The university has a longstanding partnership with the Pacific School of Religion and the Graduate Theological Union, as well as the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association.

In 1976, Dharma Realm Buddhist University was formally established at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, with the very first class arriving in 1977.

[7] DRBU employs a philosophy of educating while "developing inherent wisdom," a model grounded in Buddhist values and one that founder Hsuan Hua was a proponent of.

DRBU's mission is "to provide liberal education in the broad Buddhist tradition—a tradition characterized by knowledge in the arts and sciences, self-cultivation, and the pursuit of wisdom.

Such education aims to make students free in the deepest sense and to open the opportunity to pursue the highest goals of human existence.

"[8][9] DRBU’s goal is "to educate the whole person and nurture lifelong learners who can apply their knowledge and understanding in a creative and beneficial way.

"[10] Because DRBU shares a campus with a Buddhist monastery, students engage in academic and intellectual inquiry while living in a contemplative setting.

DRBU's pedagogy is a variation on the "Great Books" model, where learning stems from close reading of primary texts and group discussion in a system of "shared inquiry", as well as integrated Contemplative Exercises both in and outside of the classroom.

[11][12] According to DRBU, the CEI retreat is meant as an important "laboratory” experience where "students can unplug from their ordinary routines to directly experience a variety of disciplined forms of self-reflection, centering practices, and more intuitive modes of knowing—all aimed at increasing a subtler awareness within and without: of oneself, and one’s place in the larger world.

A two-story library holds numerous Buddhist canons and commentaries in multiple languages, as well as audio-visual materials and computer resources.

The Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas is the spiritual hub of CTTB, with ceremonies and meditation taking place daily between 4:00 am and 9:30 pm, as well as several retreats throughout the year.