabenefits@naropa.edu

Other Details

Please review our Payment Options page.

Tuition is due Monday of the week before classes start. Failure to pay by the deadline or to adhere to a payment plan agreement could result in late fees, interest charges and even disenrollment. While the student risks disenrollment for non-payment, it is still the student’s responsibility to drop classes if the student has no intention of attending.
Once you register for courses, you can view your tuition bill by accessing the Student Finance section of Self-Service.

A student’s cost of attendance includes direct costs paid to the university (i.e. tuition & fees), as well as estimated indirect costs a student will incur, which are not included in their tuition bill (i.e. books & supplies).

The cost of attendance is determined using guidelines established by the Colorado Commission of Higher Education and assumes that students are limiting expenses by sharing housing, utilizing public transportation, etc.

Indirect expenses are about $2,498/month. The following demonstrates expected  indirect expenses associated with attending school full-time for 9 months (living off campus).

Housing and Food

$14,680

Transportation

$990

Books, Course Materials, Supplies & Equipment

$1,256

Personal & Misc.

$4,762

Loan Fees

$796

Total Indirect Costs

$22,484

You can review our Policies page for any additional information you may need.

Questions? Give us a call today.

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Naropa Campuses Closed on Friday, March 15, 2024

Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024.  All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.

Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.

Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.

As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.  

Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.  Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.