Private nonprofit · University

Naropa University

Boulder, Colorado · Midsize city

100.0%
Admit rate
$29,179
Avg net price
37%
Graduation rate
$28,720
Median earnings

Naropa University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Boulder, Colorado (midsize city setting), enrolling 339 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 339 undergradsMidsize cityOpen admissionCold wintersSnowy

About Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat of, and the most populous municipality in, Boulder County, Colorado, United States. By the 1500s, the Ute people held primary occupation of Boulder Valley. In the early 1800s, the Arapaho migrated to the region. In the 1800s, European Americans settled in the area. Boulder has hosted a 10 km road run, the Bolder Boulder, on Memorial Day every year since 1979. The race involves over 50,000 runners, joggers, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it one of the largest road races in the world. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
24 miles to Denver, CO
To the ocean
750 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan (BJC)

How Naropa University compares

Selectivity100.0%

More selective than 2% · #16 most selective of 17 in Colorado

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 18% · #15 of 19 in Colorado

First-year retention54%

Higher than 8%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$28,720

Higher than 2% · #22 of 22 in Colorado

Average net price$29,179

Cheaper than 18% · #15 cheapest of 20 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$24,712

Lower than 41%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment339

Larger than 17%

Percentiles compare Naropa University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Colorado.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,094students
  • Undergraduate33931%
  • Graduate75569%

Undergraduates by gender

339undergrads
  • Women22466%
  • Men11534%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White62%
  • Black2.6%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian2.6%
  • Other or multiracial18%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
339
Graduate enrollment
755
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
51%
First-generation students
19%
Students over 25
60%
Median family income
$21,389
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$53,415
Endowment
$4,686,183

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 24 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Colorado33%
  • Other U.S. states67%

A national draw — only 33% of first-years come from Colorado; 67% arrive from other states.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
100.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$36,620
Room & board
$12,290
Books & supplies
$1,256
Total cost of attendance
$53,397
Average net price
$29,179

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
37%
Graduated on time (4 years)
27%
First-year retention
54%
Transferred to another college
17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$21,841
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$28,720
Median debt at graduation
$24,712
Students with federal loans
54%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
54%

About 10% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
27%
Low-income (Pell)
48%
First-generation
47%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
103
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
30%
Housing charge (year)
$7,000
Application fee
$25

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,094 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.3
Rape
0.3
Robbery
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$21,457
$30–48k
$33,397
$48–75k
$21,817
$75–110k
$45,897
$110k+
$46,397

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$96,192

$21,817/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

93%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$17,701
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 93% — get grant money from Naropa University itself, averaging $17,701, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 28 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$28,720
Typical debt at graduation
$24,712
Debt vs. one year's pay
86%
Out-earn a HS grad
23%

Typical debt would take roughly 8.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$30,118
Men
$24,788

Women out-earn men by $5,330 (22%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
88°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
21.2″
Annual snow
92.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Boulder, CO US station (1.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Naropa University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Naropa University side by side →

Colleges near Naropa University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.