California Institute of Integral Studies

What California Institute of Integral Studies does

California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is a private, nonprofit higher education institution founded in 1968 in San Francisco and registered as a 501(c)(3) public charity. The university operates three academic schools — the School of Consciousness and Transformation, the School of Professional Psychology and Health, and the School of Undergraduate Studies — delivering more than 30 bachelor's completion, master's, and doctoral programs grounded in an "integral education" philosophy that combines intellectual rigor with embodied and experiential learning. CIIS enrolls approximately 1,877 students (Fall 2024, including nonmatriculated) and is distinctive for hosting the world's first psychedelic-assisted treatment and therapy program alongside a strong clinical psychology and somatic psychology portfolio, with documented 98% LMFT first-time exam pass rates in 2024 and the #1 California ranking in MFT pass rates over six consecutive exam cycles.

The institution's technology footprint is centered on Canvas LMS for asynchronous online coursework and Zoom for synchronous weekend intensives, supporting online, hybrid, and on-campus program formats that serve students across the United States and internationally. CIIS also operates six community mental health counseling clinics (including The Center for Somatic Psychotherapy) that function as practicum training sites and provide community-facing clinical services.

CIIS's revenue model is tuition-driven, with graduate tuition varying by program and undergraduate students offered fixed tuition rates for up to four consecutive semesters. A Bachelor's to Graduate Accelerated Pathway allows double-counted units at undergraduate tuition rates, reportedly saving students around $20,000 in graduate tuition and creating an internal enrollment funnel (about 30% of bachelor's completion students progress to CIIS master's programs). The go-to-market motion is sales-led: rolling monthly application reviews, personalized admissions counseling, virtual office hours, faculty-led information sessions, and campus tours, supported by an active social media and YouTube presence. CIIS also generates ancillary revenue and brand value through community clinics, public programs, and charitable contributions to its advancement office.

Name

California Institute of Integral Studies

Legal name

The Trustees of the California Institute of Integral Studies

Website

https://ciis.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

California Institute of Integral Studies is a San Francisco-based private nonprofit university founded in 1968, offering 30+ undergraduate completion, master's, and doctoral programs across three schools, specializing in integral education, clinical psychology, and psychedelic-assisted therapy, and serving approximately 1,877 students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts-Integrated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAO)

Keywords

• Higher education degrees
• Graduate psychology programs
• Psychedelic-assisted therapy training
• Somatic psychology education
• Consciousness studies programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: CIIS generates primary revenue through tuition payments from undergraduate completion, master's, and doctoral programs. Revenue is subscription/recurring in nature based on per-semester tuition charges, with fixed tuition rates available for up to four consecutive semesters for undergraduate students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

California Institute of Integral Studies is a nonprofit higher education institution offering bachelor's degree completion, master's, and doctoral programs across three academic schools (School of Consciousness and Transformation, School of Professional Psychology and Health, and School of Undergraduate Studies). Programs are delivered in online, hybrid, and on-campus formats, including the world's first psychedelic-assisted treatment and therapy program. The institution also operates community mental health counseling clinics providing clinical training and public mental health services.

Product overview

California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is a higher education institution offering a portfolio of undergraduate completion and graduate degree programs across three academic schools: School of Consciousness and Transformation, School of Professional Psychology and Health, and School of Undergraduate Studies. The institution provides bachelor's degree completion programs (BA in Interdisciplinary Studies, BS in Psychology, BS in Psychedelic Studies), master's degrees (including Somatic Psychology, Women's Spirituality, Transformative Leadership), and doctoral programs. CIIS also operates community counseling clinics and public programs. The institution is recognized for its integral education approach, psychedelic-assisted therapy training, and high licensure exam pass rates. Programs are delivered in online, hybrid, and on-campus formats with accelerated pathways linking undergraduate to graduate completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies A degree completion program for students who have completed some college work, offering interdisciplinary study across multiple fields at CIIS.
• Bachelor of Science in Psychology A degree completion program providing in-depth understanding of integral psychology through experiential learning, focusing on neurobiology, cognition, trauma, and consciousness.
• Bachelor of Science in Psychedelic Studies An undergraduate completion program exploring the scientific, therapeutic, and cultural aspects of psychedelic studies.
• M.A.-C.P. in Somatic Psychology A three-year on-campus master's program preparing students for licensure as psychotherapists, integrating body-oriented psychotherapy with clinical training and trauma-informed care.
• Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religion - Women's Spirituality A transdisciplinary online doctoral program exploring feminist, religious, philosophical, and indigenous thought, culminating in dissertation research on women's spirituality.
• Master of Arts in Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice A two-year online master's program integrating social justice, ecological healing, and spiritual transformation with a transdisciplinary approach.
• Master of Arts in Transformative Leadership An online master's program developing new ways of being, knowing, relating, and doing for changemakers, featuring International Leadership Association membership.
• Bachelor's to Graduate Accelerated Pathways Accelerated pathways allowing students to complete graduate courses as undergraduates, double-counting units for both degrees while paying undergraduate tuition rates.
• Community Counseling Clinics Six community mental health clinics providing clinical training opportunities for students and mental health services to the public.
• Public Programs Public-facing educational events, workshops, and lectures open to the community beyond enrolled students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% pass rate on LMFT exam for first-time test takers in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Saybrook University: Saybrook is a nonprofit university offering low-residency humanistic and clinical psychology graduate programs, overlapping heavily with CIIS's MFT/clinical psychology offerings and adult-learner, hybrid delivery model.
• Sofia University: Formerly the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Sofia University is a small private nonprofit in Palo Alto/Costa Mesa offering graduate programs in transpersonal psychology, consciousness studies, and counseling — directly comparable to CIIS in mission, size, and program mix.
• Naropa University: A small private contemplative university in Boulder offering undergraduate and graduate programs in psychology, somatic, and contemplative studies with a similar values-driven, whole-person pedagogy as CIIS.
• Union Institute & University: Union is a small private nonprofit offering primarily online and hybrid graduate and doctoral programs for adult learners, with concentrations in counseling, psychology, and leadership — overlapping directly with CIIS's adult-learner graduate model.
• Pacifica Graduate Institute: Pacifica offers master's and doctoral programs in depth psychology, somatic psychology, and the humanities, with a small residential and hybrid model and a similar integral/archetypal focus to CIIS's psychology and consciousness schools.
• Prescott College: A small private liberal arts college with experiential, interdisciplinary, and social-justice oriented programs; comparable in size, mission, and pedagogy to CIIS's undergraduate and transformative studies offerings.
• Fielding Graduate University: Fielding offers primarily online low-residency graduate and doctoral programs in clinical psychology, organizational development, and education, serving working adults — a comparable operating model for CIIS's online/hybrid graduate programs.

Broad incumbents

• Antioch University: Antioch is a multi-campus nonprofit system with progressive, values-driven programs in psychology, education, and management, sitting in the same value-oriented higher education segment as CIIS but at a larger, multi-region scale.

Others

• California Institute of Clinical Hypnosis & Behavioral Medicine (or comparable clinical training org): Provider of specialized clinical certification in somatic, psychedelic, and experiential therapies that competes with CIIS's continuing education and licensure-track offerings as an alternative pathway for practicing clinicians.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TransformativeInquiryCIIS
• Facebookfacebook.com/121937297847617
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-institute-of-integral-studies
• Instagraminstagram.com/tidciis
• Xx.com/integraled

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 California Institute of Integral Studies