
Adler Graduate School is a graduate-level institution in Minnetonka, Minnesota, built around the counseling and psychological ideas of Alfred Adler. It is a separate institution from Adler University, which operates in Chicago and Vancouver; applicants should not assume that the two schools share programs, accreditation, or admissions policies.
The school's Adlerian emphasis helps explain its present-day focus on counseling, relationships, and community. For a prospective student, its history matters less as a measure of prestige than as a way to understand the educational approach they will encounter: Adlerian theory treats people in the context of their relationships and communities.
Adler Graduate School specializes in graduate education rather than offering a broad set of undergraduate colleges or majors. Its academic focus is counseling and related mental health fields, with Adlerian theory running through the curriculum.
Applicants comparing programs should look beyond a program's general subject area to its specific degree, concentration, supervised-practice requirements, and intended professional outcome. Clinical counseling, marriage and family therapy, school-based practice, and other counseling paths can lead to different credentials. The school's current catalog is the appropriate place to confirm which paths are accepting students and which courses or placements each requires.
Adler Graduate School is in Minnetonka, a suburb in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. The setting is more relevant to graduate students arranging classes and clinical training than to applicants seeking a traditional residential campus.
Students considering an in-person program should account for travel between the school, home, and any required field-placement site. A placement may have a different schedule and location from classroom instruction. The wider metro area offers potential clinical and community settings, but an individual student's placement options depend on program approval and availability.
Adler Graduate School's educational identity centers on Adlerian psychology, an approach that emphasizes social connectedness, relationships, and the circumstances in which people live. The school applies that perspective to graduate preparation for counseling and related practice.
That stated philosophy describes how the institution frames its teaching; it does not establish that every program has the same curriculum or produces the same professional outcome. Applicants should compare the learning objectives of their particular degree with the requirements of the occupation and state in which they hope to work.
Name of the institution
Adler Graduate SchoolLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
City: SmallInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, graduate with no undergraduate degreesInstitution size category
Under 1,000Adler Graduate School is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Postbaccalaureate certificate
Master's degree
Post-master's certificateData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.