University of Washington Graduate School

What University of Washington Graduate School does

The University of Washington Graduate School is an administrative and academic unit of the University of Washington — a public R1 research university founded in 1861 and headquartered in Seattle. It oversees graduate education across UW's tri-campus system (Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma), serving doctoral students, master's students, graduate certificate students, international students, first-generation graduate students, and undocumented students. Core functions include academic policy interpretation, curriculum and academic unit review (conducted on a ten-year NWCCU-aligned cycle), fellowship and award administration, and student success programming.

The Graduate School's primary operational product is the MyGrad web portal — an internal administrative system requiring UW NetID authentication through which graduate students manage on-leave status, awards, petitions, committee management, graduation requests, doctoral exam scheduling, and master's degree requests. Supporting service lines include the Office of Graduate Student Success (formed July 2025 by consolidating GSEE, Graduate Student Affairs, and Equity & Justice), Fellowships & Awards (administering Fulbright, DAAD, Boren/NSEP, Hertz, ARCS, and institutional fellowships), and Academic Affairs (new degree/certificate approval, policy, and Graduate School Council coordination). Content/community products include the inaugural In Community magazine (2025), the Public Lecture Series, and the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

The Graduate School is funded through a combination of University allocations, tuition and fees from residential and fee-based programs (billed quarterly), donations to fellowship funds (Graduate Student Research Resilience Fund, Graduate Fellowship Fund, UWRA Patricia Dougherty Fellowship, Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship), and indirect participation in UW's broader $500 million research enterprise funded by federal and state grants. As a public university unit, it does not generate revenue in the commercial sense; it has no independent ownership structure and reports to the Dean of the Graduate School and university leadership.

Name

University of Washington Graduate School

Legal name

University of Washington Graduate School

Website

https://grad.uw.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1861

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The University of Washington Graduate School administers graduate education across UW's tri-campus system (Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma), serving doctoral, master's, and certificate students through academic policy oversight, fellowship administration, and the MyGrad student portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graduate Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAAAF

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Public Research Universities

SECONDARYEDALABAI

Graduate & Professional School Preparation

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Academic Advising, Career Services & Student Success

SECONDARYEDAIABAD

Dual/Joint Degree Programs (International)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/University/College Exchange Programs & Partnerships

Keywords

• Graduate education
• Doctoral programs
• Master's programs
• Research fellowships
• Academic affairs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Graduate education is funded primarily through tuition payments from students, with tuition rates varying by program (residential vs fee-based programs). The Graduate School oversees graduate tuition programs including fee-based programs.
2. Fellowship Fundraising: The Graduate School receives donations to fellowship funds including the Graduate Student Research Resilience Fund and Graduate Fellowship Fund. ARCS Foundation Seattle Chapter has contributed over $18 million to UW supporting graduate education.
3. Research Grants and Sponsored Programs: As part of the University of Washington, the Graduate School benefits from the university's $500 million research enterprise funded by federal and state grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The University of Washington Graduate School delivers graduate-level education (doctoral, master's, and certificate programs) across the UW tri-campus system (Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma). It administers fellowships, academic policies, program reviews, and student support services, and operates the MyGrad portal for graduate student administrative tasks.

Product overview

The University of Washington Graduate School offers a unified administrative ecosystem for graduate education management. Its primary product is the MyGrad Program portal, an internal administrative system for students to manage enrollment, awards, petitions, committees, and graduation. Supporting services include the Office of Graduate Student Success (combining GSEE, Student Affairs, and Equity & Justice as of 2025), the Fellowships & Awards office for administering international fellowships like Fulbright, Academic Affairs for curriculum and unit reviews, and the inaugural In Community magazine. Additional programs include the Public Lecture Series and Three Minute Thesis competition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GSEE (Graduate Student Equity & Excellence): Office supporting graduate students from diverse perspectives and experiences, promoting outreach, recruitment, professional development, funding opportunities, and advocacy.
• Office of Graduate Student Success
• MyGrad

Products and services

• MyGrad Program (Student Portal) Web-based administrative portal for UW graduate students to manage on-leave status, awards applications, petitions, committee management, graduation requests, doctoral exam scheduling, and master's degree request submissions. Requires UW NetID and password authentication.
• Office of Graduate Student Success Consolidated office formed July 1, 2025, unifying Graduate Student Equity & Excellence (GSEE), Graduate Student Affairs, and Equity & Justice offices. Provides programming, mental health awareness, funding opportunities, advocacy, and community-building events for graduate student belonging and achievement.
• Fellowships & Awards Office Administers regional and federal fellowship programs including Fulbright, Boren, DAAD, and other international research abroad programs, plus privately funded fellowships. Provides fellowship application assistance and manages discretionary tuition waivers.
• Academic Affairs Office Partners with colleges and schools to establish, maintain and innovate graduate education. Oversees academic unit reviews, new graduate degree and certificate proposals, Graduate School policy interpretation, and coordinates Graduate School Council activities.
• Academic Unit Review Joint process with the Dean of the Graduate School and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs to assess academic and educational quality of units every ten years, as required by university policy and NWCCU accreditation.
• Public Lecture Series 2025–2026 lecture series featuring public lectures from the UW graduate school community, including graduate student and faculty research presentations.
• Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition Annual competition in which graduate students present their research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top producer of Fulbright U.S. Student scholars - a premier international exchange program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institute of International Education (IIE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIE is the implementing organization for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Graduate School's Office of Fellowships & Awards supports UW applicants through the campus process, with IIE managing the national application system and program operations across 140+ countries.
• Fulbright Foreign Student ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational students may be eligible for Fulbright Foreign Student Program for graduate study at UW.
• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDAAD provides information and financial support to 120,000+ students and faculty annually for international research and study in Germany. UW campus priority deadline: October 2, 2026.
• National Security Education Program (NSEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSEP's Boren Fellowships provide funding for graduate students to study less commonly taught languages in critical world regions. Fellows commit to federal government service.
• Boren Awards Alumni NetworkminorOthersBoren Fellows gain eligibility for Diplomacy Fellows Program and competitive hiring privileges for federal positions.
• ARCS Foundation Seattle ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll-volunteer women's organization contributing over $18 million to UW since 1978. Established 52 endowed fellowship funds to attract top doctoral students.
• GEM ConsortiumminorOthersGEM provides fellowship opportunities for graduate students in science and engineering from underrepresented groups.
• Hertz FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHertz Fellowship provides up to $250,000 over five years and lifelong professional support for nation's most promising graduate students in science and technology. Community of 1200+ fellows.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UC Berkeley Graduate Division: Centralized graduate division at a top public R1 research university. Directly comparable to UW Graduate School in serving doctoral, master's, and certificate students across a large public research institution with similar administrative scope, fellowships, and academic policy functions.
• Penn State Graduate School: Centralized graduate school at a public R1 research university with multi-campus presence. Comparable in administering graduate education across a large public university system.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School: Centralized graduate school at a public R1 research university. Comparable in managing graduate admissions, fellowships, academic policy, and degree programs across a comprehensive public research university.
• University of Texas at Austin Graduate School: Centralized graduate school at a public R1 research university. Directly comparable in administering graduate education, fellowships, and student services at a large public research institution.
• Ohio State University Graduate School: Centralized graduate school at a public R1 research university. Comparable in managing graduate admissions, fellowships, and academic policy at a major public research institution.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Graduate College: Centralized graduate college at a public R1 research university. Comparable in administering graduate education, fellowships, and academic affairs for a major public research institution.
• University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School: Centralized graduate school at a leading public R1 research university. Directly comparable in administering graduate education, fellowships, and student success programming at a large public research institution.
• UCLA Graduate Division: Centralized graduate division at UCLA, a top public R1 research university. Comparable in scale and function, administering graduate education, fellowships, and academic policy across a major public research institution.

Broad incumbents

• MIT Graduate School: Graduate school at a private R1 research university. Comparable in scale and prestige but operates as part of a private institution with different funding sources, tuition structure, and academic organization.
• Stanford University Graduate Studies: Graduate studies at a private R1 research university. Comparable in serving top doctoral and master's students but operates in a private institution context with different funding model and broader portfolio across multiple professional schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UWGradSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/UWGradSchool
• Instagraminstagram.com/uwgradschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Washington Graduate School