Naropa University

What Naropa University does

Naropa University is a private, nonprofit liberal arts university headquartered at 2130 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder, Colorado, founded in 1974 and named for the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa. Recognized as the birthplace of the modern mindfulness movement, the institution delivers Buddhist-inspired, nonsectarian contemplative education that integrates Eastern wisdom traditions with Western academic scholarship. As of Fall 2025 it enrolls 948 students, of whom 684 are graduate students, with a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of 12.

The university operates three delivery modalities: on-campus Bachelor's programs in Boulder across two campuses (Arapahoe and Nalanda), fully online Bachelor's degrees in Art Therapy, Environmental Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Psychology, and low-residency Master's programs that combine online coursework with in-person intensives. Graduate offerings are concentrated in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (with five specialty concentrations including Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal, Somatic, Nature-Based Transpersonal, Buddhism-Informed Contemplative, and Transpersonal Art Therapy), Master of Divinity, MA in Ecopsychology, MA in Yoga Studies, and the MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. Non-degree and ecosystem assets include Naropa On-Demand self-paced courses, the Mindful U Podcast, Pilot Light Blog, Summer Writing Program, Community Counseling Center, Alaya Preschool, and the Chögyam Trungpa Institute and Joanna Macy Center for Resilience and Regeneration.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and degree program fees (undergraduate, graduate, online, and low-residency), supplemented by external grant funding (notably a $1.5 million grant for psychedelic studies) and philanthropic donations channeled through Blackbaud-powered giving pages and a Monthly Giving Community. The institution is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1986 and holds program-specific recognitions including CACREP-equivalent status from Colorado DORA, ACATE accreditation for Transpersonal Art Therapy, and American Dance Therapy Association approval for Somatic Counseling. Technology infrastructure relies on third-party SaaS — Canvas LMS for instruction, Ellucian CRM Recruit for admissions, TimelyCare for telehealth counseling, YouVisit for virtual tours, and MeadowFi for net-price calculation — rather than proprietary platforms. The university is currently navigating a workforce reduction alongside a new presidential administration inaugurated in October 2024.

Name

Naropa University

Legal name

Naropa University

Website

https://naropa.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Naropa University is a private nonprofit liberal arts university in Boulder, Colorado, founded in 1974 as the birthplace of the modern mindfulness movement. It serves approximately 948 students through on-campus, online, and low-residency programs in contemplative education, clinical mental health counseling, and creative writing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAA)

Keywords

• Contemplative education
• Liberal arts university
• Mindfulness education
• Graduate counseling programs
• Online bachelor's degrees

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Degree Program Fees: Primary revenue stream from undergraduate and graduate tuition. The university offers on-campus, low-residency, and fully online degree programs with varying fee structures. Revenue is generated through per-semester tuition charges for enrolled students.
2. Grant Funding: External grant funding to support specialized programs. The university received a $1.5 million grant specifically designated for supporting its psychedelic studies program, representing a significant non-tuition revenue stream for research and program development.
3. Donations and Charitable Giving: Philanthropic contributions from alumni and supporters, including the 'Resilient Futures Scholarship' fund and various planned giving programs. The university actively pursues monthly giving communities and estate planning contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired, nonsectarian liberal arts university that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs integrating contemplative education with Western academic scholarship. It operates on-campus programs in Boulder, Colorado, low-residency graduate programs combining online coursework with in-person intensives, and fully online bachelor's degree programs across disciplines such as Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Creative Writing, Ecopsychology, Yoga Studies, Religious Studies, and Psychology.

Product overview

Naropa University offers a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and services centered on contemplative, Buddhist-inspired education. The university operates three primary learning modalities: on-campus Bachelor's degree programs in Boulder, Colorado; fully online Bachelor's degree programs for remote accessibility; and low-residency Master's degree programs combining online coursework with in-person intensives. Graduate offerings span Clinical Mental Health Counseling (with six specialized concentrations including Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling, Somatic Counseling, and Transpersonal Art Therapy), Master of Divinity, MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics, MA in Ecopsychology, and MA in Yoga Studies. Beyond degree programs, Naropa provides non-degree offerings including Naropa On-Demand self-paced courses, the annual Summer Writing Program, the Mindful U Podcast, and community services such as the Community Counseling Center, Alaya Preschool, and the Chögyam Trungpa Institute research center. The institution's programs emphasize integration of Eastern wisdom traditions with Western scholarship through contemplative pedagogy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics: Creative writing program within Naropa University's MFA offerings, known for avant-garde and experimental writing traditions.

Products and services

• On-Campus Bachelor's Degree Programs
• Online Bachelor's Degree Programs
• Low-Residency Master's Degree Programs
• Clinical Mental Health Counseling Programs
• Master of Divinity
• MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics
• MA in Ecopsychology
• MA in Yoga Studies
• Naropa On-Demand
• Summer Writing Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 14.2% of Naropa graduates become founders (compared to typical university rates)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grand River SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party vendor specializing in Title IX support. Naropa partners with Grand River Solutions when a Title IX report moves through preliminary review to formal investigation. Their team may serve as investigator, hearing officer, and/or decision-maker to ensure non-biased and fair resolutions. Common practice for smaller institutions to partner with educational communities of experts for impartial process management.
• Chögyam Trungpa InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBased at Naropa University, the institute serves a diverse worldwide community inspired by the work of Chögyam Trungpa, by the practice of meditation, and by the Buddhist tradition and teachings, historically and in contemporary times.
• Joanna Macy Center for Resilience and RegenerationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter at Naropa University producing documentary content exploring the profound and transformative work and legacy of Joanna Macy in the field of resilience and regeneration.
• TimelyCarecoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party vendor contracted with Naropa University to offer confidential counseling services to students through telehealth counseling platform, providing access to licensed professional counselors.
• Ellucian CRM RecruitcoreTechnology or IntegrationAdmissions and enrollment management system used by Naropa for student recruitment, application processing, and enrollment management through their online application portal.
• BlackbaudcoreTechnology or IntegrationDonor management and fundraising platform provider for Naropa's development and donor relations operations, including the gift donation portal.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Maharishi International University: A small private university in Fairfield, Iowa, founded on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's teachings, integrating meditation and Vedic-based contemplative practice with accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees. Highly comparable to Naropa in mission, scale, and contemplative-education positioning.
• California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS): An accredited private university in San Francisco offering graduate programs in integral, transpersonal, and somatic psychology, as well as contemplative studies. Directly comparable to Naropa's transpersonal counseling and ecopsychology graduate offerings.
• Sofia University (formerly Institute of Transpersonal Psychology): A Palo Alto-based graduate school specializing in transpersonal psychology, somatic, and mindfulness-based counseling programs. Closely overlaps Naropa's Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentrations in mindfulness-based and transpersonal approaches.
• Saybrook University: A nonprofit humanistic university offering low-residency graduate degrees in psychology, counseling, and mind-body medicine. Comparable to Naropa's low-residency delivery model and humanistic/contemplative orientation.
• Pacifica Graduate Institute: A small graduate school in Carpinteria, California offering depth psychology, somatic, and mythological-studies programs with a low-residency format. Comparable in scale, audience (mid-career adults), and depth/transpersonal orientation to Naropa.
• Prescott College: A small private liberal arts college in Arizona focused on experiential, environmental, and social-justice education. Comparable in size, mission-driven positioning, and emphasis on environmental/ecological studies adjacent to Naropa's ecopsychology program.
• Goddard College: A Vermont-based progressive liberal arts college offering low-residency BA/MA programs with student-directed learning. Comparable low-residency delivery model and non-traditional adult learner focus to Naropa's graduate programs.
• Hampshire College: A small progressive liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, known for alternative, student-driven education. Comparable in size, mission-driven positioning, and non-traditional pedagogy, though secular rather than contemplative.

Broad incumbents

• Antioch University: A multi-campus nonprofit university system with a long-standing progressive, experiential education model including low-residency graduate programs in psychology and counseling. Broader and more established than Naropa but operates in overlapping niche segments.

Emerging players

• Pacific College of Health and Sciences: A health-sciences-focused college offering accredited programs in holistic health, including massage, acupuncture, and yoga therapy. Adjacent to Naropa's yoga studies and somatic counseling offerings in the holistic/alternative medicine education space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NaropaU
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/naropauniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/NaropaUniversity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naropa-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/naropau

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Naropa University