How to Apply

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, including all letters of recommendation, 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.

Statement of Interest

In a maximum of 500 words, 12-point font, double-spaced essay, please refer to the following readings when writing your essay:

• Body Psychotherapy: Caldwell, C. (1997) Getting In Touch: The guide to the new body-centered psychotherapies. Wheaton, IL: Quest books.
• Contemplative Reading: Siegel, D. (2007). The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
• Multiculturalism, Diversity: Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2013). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice, 6th edition. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

All of Naropa University’s counseling programs offer skills training and counseling career preparation, diversity work, contemplative practice, community engagement, and deep personal reflection. Given this and your understanding of the assigned readings for this application, please respond to the following prompt:

• Naropa invites students to transform themselves and transform the world. What is one thing you would like to transform about yourself while training to be a counselor/ body psychotherapist? What is one thing you would like to transform in the world and how would a degree in Somatic Counseling from Naropa enable you to do this?

Supplemental Essays

Through supplemental essays we hope to uncover your level of exposure to and experience with different forms of movement, sensory awareness, and body-based expression from your essays.

Please limit your answers to a total of 500 words for each section, using 12-point font and double-spaced, and include both supplemental essays in one document with headings indicating the start of each essay.

Supplemental Essay I

List and describe your training and describe how this training supports your interest in working psychotherapeutically with the human body. The following is required:

• Minimum of 2 semesters or 250 hours of training in a body-mind discipline (Examples include energetic healing practices, body/mind psychotherapy training, outdoor training, physical and occupational therapies, bodywork, martial arts, and yoga/movement practices.)

How are your current somatic practices informed or supported by your awareness of internal sensation and body-based processes?

 Supplemental Essay II

A minimum of 100 hours of either paid or volunteer fieldwork experience is required. Fieldwork can be in a supervised setting in the mental health field or through work in a community facility or service organization.

• Please describe what you have done to complete the required fieldwork experience in direct service to others. What have you learned about yourself from this experience as it pertains to becoming a counselor? Please discuss the Multiculturalism, Diversity reading as you answer this question.

After submitting your application form, you will receive an invite by email to RSVP for an interview day. All application requirements need not be submitted in order to interview. However, programs have limited capacity and it is highly recommended that you complete your application as soon as possible to give yourself the best chance at securing a spot if accepted.

Admissions interviews are a required part of the admissions process and will be offered at our campus in Boulder, Colorado, and remotely via Zoom. They are full-day events and consist of two group interview sessions – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – and additional programming designed to help inform your decision to enroll at Naropa.

Interview Days for 2023 Applicants:

Friday, April 21, 2023 (on campus in Boulder, CO)*
Friday, April 28, 2023 (remotely via Zoom)*

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Any registrant who fails to attend all mandatory portions of their Admissions Interview Day or notify the Admissions Office of their absence in advance, will have their application scored accordingly, resulting in a denial. 

BODY-MIND EXPERIENCE 

• Minimum of 2 semesters or 250 hours of training in a body-mind discipline
  
  

PREREQUISITE COURSEWORK* 

The following courses from an accredited academic institution:

• 3 semester credit course in Introduction to Psychology
• 3 semester credit course in Abnormal Psychology OR Theories of Personality
  
  

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).

*Coursework need not be completed before applying. Applicants must submit an official transcript showing proof of completion of the prerequisite coursework and bachelor’s degree prior to the start of the program.

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.

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.