Thomas Ehrlich graduated from Harvard College in 1956 and from Harvard Law School in 1959.

From 1959 until 1962 Mr. Ehrlich worked with a law firm in the Midwest, and in 1962 became a special assistant to the Legal Advisor at the State Department. From 1964-1965, he was the special assistant to the Under Secretary at State. From 1965-1971, he was professor and then dean (1971-1975) at Stanford University Law School.

In 1975, he became the first president of the Legal Services Corporation, where he served for three years. He then served as the first director of the International Development Cooperation Agency, reporting to President Carter.

He served as Provost and Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania from 1981-1987, and became the fifteenth president of Indiana University on August 1, 1987. He retired from the position on July 31, 1994.

After his tenure at Indiana University, he was a Distinguished University Scholar at California State University and taught regularly at San Francisco State University. He returned to Stanford in 2009, where he is a visiting Professor of Education.

He is a trustee of Mills College, and has been a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and Bennett College. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.