California Institute of Integral Studies

Private · CA

Photo: HaeB (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationCA · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads38

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

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Cost

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Out-of-state tuition—

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Community

Racial diversity47.4%

Gender diversity81.6%

International0%

Identity—

Overview

The California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco, is a nontraditional institution built around psychology, counseling, and interdisciplinary studies that deliberately blend Western academic scholarship with contemplative and Eastern philosophical traditions. It functions primarily as a graduate school, with bachelor's-completion options aimed at adult students rather than a conventional four-year undergraduate program.

Academics

Its programs in clinical and depth psychology, integrative health, and transformative studies are known for combining rigorous academic study with practices like meditation and somatic work not typically found in mainstream psychology programs. The teaching style leans experiential and reflective, drawing on the humanistic and transpersonal psychology traditions CIIS has long been associated with.

After graduation

Graduates commonly move into counseling, clinical psychology, and integrative-health practice, along with academic and writing careers in fields touching spirituality, consciousness studies, and alternative approaches to psychology. Its alumni network is smaller and more specialized than a mainstream research university's, concentrated in fields where its distinctive approach carries particular credibility.

Worth knowing

CIIS's blend of contemplative practice and academic psychology is genuinely distinctive rather than a marketing label — it grew out of, and remains connected to, the transpersonal psychology movement, and it suits students specifically drawn to that integration rather than a conventional psychology degree.

ciis.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate—

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot reported

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Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying