University of Washington

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.

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

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

• Higher education
• Academic research
• Healthcare services
• Online learning
• Athletic programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Federal, state, and private research funding from agencies including NIH, NSF, DOE, and private foundations supporting university research programs.
3. UW Medicine Healthcare Services: Clinical revenue from UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, and other affiliated healthcare facilities providing patient care services.
4. 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.
5. Philanthropy and Endowments: Donations, endowed gifts, and alumni giving programs supporting scholarships, facilities, and programmatic initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Coordinated Care and Sea Mar Community Health CentersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026$100,000 donation creating endowed scholarship to support underrepresented students pursuing careers in dentistry, aiming to strengthen Washington's dental workforce diversity.
• Ksana HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026UW 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 FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Research 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 AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026Renewed 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.minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 11 March 2026Exclusive licensing agreement with CounterX Therapeutics for monoclonal antibody and vaccine candidates targeting fentanyl and opioid overdose, including platform technologies.
• Microsoft CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2026Expanded 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 UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 January 2026UW 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 AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on two-week sampling methodology for Point-In-Time homelessness count, partnering with UW researchers on improved data collection approaches.
• CorTec GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUW conducting NIH-funded clinical trial of CorTec's Brain Interchange BCI system for stroke rehabilitation motor function restoration. FDA Breakthrough Device Designation received.
• AI HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI 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 ObservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUW 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/UW
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/uwhuskies
• Facebookfacebook.com/UofWA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-washington
• Instagraminstagram.com/uofwa
• Pinterestpinterest.com/uofwa
• TikToktiktok.com/@uofwa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds23 records

Investors19 records

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M&A

Investments6 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Washington