University of Washington
The University of Washington is a public research university founded in 1861, operating Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma campuses with 10,000+ employees. It serves students, patients, and research sponsors through undergraduate/graduate education, the UW Medicine healthcare system, and federally funded AI, biotech, and scientific research.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1861
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What University of Washington does
The University of Washington is a public research university founded in 1861 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with regional campuses in Bothell and Tacoma. It employs 10,000+ people and operates across three primary business functions: higher education (undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs delivered across three campuses plus Professional & Continuing Education online), research (federally and privately funded scientific inquiry across AI/machine learning, protein design, neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces, quantum computing, astronomy, climate science, and biomedical research), and clinical healthcare through the UW Medicine network (UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, and affiliated outpatient clinics). The institution reports 7,500 Allen School graduates at its 2026 commencement and more than 600,000 youth participating in UW-affiliated programs annually.
Revenue is generated through five primary streams: tuition and fees (tiered by residency status), federal and private research grants and contracts (including NIH, NSF, DOE, Cancer Moonshot, and ARPA-H awards), UW Medicine clinical healthcare services, philanthropy and endowments, and corporate partnerships (notably a 10-year Alaska Airlines naming rights renewal for Alaska Airlines Arena). Distribution channels span on-campus instruction, online continuing education, regional healthcare delivery, athletics events and merchandise, and sponsored research collaborations with government agencies and corporations.
UW's technology footprint includes the world-leading Institute for Protein Design (AI-driven protein engineering), the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory alert system (processing up to 20TB of astronomical data nightly), novel research prototypes such as the VueBuds camera-equipped earbuds system and the Brain Interchange BCI platform (with FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for stroke rehabilitation), and a strategic AI partnership with Microsoft providing expanded computing resources and research collaboration.
University of Washington firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- University of Washington
- Legal name
- University of Washington
- Website
- https://washington.edu
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1861
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- The University of Washington is a public research university founded in 1861, operating Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma campuses with 10,000+ employees. It serves students, patients, and research sponsors through undergraduate/graduate education, the UW Medicine healthcare system, and federally funded AI, biotech, and scientific research.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
University of Washington industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- STEM-Focused Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAE), Public Research Universities with Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) (EDAHAAAC)
Keywords
Where University of Washington is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
University of Washington business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, along with various fees for educational services. Public university with in-state and out-of-state pricing structures.
- Research Grants and Contracts: Federal, state, and private research funding from agencies including NIH, NSF, DOE, and private foundations supporting university research programs.
- UW Medicine Healthcare Services: Clinical revenue from UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, and other affiliated healthcare facilities providing patient care services.
- Corporate Partnerships and Naming Rights: Revenue from corporate partnerships including Alaska Airlines naming rights for Alaska Airlines Arena and other corporate sponsorships. 10-year renewal includes scholarship support.
- Philanthropy and Endowments: Donations, endowed gifts, and alumni giving programs supporting scholarships, facilities, and programmatic initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Quarterly | Standard undergraduate and graduate tuition pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
University of Washington product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The University of Washington is a public research university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs across its Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma campuses, complemented by online and continuing education through Professional & Continuing Education. It also operates UW Medicine, an integrated healthcare system providing clinical care across multiple hospitals and clinics, and produces sponsored research output across AI, protein design, biomedical, and astrophysics domains. Athletic, alumni engagement, and corporate partnership programs round out its core institutional offerings.
Product overview
The University of Washington is an educational institution that conducts technology research rather than operating commercial products. Its primary technology research offerings include the VueBuds prototype—a camera-equipped earbuds system developed by UW researchers that enables AI-powered visual question-answering through integrated cameras and on-device processing. The institution also offers academic programs including an interdisciplinary AI minor launching in Spring 2027, and operates various research centers and initiatives.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- UW Institute for Protein Design: Research institute focused on AI-driven protein design and engineering
- UW Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
- UW Medicine
- PestiSeguro/PestiSafe
- DopFone
Products and services
- Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Programs Degree-granting academic programs across the Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma campuses covering undergraduate majors, graduate master's and doctoral programs, and professional degrees. Targeted at prospective and current students seeking higher education credentials, with research opportunities and career development support.
- UW Medicine Healthcare Services Comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medical care delivered through UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, and affiliated outpatient clinics. Targeted at individual patients and families needing primary, specialty, and emergency medical services, including clinical trials and academic medicine.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70% of UW seniors graduate with no known debt, demonstrating value and accessibility
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use University of Washington
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
University of Washington technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature7 records
University of Washington partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Coordinated Care and Sea Mar Community Health Centersminor$100,000 donation creating endowed scholarship to support underrepresented students pursuing careers in dentistry, aiming to strengthen Washington's dental workforce diversity.
- Ksana HealthminorUW health system participating in ARPA-H EVIDENT initiative with $17.9M contract to Ksana Health for developing Large Health Behavior Model using AI trained on smartphone and wearable data.
- Open Molecular Software FoundationminorResearch fellowship collaboration with UW Institute for Protein Design to develop open-source AI tools for protein structure prediction and drug discovery, supporting researchers and companies worldwide.
- Alaska AirlinescoreRenewed 10-year partnership continuing Alaska Airlines naming rights for Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Up to half of Alaska Airlines' annual investment supports scholarships and community initiatives for UW student-athletes.
- CounterX Therapeutics Inc.minorExclusive licensing agreement with CounterX Therapeutics for monoclonal antibody and vaccine candidates targeting fentanyl and opioid overdose, including platform technologies.
- Microsoft CorporationcoreExpanded AI partnership including $10 million AI initiative funded by Microsoft pioneer Charles Simonyi, increased access to AI computing resources, internship opportunities, and research collaboration. Partnership aims to enhance AI education, workforce readiness, and innovation in Washington state.
- Carnegie Mellon UniversityminorUW researchers part of $28.5M ARPA-H funded LIVE project led by Carnegie Mellon to develop 3D bioprinted liver tissue. Project aims to produce immune-compatible liver tissue for patients with acute liver failure.
- King County Regional Homelessness AuthorityminorPartnership on two-week sampling methodology for Point-In-Time homelessness count, partnering with UW researchers on improved data collection approaches.
- CorTec GmbHminorUW conducting NIH-funded clinical trial of CorTec's Brain Interchange BCI system for stroke rehabilitation motor function restoration. FDA Breakthrough Device Designation received.
- AI HouseminorAI House, launched from AI2 Incubator, recognized alongside UW's Center for an Informed Public as Geeks Give Back honoree for community-building in Pacific Northwest.
- Vera C. Rubin ObservatorycoreUW Institute for Data Intensive Research in Astrophysics and Cosmology developed Rubin's alert system. Observatory sent 800,000 notifications in single night and processes up to 20 terabytes of data nightly.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
University of Washington competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- University of Michigan: Large public R1 research university with multi-campus footprint, Big Ten membership, academic medical center (Michigan Medicine), and globally ranked CS and engineering programs. Closely comparable in scale, athletics, and research breadth to UW.
- University of California, Berkeley: Premier public research university within a multi-campus UC system with medical enterprise, top-ranked CS/AI (BAIR), and NIH-funded research portfolio. Competes head-to-head with UW for federal grants and STEM talent.
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA): Public R1 with comprehensive medical center (UCLA Health), strong life-sciences research, Big Ten athletics, and large research expenditures. Directly comparable to UW in academic medical and research scale.
- Ohio State University: Multi-campus public R1 with a large academic medical center, Big Ten athletics, and nationally ranked engineering and health sciences programs. Comparable institutional scale and revenue mix to UW.
- Pennsylvania State University: Public, multi-campus (University Park plus 20+ campuses) research university with Big Ten athletics, a medical center, and significant federal research funding. Strong structural parallel to UW's Seattle/Bothell/Tacoma model.
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Public R1 with a top-tier academic medical center (UNC Health), strong life sciences and public health schools, and ACC athletics. Comparable research breadth and medical school profile.
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Top public R1 with leading computer science (Grainger College of Engineering), Big Ten membership, and major federal research awards. Closely matches UW's CS/AI competitive position and research scale.
- University of Texas at Austin: Large public R1 with top-ranked CS/AI, Dell Medical School, Big 12 athletics, and a similarly large research portfolio. Direct competitor for tech talent and federal research dollars.
- University of Maryland, College Park: Public R1 in the Washington-Baltimore corridor with strong computer science (UMIACS, Maryland Cybersecurity Center) and Big Ten membership. Comparable to UW in geographic and CS-research positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Stanford University: Private R1 with a leading academic medical center, top-ranked AI and biotech programs, and significant spinout activity. Sets the benchmark UW's Institute for Protein Design and Allen School compete against in AI/biotech recruiting.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
University of Washington social profiles
Digital presenceUniversity of Washington financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
University of Washington leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
University of Washington subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
University of Washington funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds23 records
Investors19 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
University of Washington M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments6 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about University of Washington
What does University of Washington do?
The University of Washington is a public research university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs across its Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma campuses, complemented by online and continuing education through Professional & Continuing Education. It also operates UW Medicine, an integrated healthcare system providing clinical care across multiple hospitals and clinics, and produces sponsored research output across AI, protein design, biomedical, and astrophysics domains. Athletic, alumni engagement, and corporate partnership programs round out its core institutional offerings.
Is University of Washington a public or private company?
University of Washington is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was University of Washington founded?
University of Washington was founded in 1861. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is University of Washington based?
University of Washington is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does University of Washington make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are research Grants and Contracts, UW Medicine Healthcare Services, corporate Partnerships and Naming Rights and philanthropy and Endowments.
Who are University of Washington's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Texas at Austin and University of Maryland, College Park. Stanford University is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does University of Washington have an API?
No public API is recorded for University of Washington.
What industry is University of Washington in?
University of Washington's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAAAI, Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems, with a secondary code of EDAHAAAE, STEM-Focused Public Research Universities. Its NAICS code is 61131 and its SIC code is 8200.