[4][5][6] In 1912, the institute appointed R. A. Torrey as dean, and in 1913 began construction on a building at the corner of Sixth and Hope St. in downtown Los Angeles, which included a 3,500-seat auditorium, two large neon signs (added later) on top of the building proclaiming "Jesus Saves", and a carillon of 11 bells on which hymns were played three times each day.

Elbert McCreery and William P. White, both associated with Moody Bible Institute, were chosen to fill these posts.

[7] In 1932, Louis T. Talbot, pastor of the Church of the Open Door, assumed the presidency and helped raise much-needed funds.

[24] The annual one-day Biola Media Conference seeks to advance the integration of faith and the arts.

[27] Since 2015, Biola requires students to attend five conference sessions and twenty chapel services per semester, or face a financial penalty.

The center offers a master's degree in divinity in Messianic Jewish studies in cooperation with Chosen People Ministries.

It offers biblically integrated courses and programs that exist to train those who desire to make an impact as educators and administrators in public, private, homeschool, charter and international schools.

[43] Classes in the department are used to meet most of the general education requirements at Biola University in four years; the program does not offer a major or minor.

The Torrey Honors College is patterned after the Oxford tutorial system, employing reading, discussion, writing, mentoring, and lectures.

[44] The covert group requested to be accepted as a facet of diversity within the campus, declaring that, despite traditional church teaching on homosexuality, they held similar Christian beliefs and values to the university.

[45][46] The Biola administration released a formal statement on their conservative Christian views on human sexuality shortly afterwards.

The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) since the 2017–18 academic year; while its men's and women's swimming & diving teams compete in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference (PCSC).

[49] They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the West Region of the Division I level.

The school has since inducted 14 more alumni, including: Jim Blagg, Clyde Cook, Musa Dogonyaro, Ronn Johnson, Natasha Miller, Ben Orr, Jessica Pistole, Rianne Schorel and Tim Worrell.

[53] The CCT is a forum where leading Christian thinkers from around the world gather to research and discuss issues of significance to the academy, the church, and the broader culture.

[54] In 2013, the Biola University Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts (CCCA) was launched, funded with a grant from philanthropists Howard and Roberta Ahmanson's Fieldstead and Company.

[55] The CCCA sponsors events and symposia, produces online resources and strives to facilitate thoughtful reflection on the interplay of Christian faith, the larger culture and the world of the arts.

In Fall of 2017, Biola launched the Center for the Study of the Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit Today, funded by a $3 million donation.