ECLA was a liberal arts university dedicated to the integrated study of values. Questions about values such as justice, beauty, and truth were placed at the centre of a rigorous curriculum. Academics from many different backgrounds worked together on issues that have relevance far beyond academia. Students from over 30 countries, and a select international faculty, worked together in small classes and one-to-one tutorials that encouraged thoughtful dialogue. Over four years, B.A. students chose two of the three concentrations: art and aesthetics, ethics and political theory, and literature and rhetoric. The language of instruction was English. 

ECLA had a need-blind admissions policy, which meant that no student was turned away for lack of funds and full, need-based financial aid was awarded in each case to support all four years of study.