The University of Washington is a public institution that was founded in 1861. The school's oldest and largest campus in terms of enrollment is located in Seattle – the largest city in Washington. In 1990, the university added two smaller campuses in Bothell and Tacoma, Washington. Around 70 percent of the university's students – across all three campuses – study at the undergraduate level. Still, the large university offers more than 370 graduate-level programs. Tuition costs are higher for non-Washington-state residents, and university housing is available for both undergraduate and graduate students. UW utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar, and English is the language of instruction.

The university has 16 colleges and schools that offer studies in a range of subjects, such as arts and sciences, engineering and social work. Its highly ranked graduate schools include the School of Medicine, School of Nursing and the College of Education. The University of Washington Medical Center, a teaching hospital, is highly ranked in several specialties. The university offers a community-based medical education program that allows students to complete clinical rotations in different states throughout the region - Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. One goal of the program is to increase the number of primary care physicians, particularly in rural areas. Research awards received by UW have topped $1 billion in recent years, and the school has more than 280 specialized research centers. Among these research centers are the West Coast Poverty Center, the Polar Science Center and the Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases.

University of Washington is ranked #10 in Best Global Universities.