Naropa University

Private · Moderately Selective · CO

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationCO · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads339

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate26.7%

6-yr grad rate36.7%

Drop-out rate45.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$37k

Out-of-state tuition$37k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity37.8%

Gender diversity70.2%

International2.1%

Identity—

Overview

Naropa University is a private university in Boulder, Colorado, founded by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa in the 1970s and built from the ground up around contemplative education — the integration of meditation and mindfulness practice with academic study, regardless of a student's own religious background. It draws students specifically seeking that approach rather than functioning as a conventional liberal arts college with meditation added on the side.

Academics

Psychology and counseling are among the university's strongest programs, with a therapeutic orientation informed by Buddhist psychology alongside Western clinical training. Environmental studies is another core strength, reflecting the university's broader interest in ecological and contemplative approaches to sustainability. The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman, is the university's most storied program — a creative writing school with direct roots in the Beat generation that still draws poets and writers to Boulder.

Campus & student life

Contemplative practice sits alongside coursework as an expected part of student life, not an elective add-on, and the community draws heavily from students already oriented toward Buddhist-influenced or alternative approaches to education. The university is small and does not offer a conventional residential or athletics-driven campus culture.

Worth knowing

A degree from Naropa signals a specific educational philosophy; contemplative practice is woven into general coursework rather than siloed into a religious studies department, which is a meaningful fit question for students unsure whether they want meditation practice interwoven with their academics.

naropa.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate100%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying