The university grants degrees at the bachelor's through doctoral levels. Enrollment consists of some 4,000 students, including about 1,000 graduate students. The university attracts students from across the United States and more than 50 foreign countries. The majority of undergraduates ranked in the top quarter or better of their high school class. Most students choose to live in campus housing, and dining cards can be used at fast-food places, a sit-down service pub, a kosher dining hall, a country store, and a cafeteria. A number of faculty members live on campus to plan activities with students through the Resident Scholar Program.

The academic calendar is divided into semesters. More than 90 percent of the full-time faculty hold doctorates. The university has one of the largest faculty in Near Eastern and Judaic studies outside of Israel. Composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein developed the university's theory-based music program. Disciplines offered at the undergraduate level include liberal arts and sciences, area and ethnic studies, visual and performing arts, computer science, foreign languages, neuroscience, and interdisciplinary studies. Some departments allow exceptional students to complete bachelor's and master's degrees at the same time. These programs include one in engineering physics and a humanities and medicine program. All students study classic texts as part of their freshmen year, and new students are asked to read books on a given topic, which changes from year to year, in order to stimulate discussions held in small groups of faculty and students. Opportunities exist for cross-registration at other area institutions, studying abroad, and internships. Brandeis encourages undergraduate research in all areas and provides funds for students to work with faculty members. Internships are offered in health care, the arts, law, and other fields throughout the Boston area. The university sponsors a summer archaeological dig in Israel. Approximately 40 percent of the undergraduates pursue advanced studies within a year of graduation.

The university's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences conducts programs in some 20 fields. Brandeis also grants graduate degrees through its Florence Heller Graduate School for Advanced Studies in Social Welfare.

Students can choose from some 130 extracurricular activities covering a range of interests. Depending on the sport, varsity teams compete either in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics or in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. A sports and convocation complex completed in the early 1990s is the training facility for the Boston Celtics professional basketball team as well as the site of annual commencement exercises, concerts, and other events. Traditional events include a beach party in February known as Tropics Night and a lacrosse match against rival Bentley College.