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University of Washington Review

The University of Washington, which is a public research university, has a primary campus in Seattle and secondary campuses in Tacoma and Bothell. Through 17 schools and colleges, the university in Seattle awards more than 250 degrees in 150 majors; the most frequently chosen majors at the bachelor's degree level are biology, psychology and political science.

University of Washington Overview

After the Territorial University of Washington opened in 1861, it closed several times during its early years due to a lack of funds. The first faculty was composed of one professor; the curriculum consisted of English, Greek, Latin, algebra, history and physiology. Today the instructional faculty is composed of 3,600 professors teaching over 150 subjects.

In 2009, U.S. News and World Report gave UW a rank of 41 out of 130 Tier 1 National Universities and ranked 15 of the graduate disciplines in the top 20 of 34 ranked programs. More federal research funding is given to the University of Washington than to any other U.S. public university; if private universities are added into the mix, the university receives the second-highest amount of research funding of the nation's universities.

Admissions and Enrollment Overview

Competition among applicants is moderate; 61% are accepted. About 57% of the students receive financial aid, with grants being the most common. A student's application file will need to have a completed, signed and dated application, an application fee, official transcripts, official ACT with Writing or SAT Reasoning test scores and an essay. The essay allows students to share the kinds of experiences that don't appear on transcripts, such as challenges faced, character-defining moments, volunteerism, extracurricular activities and work experience. The most important parts of the application are the GPA and the information in the essay.

Campus Learning Environment and Facilities

The Seattle campus of the University of Washington has 20 libraries that collectively rank in the top 15 in the nation. Librarians are specialized, usually working in a single program or department. The Tacoma and Bothell campuses each have another library. All together, the libraries house more than six million cataloged volumes and just as many microforms. There are more than 50,000 periodical titles. Other formats add another several million items to library holdings.

The student-to-teacher ratio on the Seattle campus is 17:1; Tacoma has a ratio of 15:1 and Bothell has 16:1. More than half of all classes have 10-29 students, and 11% have only 2-9 students; seven percent of classes have more than a hundred students.

Colleges and Schools at the University of Washington

  • School of Social Work
  • School of Public Health
  • School of Pharmacy
  • School of Nursing
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Law
  • School of Dentistry
  • Michael G. Foster School of Business
  • Information School
  • Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs
  • College of the Environment
  • College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences
  • College of Engineering
  • College of Education
  • College of Built Environments
  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • The Graduate School

School Contact Information

  • Address: 1400 N.E. Campus Parkway, Seattle, Washington 98195
  • Telephone: (206) 543-2100