University of Washington - Academics and Research

Academics and Research

In 2006, the University of Washington research budget passed the $1.0 billion milestone. Virtually all of the funding came from peer-reviewed research proposals. UW research budget consistently ranks among the top 5 in both public and private universities in the United States. UW is also the largest recipient of federal research funding among public universities and second among all public and private universities in the country, a position that the university has held each year since 1974. The university is an elected member of the Association of American Universities.

UW students include: 136 Fulbright Scholars, 35 Rhodes Scholars, 7 Marshall Scholars and 4 Gates Cambridge Scholars. For Fall 2011, the University of Washington admitted about 56% of applicants. As of the 2011–12 autumn term, the university had 42,428 students, making it the largest university (in terms of student population) on the west coast. In 2011, the average high school GPA of incoming freshmen was 3.78, and the average SAT score was 1795. About 33% of all undergraduates are members of minority groups.

The University of Washington recruits faculty and staff from around the world. Among the faculty, there are 151 members of American Association for the Advancement of Science, 68 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 67 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 53 members of the Institute of Medicine, 21 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 6 Nobel Prize laureates, 2 Pulitzer Prize winners, 1 winner of the Fields Medal, 29 winners of the Presidential Early Career Awards in Science and Engineering, 15 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators, 15 MacArthur Fellows, 9 winners of the Gairdner Foundation International Award, 5 winners of the National Medal of Science, 5 winners of Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research, 4 members of the American Philosophical Society, 2 winners of the National Book Award, and 2 winners of the National Medal of Arts.

In May 2010, Washington University’s six Nobel laureates were honoured by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, at a special dinner held in Seattle. They are Hans Georg Dehmelt, E. Donnall Thomas, Edwin G. Krebs, Edmund Fisher, Leland Hartwell and Linda Buck. The event was organized by Seattle’s Swedish Consulate as part of ‘Sweden Week’.

The University of Washington library system is the 18th largest library in the United States, with holdings of more than 7.5 million volumes. The Association of Research Libraries ranked the UW library system between the top fifth and fifteenth in various categories.

UW is also the host university of ResearchChannel program, the only TV channel in the United States dedicated solely for the dissemination of research from academic institutions and research organizations. Current participation of ResearchChannel includes 36 universities, 15 research organizations, two corporate research centers and many other affiliates. UW also disseminates knowledge through its proprietary UWTV channel and online.

To promote equal academic opportunity, especially for people of low income, UW launched Husky Promise in 2006. Families of income up to 65 percent of state median income or 235 percent of federal poverty level are eligible. With this, up to 30 percent of undergraduate students may be eligible. The cut-off income level that UW set is the highest in the nation, making top quality education available to more people. Then UW President, Mark Emmert, simply said that being "elitist is not in our DNA". "Last year, the University of Washington moved to a more comprehensive approach, in which the admissions staff reads the entire application and looks at grades within the context of the individual high school, rather than relying on computerized cutoffs."

Since 1977, there has been a Transition School and Early Entrance Program on campus. "The Early Entrance Program is the Robinson Center’s original early university entrance program. Recognized as one of the most prestigious early university entrance programs in the nation, this program facilitates early entry to the University of Washington for a carefully selected group of sixteen highly-capable young students younger than fifteen (15) years old. As mandated by state law, students must have completed 6th grade in order to enroll in the Transition School." This Robinson Center also has a program called the UW Academy for Young Scholars: "The UW Academy is the premier early university entrance program for high school students in Washington State. A small cohort of up to thirty-five academically advanced and highly motivated students are admitted to the UW Academy each year. Students apply to the UW Academy during their 10th grade year, and if accepted, withdraw from high school at the end of 10th grade to enroll as freshmen at the University of Washington." All Academy students are automatically admitted into the UW Honors Program.