11 Universities with Paranormal Studies

The study of paranormal activity, whether it is ESP, telekenisis, ghosts, or any other kind of haunting, causes many in academia to clutch at their pearls. It’s easy to see why. These thing are considered “fringe” science, outside the realm of the physical world and what we know to be true and can measure. 

And yet, it may not all be as “fringe” as you might think. 

Here are 11 universities that have paranormal studies that they either conducted once or run regularly in their labs. 

1. University of Arizona
The Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona owns both the VERITAS and SOPHIA research projects. They are designed to explore the possibility that human consciousness transcends death. VERITAS looked at the existence of the personality beyond death as well as mediumship. It expanded into looking at more after-death communication, including spirit guides, angels, and divine higher power under the name SOPHIA.

2. Stanford University
Stanford was the first academic institution in the United States to study extrashuman consciousnessensory perception (ESP) and psychokinesis (PK). They are best known for the CIA-sponsored Stargate Project back in the 1970’s. They were looking into remote viewing. Though the results are debated (some say the success was underreported) the project officially ended. Some say it continues under another name.

3. Cornell University
In 2010, Cornell University's Daryl Bem finished a study on precognition (knowing things that will happen before they do). His results ultimately affirmed that it is a real, scientific phenomenon.

4. University of Edinburgh
A Chair of Parapsychology was established within the Department of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh in 1985. They take an interdisciplinary approach to parapsychology. 

5. Lund University
Lund University in Sweden conducts studies on states of consciousness and parapsychology that works with hypnosis. One of their earlier studies found that highly suggestible individuals are found to experience a high rate of anomalous experiences such as telepathy and clairvoyance.

6. Utrecht University
In 1953, Ultrecht University in The Netherlands played host to the “First International Utrecht Conference on Parapsychology.” It brought together 78 scientists and parapsychologists from 13 countries. In 2008, there was an “Utrecht II” conference that looked into psi phenomena, ESP in dreams, field investigations of hauntings and poltergeist activity, self-organized reality, clinical parapsychology, and more.

7. UCLA
Over a ten year period, UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI) was home to a “non-sanctioned entity” of paranormal research which studied clairvoyance, telepathy, haunted houses, Kirlian photography and even boasted a psi development group (1971 to 1980) which worked on developing the psychic abilities of everyone.

8. University of Amsterdam
During the 1990s, The University of Amsterdam started Anomalous Cognition Section (ACS), which looks into reading minds and seeing the future. Many experiments have been conducted there.

9. University of Virginia
For six years, UVA studied reincarnation. Then they developed the Division of Perceptual Studies (DPS) is a research unit within the Department of Psychiatric Medicine and was established in 1967. The division is still around and is one of the only university-sanctioned paranormal research programs in the country.

10. Harvard University
As one of the most distinguished schools in the country, Harvard isn’t going to be one to jump on the ESP bandwagon. And sure enough, their study was about disproving it. Using brain scans they were able to cast some real doubts on ESP.

11. Princeton University
For almost 30 years, the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) project looked into ESP and telekinesis. Officially the university is embarrassed by the work, but the reality is it was affirmative. ESP exists. At least according to their research. 

The Hauntist