U of Washington (Seattle, WA)

Overview

University of Washington is a public institution that was founded in 1861. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 32,046, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 634 acres. It utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar.

Located north of downtown Seattle, the University of Washington is one of the oldest public universities on the West Coast. It is also a cutting-edge research institution, receiving significant yearly federal funding, and hosting an annual undergraduate research symposium for students to present their work to the community. The university has a highly ranked School of Medicine, College of Engineering and Michael G. Foster School of Business. Known as a commuter school, the university does not require freshmen to live on campus. Students can join one of the 950+ student organizations on campus, including about 70 sororities and fraternities.

Acceptance Rate: ~52%

Notable Rankings (US News)

Overall: #58
Engineering: #19
Business: #19
Computer Science: #5

What Students Say...

The Good

"School spirit is the best I've ever seen. An extremely diverse set of people slapped right in the city of Seattle. A truly chaotic, but intriguing, combination."
"Great professors, knowledgeable in the material and great at facilitating learning. Numerous ways to get involved in the community, from internships at Boeing to the over 800 Registered Student Organizations (RSOs). There are always opportunities to learn and to network. Also, the school is large."
"What I love about UW is the diversity of their classes and the beauty of the campus. You've got to be a self-starter to go here. Luckily I was and I loved it here. However, if you want to reach out to any of their offices for assistance as either a student or as alum, best of luck. Their support is crap. Was then, is now, always will be."
"Something that I like about the University of Washington is that the campus feels like a small city where everyone is off in their own world. Alongside, the buildings themselves adds onto the aesthetic to its surroundings. One thing that could be changed is changing classroom sizing, because some intro classes could go up to around 700 students, it feel overwhelming at times."

The Not-So-Good

"If you're considering UW, please look into their impacted major situation and think about how it will affect you. Four of the five most popular majors at the university are currently capacity constrained, and they're not all STEM fields. Students with high GPAs (e.g., 3.8, 3.9) can spend two years at UW only to be rejected from majors that wouldn't normally be considered competitive (e.g., Education, Communications). And impacted majors can affect you even if you don't plan to major in one of them -- the intro classes for these fields sometimes seem designed to weed people out, which doesn't make for a motivating introduction to a field you're curious about. I would steer clear of UW unless you're directly admitted into the major you want. It's not a great environment for students who want to explore various fields before choosing a major."
"I really regret going here. There are tons of weed-out classes that make you feel worthless. The school is so big that the administration treats you like you’re just a number. Competition for majors is absolutely ridiculous; if your gpa is below a certain amount you’re forced to pursue a less competitive major (like communications) even if you’re passionate about something else. This school is really antisocial (if you’re not part of Greek life), and Greek life students are basically isolated from non-Greek life students (because of housing and rushing before school starts). I’ve always liked the rain and thought I could handle Seattle weather, but it’s so incredibly depressing in the fall/winter. The Seattle freeze is a big part of school culture — everyone really keeps to themselves (especially during covid). I had no idea what the school was really like when I toured, so please do lots of research before you commit."

Notable Alumni

Bruce Lee, martial artist and actor
Joe McHale, host of The Soup on E!; actor on NBC comedy Community
Anna Faris, film actress, Scary Movie, House Bunny
Nate Robinson, NBA guard picked 21st overall of 2005 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks; winner of 2006, 2009, and 2010 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Competitions
Orin C. Smith, CEO of Starbucks, 2000–2005, and president, 1994–2005

Student Life in Pics

Episode 46: College Spotlight #1: U of Washington