The university enrolls more than 1,000 undergraduates, about 40 percent of whom live on campus. Minorities make up about half of the undergraduate student body, with a large number of Hispanic American students. Undergraduate areas of study include business, health sciences, engineering, education, fine and performing arts, public affairs, communications, computer and information sciences, liberal arts and sciences, and protective services. Classes are conducted on a 4-1-4 system: two full semesters of about four months each and a one-month term in between. Many students use the January term to study abroad on faculty-led excursions. About two thirds of La Verne's full-time faculty hold doctorates. Roughly a quarter of the students pursue advanced studies immediately upon graduation.

The School of Continuing Education conducts many other types of undergraduate degree programs both on and off campus. Twelve residence centers, many of which are on military bases, offer courses to interested persons; sites range from other areas of California to foreign countries such as Greece and Italy. The Campus Accelerated Program for Adults caters to workers by providing individualized counseling and conducting classes in the evening and on weekends. The university-sponsored Professional Development Centers at various hospital and industrial sites focus on degree programs in career-related areas; other places have similar centers for studies in religion, vocational education, child development, and human sciences.

About 100 graduate students attend the university. Graduate and professional areas of study include business, communications, journalism, education, health sciences, law, social sciences, and economics.

The university offers some 35 extracurricular activities, including student publications, drama groups, the campus radio station, television productions, fraternities and sororities, ethnic clubs, and student government. Athletic teams participate in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.