How to Apply

MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling (On-Campus and Low-Residency)

Accepting Applications for Spring 2026 (Low-Res only), Summer 2026 (Low-Res Only), and Fall 2026

Deadlines to Submit an Application

  • Spring 2026 (Low-Res Only): December 7

  • Summer 2026 (Low-Res Only): May 10

  • Fall 2026: Summer 2026 (Exact Date TBD)

Interview Days: All applicants to a Naropa counseling program are required to attend an Interview Day. In-person and virtual options are offered throughout the year. There is no difference in the possibility of acceptance between in-person and virtual, so choose what works best for you.

An invite to RSVP for an Interview Day will be emailed immediately after submitting an application form. Applicants will be allowed to interview without having all application requirements (e.g. essay, resume, etc.) submitted but applications must be completed no later than three weeks following an interview.  

Keep in mind that programs have limited capacity, and it is highly recommended that you complete your application and interview as soon as possible to give yourself the best chance at securing a place if accepted. Once a program fills up, accepted students who did not reserve a spot by submitting the $250 Confirmation Deposit will be placed on a waitlist.

Interview Days for 2026 Admission

October 10, 2025
Virtual via Zoom (MTC Applicants Only)
November 14, 2025
Virtual via Zoom
December 12, 2025
Virtual via Zoom (MTC Applicants Only)
January 23, 2026
Virtual via Zoom
March 6, 2026
Virtual via Zoom
April 18, 2026
In-person: Boulder, CO
May 15, 2026
Virtual via Zoom
June 12, 2026
Virtual via Zoom
July 24, 2026
Virtual via Zoom

Submit an Application

Apply online by creating a new account or signing in to an existing account.

Naropa University requires that application materials and essays be the applicant’s own work, factually true, and honestly presented, and not created with the use of AI.

At the end of your application, you will be prompted to pay a $60 nonrefundable application fee. If your current financial situation warrants waiving your application fee, you may request a fee waiver.

Only one application will be accepted per applicant and you can only apply to one program at a time. Application fees are non-refundable.

After you submit the application form:
  • RSVP for an interview day using the email sent shortly after submitting your application.
  • Submit all application requirements (e.g. resume, transcripts).
  • Order transcripts sent to Naropa if uploading unofficial copies is not possible.
  • After all application requirements have been submitted, an email will be sent confirming that the application is complete.

We encourage you to be actively engaged in the admission process. Once you have submitted your application, log into your application account to check the status of your application and what requirements may still be outstanding.

When all application requirements have been submitted, you will receive an email notification that your application is complete.

Naropa University requires transcripts from any and all institutions where undergraduate coursework was completed. Transcripts for coursework beyond the undergraduate level are not required. An official transcript of a conferred bachelor’s degree must be received by the Office of Admissions prior to beginning graduate coursework.

Transcripts that are uploaded as part of your application are not considered official. However, to expedite the admissions process, we encourage you to upload copies of your transcripts when possible.

If mailing, official transcripts should be sent to:

Naropa University
Office of Admissions
2130 Arapahoe Ave
Boulder CO 80302

Electronic transcripts from your university may be emailed to admissions@naropa.edu.

Electronic official transcripts are acceptable if submitted through a secure transcript service used by your university. If you submit your transcripts by email as an attachment or upload them via your application account, they will not be accepted as official.

If you completed any coursework at a foreign college or university (other than a study abroad program), an international education evaluation is required.

Naropa University requires that application materials and essays be the applicant’s own work, factually true, and honestly presented, and not created with the use of AI. Please address each of the following prompts in 6 double-spaced pages. Your essay should respond to both the prompts listed for all counseling concentrations, as well as the concentration-specific prompts. Please use the articles as a guide and reference them where appropriate. 

For all Concentrations:

  • What interested you to apply to Naropa University and the specific concentration within the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program, to which you are applying? 
  • What are your career goals relative to enrolling in this program?  
  • What experiences have you had in professional or volunteer capacities, which relate to the counseling field? What specifically did you learn about yourself or about counseling from this experience? 
  • Imagine that you witness a microaggression by a peer and toward another one of your peers. How would you respond?

Prompts specific to the Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling concentration:

  • Please share your experience and/or understanding of contemplative or meditative practice and how it may apply to training as a counselor.
  • Counselors are open to receiving feedback and make the necessary changes to enact positive change or growth. Give a brief example of a time that you received constructive feedback from a supervisor or teacher/professor (or an example of a mistake that you made at work) and discuss how you responded to it.
  • From your perspective, describe the critical elements of a transpersonal counseling session.
Your resume/CV should detail all pertinent academic, employment, and volunteer history with exact dates of participation.

Attending an Interview Day and participating in both group interview sessions is a requirement to receive an admissions decision. All application requirements need not be submitted in order to interview—an invite to RSVP for an Interview Day will be emailed to all applicants who have submitted the application form.

Applicants will be allowed to interview without having all application requirements (e.g. essay, resume, etc.) submitted but applications must be completed no later than three weeks following an interview.

Interview Days are full-day events and consist of two group interview sessions—one in the morning and one in the afternoon—as well as additional programming designed to help inform your decision to enroll at Naropa. Options to interview in person at our campus in Boulder, Colorado, and remotely via Zoom will be offered.

Domestic applicants: Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Learn more about how to apply for financial aid.

International applicants: Complete Naropa’s Financial Aid Application for International Students. Learn more about financial aid for international students.

MTC Low-Residency:

International students are not eligible for the low-residency counseling program, as the program does not meet the US government’s requirements for issuing student visas while Naropa cannot approve overseas sites for the clinical placement practicum and internship. To be eligible, applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents.

MTC On-Campus:

In addition to other requirements, international applicants must also submit:

  • Proof of English proficiency
  • Evaluations of non-U.S. education records

If accepted to Naropa University, international students are required to submit the following for their student visa application:

  • Copy of a valid passport
  • Proof of funding for the first year of the program

Please see the International Students webpage for more information.

Learn More About the Program

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Connect
with your counselor

Becca Schillaci

Admissions Counselor 

Becca Schillaci head shot

Connect
with your counselor

Becca Schillaci

Admissions Counselor 

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About Naropa

Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired, nonsectarian liberal arts university that is recognized as the birthplace of the mindfulness movement. Naropa offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs that emphasize professional and personal growth, intellectual development, and cultivating compassion. 

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Contemplative education brings together the best of Western scholarship and Eastern world wisdom traditions. Therefore, your pursuit of wisdom at Naropa means learning both about academic subjects and about your own place in the world. This innovative approach places Naropa on the cutting edge of the newest and most effective methods of teaching and learning.  

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The Naropa Difference

How is Naropa different from other universities? At Naropa, a liberal arts education balances rigorous academics with powerful interpersonal skills and self-awareness to educate the whole person. Naropa’s contemplative approach is inspired by Buddhist philosophy and the conviction that we can build a diverse, contemplative, enlightened society when we have transformed education to affirm the basic goodness of every person. 

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Naropa University campuses are closed on 12/17/2025. 

Due to adverse weather conditions of high winds and planned power outages, all Naropa campuses will be closed today.