Adler University
- Last Updated on: July 15, 2025 by
- Sridhar Kongara
Founded in 1952 and expanded to Vancouver in 2005, Adler University is a graduate school focusing on quality education paired with an emphasis on social justice, community action, and public health. It has more than 1,800 students around the world, at campuses in Vancouver, Chicago and online. Vancouver campus is located at 520 Seymour Street, where it hosts the university’s psychology, public policy and counselling programs.
Courses Offered
** Fees mentioned here are approximate and are per year, Unless specified otherwise
Why Choose Adler University
Focus on Social Justice: At Adler University, all programs are designed from the ground up to promote health equity and social justice. A 200-hour internship in the civic sector, where students focus on marginalized communities, the school’s signature Social Justice Practicum offers students the chance to have an immediate positive impact on society and a first experience in becoming a professional.
Graduate-Only Program: Adler University is one of the only campuses in the world whose sole focus is graduate study. the school focuses on its resources, faculty and course offerings for people looking to learn at an advanced pace of education and obtain a professional and post graduate degree. With a particular emphasis on mental health, counselling, and policy issues, this specialization offers students a well-rounded curriculum of courses, research advice, and applied skills practice.
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High Employment Outcomes: Over 90 percent of Adler’s graduates are working within a year. For its students, that translates into actual careers, courtesy of the university’s standing among employers, emphasis on hands-on training and partnerships with over 1,500 community organizations.
Practice-Driven Learning: At Adler, students gain experiential education from their very first day. This is via research papers and work in the community. This kind of hands-on experience prepares students for the workforce.
Global Student Community: Adler’s Canadian campus in Vancouver attracts students from across the country and from around the world. The university encourages diversity and inclusion and offers classes on cultural humility and anti-oppressive practices. International students also join a supportive academic environment which also facilitates their transition to social and professional life.
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Campus Facilities at Adler University
Modern Downtown Campus: Adler’s campus is in the heart of downtown Vancouver and is designed to be functional and inspiring. The spaces incorporate open collaboration spaces, private training counselling rooms, and kids’ spaces equipped with multimedia for interactive learning and community purposes.
Advanced Learning Resources: The Vancouver campus has an offsite branch library that offers online and print materials to serve the graduate programs. There is also psychology, health policy, counselling, and community engagement databases that students can use. In person and academic support ensures that scholars can always rely on help in research.
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Health and Wellness Spaces: Adler places a high value on mental health and self-care. It has student relaxation rooms, wellness lounges, and access to tele-counselling services and mental health support. These characteristics make it ideal for personal and client care instruction.
Technology Integration: Modern audio/video technology is available in all classrooms to support hybrid learning. Educational resources for digital learning complement traditional one-on-one classes, providing students with more choices to follow up on their study. The campus likewise lends itself to work at a distance through the implementation of cloud-based programs and virtual roles played in counselling.
Dedicated Community Engagement Office: One unique feature of Adler University is that we have a Community Engagement Office right on campus. matching students with more than 1,500 partner organizations for internships, fieldwork and research-based community solutions that form the backbone of Adler’s hands-on philosophy.
Student Services Offered by Adler University
Academic Advising and Mentorship: Each student is monitored by an academic advisor for course selection and field, and a practicum adviser to track progress and receive career-readiness support. Faculty mentors’ students in both their academic and professional growth.
Career Services and Employment Support: Adler’s Career Services team helps students to write a resume, prepare for interviews, network and get placement. There are job fairs during every semester and there are often organizations that come from the field who partner with Adler in offering practicum and research experiences.
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International Student Support: There is also information for international students such as visa assistance, orientation and cultural adaptation and a peer mentor program at the Vancouver campus. Advisers help with health insurance, housing and part-time work.
Counselling and Mental Health: There is also free and confidential counselling to all students. These services are intended to assist with academic, acculturation and personal stress. Students are exposed to services through clinical training placements.
Student Engagement and Leadership: Students may also participate in an active student life including the Adler Student Association (ASA) and the Adler Vancouver Pride Association (AVPA). Host events – socials, cultural events, educational presentations that contribute to support and activism on your campus.
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Student Life at Adler University
Diverse Student Body: The student population at Adler Vancouver is a colorful mosaic, representing people from every region of Canada and over 30 countries. This inclusive climate enhances classroom discussions and the mind set of listening to others and leads to an improved cultural understanding which is a necessary tool in the work of counselling and social justice.
Student Associations and Clubs: Students participate in more than 25 organizations, including the Adler Student Association, the Adler Vancouver Pride Association and the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Student Society. These groups organize meetings and socials, informational and networking opportunities.
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Annual Events and Conferences: Adler annually facilitates community and educational events, such as Social Justice Summit, Mental Health Awareness Week, among others. Opportunities like this motivate students to get in touch with professionals, present research and extend their passion and dedication to social justice.
Community Volunteering: Students are encouraged to “pay it forward” with projects in shelters, schools and advocacy organizations. These initiatives are typically coordinated through the Student Services department and reflect Adler’s mission to build healthy communities.
Vibrant Vancouver Location: It’s great living in Vancouver, we can go to cultural events, outdoor activities. Students enjoy a campus life that has mountains, beaches, and city life all located within a short drive.
Scholarships Offered by Adler University
Joy MacPhail MPPA Leadership Scholarship: This award is worth $10,000 to Master of Public Policy and Administration degree students. Public service leadership and commitment to gender equality are some of the factors that qualify candidates for selection. Female and gender-diverse students will receive preference.
International Student Excellence Award: This scholarship has a value of up to $5,000 and is designed for first year international graduate students in any degree program. Students must have a strong GPA and community services to get in.
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Diversity Leadership Scholarship: This scholarship awards $7,500 to students who have shown strong leadership in their efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion. Applicants will be asked to submit an essay detailing their community service or advocacy work that connects to Adler’s mission of social justice.
Adler Vancouver Merit Scholarship: Offered at $2k to $6k, this scholarship is based on previous academic achievement and leadership potential. There is no separate application for admitted students, recipients are selected based on their application essays + other information in their file.
Community Service Fellowship: This scholarship is for students who actively work in community service or social change. Award amounts vary, though typically range between $3,000 and $8,000.
Internship and Placement at Adler University
Extensive Community Network: Adler University has relationships with over 1,500 organizations around the globe that offer clinical field placements in hospitals, clinics, schools, nonprofits and government agencies for our students. These are shared arrangements which help to deliver the practical experience of their field to students.
Social Justice Practicum: Adler curriculum revolves around the Social Justice Practicum, involving students working in community organizations. This unique internship spans four blocks and involves students working together to apply classroom theories to acute social issues.
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Employment-Focused Training: students get mock interviews, assistance building their e-portfolios, and feedback from industry mentors; all with the long-term intention of helping students find work after graduation. That is in part why the university has a 90% employment rate.
Customized Placement Support: There is a practicum coordination team who work to assist each student to secure the experience that is best suited to their program, interest/content area and location preference. Through a personalized matching process, the Adler offers a rewarding field experience that is in line with academic and career goals.
Alumni Connections: Many internships lead to full-time jobs. Adler has a great network of alumni who prove to be influential members in building the careers of students, helping them engage with potential employers and guide them through their career paths, about counselling psychology, policy-making, or organizational leadership.
Campuses of Adler University
- Vancouver Campus: Reflecting Canada’s national values and diversity, campus is in one of the most livable cities in the world, on traditional, ancestral, and unceded land belonging to the Musqueam people, in the heart of downtown Vancouver at 520 Seymour Street. It is the location of the graduate programs in counselling psychology, public policy, and organizational leadership. The students maintain strong links with community organizations and continue to take placements there and do social justice work. The mix of the academic environment and pure beauty of Vancouver combines to give students a very culturally rich and academically rigorous experience.
- Chicago Campus: Adler University’s Chicago Campus has been the University’s flagship since the University was established in 1952. 17 N. Dearborn Street contains advanced graduate programs in clinical psychology, art therapy, forensic psychology and related fields. The city of Chicago offers students exposure to a diverse community health population and experience with multiple community health issues. The campus is housed with modern classrooms, counselling labs with research centres.
- Online Campus: Adler offers high quality bachelors, master’s doctoral degrees to working professional or international students with degree programs that are unable to accommodate full-time, on-campus implementation. Degree programs include Master of Arts in Counselling, Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Public Administration. Classes are a mix of interactive sessions. Students have the same practicum opportunities, career services and faculty as on-campus students, making online learning equally reputable.
- Unified Mission Across Locations: Spread across three platforms yet united through a common mission toward social responsibility, experiential learning and culturally responsive education. Studying in Vancouver, Chicago or online, you’ll be part of a community that has a strong focus on equity, leadership and practical engagement with the world.
- Global Collaboration and Resource Sharing: Students from all four campuses collaborate often, through research projects, conferences, and virtual events. The faculty is available across all the platforms, and the support from the administration has been organized to be provided to students. Special collaboration: Adler University’s partnership with Western Illinois University Adler University and Western Illinois University have formed a collaborative agreement to bring together two institutions that share a common heritage.
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Entry Requirements at Adler University
Academic Requirements: Applicants to non-Counselling programs who have not completed all their academic work in an English-speaking college or university must demonstrate proficiency in English via the TOEFL exam. Appropriate bachelor’s degree from a regionally and/or nationally accredited college or university, Applicants must have a 3.0 minimum GPA on a 4.0 scale and must provide a GRE or GMAT test.
English Language Proficiency: Sufficient English-Language skills are required from all incoming students who are not native speakers in the following ways: -TOEFL (minimum 92 iBT) -IELTS (minimum 7.0). Alternative programs may accept PTE or Duolingo.
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Program-Specific Requirements: Some master’s-level programs require additional materials, such as a personal statement, résumé, sample of academic writing or an interview. References are typically required for counselling and psychology programs, and they should be from people who know the applicant’s academic or volunteer work.
Application Process: Applicants must fill out their online application, along with any additional documents and it costs a $40 non-refundable application fee. Adler has open enrolment for applications, but they suggest that international applicants complete their applications at least six months before the start of the quarter for which the student is planning to matriculate.
Visa and Study Permit Support: Once accepted, Adler’s international office assists students in the application process for a Canadian study permit. Advisers offer advice on travel, accommodation and settling into student life in Vancouver.
Rankings and Awards of Adler University
Carnegie Classification Recognition: Adler is a fully classified Special Focus: Graduate Studies institution of the Carnegie Foundation and its mission is dedicated to training practitioners of leading organizations in the areas of health and community.
High Graduation and Employment Rates: Home to an 87% success rate and a 90+% employment rate within 12 months, Adler’s educational value is respected across the graduate education community. The reason this acceptance rate exists is due to its incredible faculty, curriculum and experiential learning.
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Reauthorization of Spy. D. Program: The Vancouver campus was given an unusually long 10-year reauthorization for the program, which is twice the length of the typical program reauthorization. This is the reputation for quality of the establishment as a teacher, as a supervisor, as a professional educator.
Social Justice Education Awards: Adler is also frequently cited for its leadership in community service experience and social justice programming. The impact-based model of the university has already caught the attention of mental health networks, local governments and non-profit partners.
Diversity and Equity Initiatives: It had been celebrated in its efforts to address anti-racism and equity in its curriculum and administration. These accolades are a recognition of the fact that Adler is a national leader in promoting inclusivity and systems thinking within its institutions.
Acceptance Rate
- Accessible Yet Purposeful Admissions: Adler University has an admittance rate of 80–82% and only allows prospective students who are sincerely interested in social justice and community service. A high offer rate provides Adler with flexibility to select a varied group of students who also meet our high academic and professional standards.
- Focused on Mission Alignment: These numbers seem to indicate a more forgiving admissions process than at the elite schools, but Adler is mission-aligned in its admissions process. Prospective students are evaluated on more than just their academic credentials; also on consideration are their dedication to social justice, community health and moral leadership.
- Graduate-Only Programs with Standards: As a graduate school, students must first have a bachelor’s or other acceptable degree before they are allowed admission to the Adler. Most programs also require a minimum 3.0 GPA and a background in psychology, social work or policy studies. Most accepted applicants who get in are accepted as so-called “conditional” students and are required to first fulfil certain requirements before they may be enrolled.
- Supportive Admissions Process: The admission staff at Adler is active in assisting applicants throughout the entire application process. This supportive approach makes it possible that those who fit with the mission of the school can succeed and thrive. College maintains discipline and the value-oriented atmosphere that it seems to harbor. It’s making a real impact in overall quality education.
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