How to Apply

MFA Creative Writing & Poetics

Currently accepting applications for August 2025 start. Admissions is rolling and applications will be accepted until the program is full.

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 of your application fee, you may submit a fee waiver request.

Please note, only one application will be accepted per applicant. Do not apply more than once. Application fees are nonrefundable. 

We encourage you to be actively engaged in the admission process. Once you have submitted your application online, you can log back in anytime to check the status of your application and documents.

Naropa University requires transcripts from any and all institutions where undergraduate or graduate coursework was completed, and it is very important that you successfully complete the coursework entered on your application. 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, we encourage electronic submission at time of application to expedite an admissions decision.

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 document sending service used by your university. If you submit your transcripts by email, as an attachment, 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.

Statement of Interest

In a concise statement of interest please address:

  • Your writing goals and any personal information that you feel sheds light on your commitment to writing (e.g., details of your writing and reading practices, service to writing communities, artistic, professional, or academic objectives).
  • How does pursuing an MFA prepare you to accomplish your goals as a creative writer? You may also address why you are interested in pursuing your MFA in Naropa’s experiential and contemplative academic setting.
  • 1000 words or less in a standard 12-point font, double-spaced.

Creative Writing Sample

    Submit 10–15 pages of innovative prose, poetry, cross-genre work, or some combination thereof. Please indicate the genre(s) submitted. Please note: the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics offers workshops in innovative prose, poetry and cross-genre work; we do not offer courses in children/young adult literature, popular/genre writing (fantasy, romance, mystery, etc.), playwriting, or screenwriting.

Your resume/CV should detail all pertinent academic, employment, and volunteer history with exact dates of participation.

Two letters of recommendation are required. Recommendations must be from academic or professional sources and may not be from family members, spouses, friends, or current or former therapists or spiritual advisors.

Applicants will use Naropa’s application system to send out requests for recommendations. Recommenders will be emailed a request to complete a short form and prompted to either type their recommendation into the form or upload it as a separate document.

Recommendations must come directly from the recommender and cannot be provided by the applicant.

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:

English Proficiency Testing

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:
  • TOEFL
    • Internet test (iBT): 80 or higher
    • Computer test (cBT): 213 or higher
    • Paper test (pBT): 550 or higher
  • IELTS
    • 6.5 or higher
Exceptions are granted for applicants from countries where English is one of the official national languages.

Non-U.S. Education Records

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.
  1. Global Academic Evaluators (www.aevaluators.com, 720-298-9564)
  2. Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. (www.jsilny.com, 305-273-1616)
  3. World Education Services (www.wes.org, 212-966-6311)
  4. SpanTran (www.spantran.com, 713-266-8805)
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:

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This is where experiential learning meets academic rigor. Where you challenge your intellect and uncover your potential. Where you discover the work you’re moved to do—then use it to transform our world.

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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.