What Is Naropa?
As the birthplace of the modern mindfulness movement, Naropa University revolutionizes higher education by integrating the mind, body, and spirit into the classroom experience.
If you’re seeking an education that resonates with both personal fulfillment and global impact, Naropa could be your top choice. At Naropa, you will experience a comprehensive curriculum that integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational approaches.
Why Choose Naropa?
Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, accredited liberal arts institution in Boulder, Colorado. Inspired by Buddhist principles, Naropa integrates Eastern wisdom and the arts with Western scholarship, emphasizing a contemplative and holistic approach to education.
Naropa Academics
Naropa’s degree programs combine contemplative practices with traditional academics, igniting a spark of presence throughout your educational journey. This unique blend cultivates a sense of purpose and an ethically driven approach to professional success and community service, fostering a synergy between intellectual knowledge and intuitive wisdom.
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
Ways to Learn
Higher education is changing, and so are we.
Discover the different ways you can attend Naropa.
On campus
Experience a contemplative education in Boulder, Colorado. Our BA and MA programs foster personal growth and academic excellence.
Learn on campus
Low-residency
Combine online learning with in-person intensives in Boulder, CO. Our low-residency MA programs offer flexibility and depth.
Learn low-residency
Online
Study remotely with our 100% online BA programs. Learn more about our online community, faculty, and resources.
Learn online
Naropa University's Guiding Principles
Compassion
We exist to cultivate compassionate, creative, and critical engagement with an ever-changing world through the discipline of contemplative education.
Social Justice
Naropa envisions an interconnected global community that embodies an everlasting commitment to personal actions, interpersonal relations, and vocations that promote individual, social, and ecological liberation and wellbeing.
Regeneration
We commit to create a more just and regenerative world by nurturing student insight and awareness, courage, and compassion. Through contemplative pedagogy, critical thinking, and active engagement, we offer students the skills they need to authentically engage as effective, mindful leaders.
Learn how to join Naropa’s undergraduate community of thinkers, seekers, and doers in Boulder, Colorado—and design an education that reflects who you are becoming.
Master's Admission
Discover Naropa’s graduate programs and the application process for advancing your academic, professional, and contemplative practice.
What Our Students Say
Anthony Gallucci
MA Religious Studies
Chris Cole
BA Contemplative Psychology & MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling
Natalie Hsu
BA Art Therapy
Paula Gasparini-Santos
MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Transpersonal Art Therapy Concentration
Zannon Miller
BA Elementary Education and Teaching
Ina Sajovich
BA Religious Studies
Daniel Rajunov
Master of Divinity
Sofia Drobinskaya
MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling
Naropa in Numbers
948
Students
36
Average Age
9:1
Student-Faculty
Ratio
12
Average
Class Size
14.2%
of Graduates are
Founders
(Digital Information World, 2021)
A Legacy of Contemplative Education
Naropa University was founded in 1974 with a radical idea: education should cultivate wisdom, compassion, and meaningful engagement with the world. As the first accredited contemplative university in the United States, Naropa has spent over five decades integrating mindfulness, critical inquiry, and creative expression—preparing students to meet the complexities of our time with clarity and heart.
Learn more about Naropa's countercultural lumniaries
and the legacy they sparked.
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Discover Naropa's unique pedagogy
and how Naropa's graduates are making an impact.
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Take the Next Step
Whether you’re just beginning to explore or ready to apply, our Admissions Counselors are here to help you understand programs, requirements, timelines, and next steps.
Connect with us to get clear guidance and personalized support as you explore what studying at Naropa could look like for you.
Informed by ancient Eastern educational philosophies, contemplative education at Naropa experiments with another way of knowing through its joining of rigorous liberal arts training and the disciplined training of the heart. Transcending the belief that knowledge arises in the thinking mind only, this educational philosophy invites students to embrace the immediacy of their interior lives as a means for fully integrating what they learn.
Online Bachelor's Degree Programs
Naropa University offers seven online Bachelor of Arts degree programs:- BA in Art Therapy Online
- BA in Leadership Online
- BA Interdisciplinary Studies Online
- BA in Integrative Health (Online Option)
- BA in Political & Justice Studies Online
- BA in Psychology Online
- BA Sustainability Studies (Online Option)
Hybrid Master's Degree Programs
Offering you the flexibility of taking most of your classes online, hybrid programs combine online learning with in-person intensives, which immerse you in contemplative practice and coursework—and build community. You can maintain your work and personal life and live the experience of contemplative education. Choose from six master’s degree programs in the low-residency format:- MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Hybrid option)
- MA in Ecopsychology
- MA in Religious Studies: Yoga Studies
- Master of Divinity (Hybrid Option)
- MFA in Creative Writing
Online Master's Degrees
Questions Students Have
Follow Your Heart to Naropa University
You’re on a heart-first journey – whether as a scholar, spiritual practitioner, counselor, activist, artist, or any other path that’s led you here – you’re ready to take another leap. Join your new life at Naropa, where you’ll discover your unique gifts and contribute to societal and planetary evolution.
