Naropa University

Naropa University International Student Insurance

Naropa University, located in Boulder, Colorado, was established in 1974. It’s a private, nonprofit, liberal arts university that was founded by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. It initially opened as the Naropa Institute, and its first formal degree programs began in 1975. The school considers itself as having a Buddhist slant but as distinctly nonsectarian; its goal is to merge Eastern wisdom studies with Western scholarship in a practice called contemplative education. Contemplative education combines academics, experiential learning, and contemplative practices like meditation and mindfulness to inspire critical thinking, the acquisition of new skills, and self-awareness. Today, Naropa enrolls about 1,000 students and counting each year.

Academic Offerings

Naropa offers bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and certificate programs in subjects like yoga studies, contemplative art therapy, mental health counseling, and ecopsychology in addition to more traditional offerings. The school is also known for its creative writing and poetry programs, especially its Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, founded by some of the most famous poets of the Beat generation like Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, and John Cage.

Graduation requirements include three semester hours of a “body-mind practice” and three hours of World Wisdom Traditions, which include religion courses. Certain other majors like psychology or religious studies require a certain number of meditation classes. 

Naropa also operates several programs in line with its mission and values. The Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education serves as an international resource for this model of teaching, as well as offering events, training, and online resources and classroom practices. The Joanna Macy Center, named for Buddhist scholar and environmental activist Joanna Macy, places special emphasis on the idea of Nuclear Guardianship, addressing the potential hazard of nuclear contamination using wisdom and creativity.

Notable Alumni

Notable Naropa University alumni include musician Gregory Isakov, poets Brenda Coultas and Bunky Echo-Hawk, writer and performer Tim Hernandez, and experimental poet Eleni Sikelianos.

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