University of Washington
Academics
How strong are the academics at University of Washington?
Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.
20:1
Student to faculty ratio
39
Average class size
71%
4-year grad rate
Class Sizes
Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.
UW has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 20:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.
Class Sizes
Most Common
20-29
2-9
241
10-19
398
20-29
568
30-39
279
40-49
169
50-99
343
100+
238
Honors Programs
University of Washington has an honors program and/or honors college. Specifics of these programs vary, but benefits of being in an Honors Program might include priority registration, being part of a tight-knit community, and accessing unique learning opportunities.
Learn more about honors options on UW's website.
Outcomes
It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at University of Washington:
95%
First-year retention rate
71%
4-year grad rate
84%
6-year grad rate
Majors
Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are University of Washington's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:
Computer Science
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
Informatics
Biochemistry
Speech Communication and Rhetoric
232.8
282.24
331.68
381.12
430.56
480
The Full List
Major
Graduates
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science And Related Fields
- Food Science 0
Architecture And Related Services
- Architecture 91
- Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology 73
- City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning 36
- Environmental Design/Architecture 0
- Interior Architecture 0
- Landscape Architecture 0
- Architectural History and Criticism, General 0
- Architecture and Related Services, Other 0
Area
- Area Studies, Other 96
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 34
- Women's Studies 19
- Asian Studies/Civilization 13
- American Indian/Native American Studies 10
- Scandinavian Studies 3
- European Studies/Civilization 2
- Latin American Studies 1
- East Asian Studies 0
- Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies 0
- Near and Middle Eastern Studies 0
- Russian Studies 0
- South Asian Studies 0
- Southeast Asian Studies 0
- Canadian Studies 0
- Chinese Studies 0
- German Studies 0
- Japanese Studies 0
- Korean Studies 0
- African-American/Black Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
- Biochemistry 280
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General 197
- Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology 141
- Physiology, General 123
- Microbiology, General 62
- Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography 56
- Neurobiology and Anatomy 42
- Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other 31
- Botany/Plant Biology 11
- Biomedical Sciences, General 0
- Zoology/Animal Biology 0
- Environmental Biology 0
Business
- Finance, General 272
- Marketing/Marketing Management, General 123
- Accounting 116
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 100
- Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies 37
- Business Administration and Management, General 33
- Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General 29
- Management Science 20
- Transportation/Mobility Management 0
- Construction Management, General 0
Communication
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric 274
- Journalism 34
- Radio and Television 0
- Political Communication 0
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
- Computer Science 480
- Informatics 295
- Information Technology 197
Education
- Early Childhood Education and Teaching 121
- Education, General 100
- Music Teacher Education 8
- Mathematics Teacher Education 7
- Bilingual and Multilingual Education 0
- Special Education and Teaching, Other 0
- Elementary Education and Teaching 0
- Art Teacher Education 0
- Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education 0
- English/Language Arts Teacher Education 0
- Foreign Language Teacher Education 0
- Health Teacher Education 0
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education 0
- Technology Teacher Education/Industrial Arts Teacher Education 0
- Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 0
- Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education 0
- Social Science Teacher Education 0
- Social Studies Teacher Education 0
- Biology Teacher Education 0
- Chemistry Teacher Education 0
- Drama and Dance Teacher Education 0
- French Language Teacher Education 0
- German Language Teacher Education 0
- History Teacher Education 0
- Physics Teacher Education 0
- Spanish Language Teacher Education 0
- Speech Teacher Education 0
- Geography Teacher Education 0
- Latin Teacher Education 0
- Psychology Teacher Education 0
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other 0
- Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor 0
Engineering
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering 227
- Mechanical Engineering 121
- Civil Engineering, General 118
- Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 77
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General 68
- Chemical Engineering 61
- Industrial Engineering 56
- Computer Engineering, General 40
- Materials Engineering 35
- Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering 29
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 15
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 8
- Ceramic Sciences and Engineering 0
- Metallurgical Engineering 0
- Mining and Mineral Engineering 0
- Forest Engineering 0
- Operations Research 0
- Electrical and Computer Engineering 0
- Engineering, Other 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
- English Language and Literature, General 84
- Creative Writing 33
- Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing 0
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General 0
- Apparel and Textiles, General 0
- Apparel and Textile Manufacture 0
Foreign Languages
- Linguistics 42
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 22
- French Language and Literature 13
- Japanese Language and Literature 11
- Spanish Language and Literature 10
- Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 9
- Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 9
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 9
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 9
- Comparative Literature 4
- Russian Language and Literature 4
- Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 4
- Chinese Language and Literature 3
- Korean Language and Literature 3
- Swedish Language and Literature 1
- Uralic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
- Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
- Danish Language and Literature 0
- Norwegian Language and Literature 0
- South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
- South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
- Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
- Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
- Italian Language and Literature 0
- Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
- Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature 0
- Latin Language and Literature 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
- Public Health, General 259
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 143
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, General 54
- Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator 45
- Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist 28
- Environmental Health 23
- Public Health Education and Promotion 2
- Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 0
- Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) 0
- Physician Associate/Assistant 0
- Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics 0
- Community Health and Preventive Medicine 0
- Occupational Therapy/Therapist 0
- Orthotist/Prosthetist 0
- Physical Therapy/Therapist 0
- Dietetics/Dietitian 0
- Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionist 0
History
- History, General 78
- History, Other 54
- History and Philosophy of Science and Technology 0
Homeland Security
- Corrections and Criminal Justice, Other 0
Legal Professions And Studies
- LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 93
- Non-Professional Legal Studies 93
- Legal Studies 93
Liberal Arts And Sciences
- General Studies 6
- Humanities/Humanistic Studies 1
- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 0
Library Science
- Library and Information Science 0
Mathematics And Statistics
- Mathematics, General 175
- Applied Mathematics, General 68
- Applied Mathematics, Other 55
- Computational Mathematics 35
- Statistics, General 32
- Mathematics, Other 2
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
- Human Biology 143
- Nutrition Sciences 110
- Geography and Environmental Studies 34
- Human Computer Interaction 18
- Sustainability Studies 18
- Natural Sciences 0
Natural Resources And Conservation
- Environmental Science 116
- Environmental Studies 93
- Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management 0
- Forest Sciences and Biology 0
- Forest Management/Forest Resources Management 0
- Urban Forestry 0
- Wood Science and Wood Products/Pulp and Paper Technology/Technician 0
- Forestry, Other 0
- Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management 0
- Natural Resources and Conservation, Other 0
Parks
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General 0
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General 0
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, Other 0
Philosophy And Religious Studies
- Philosophy 56
- Ethics 5
- Religion/Religious Studies 1
- Islamic Studies 0
- Jewish/Judaic Studies 0
Physical Sciences
- Physics, General 84
- Chemistry, General 80
- Astronomy 38
- Oceanography, Chemical and Physical 25
- Geology/Earth Science, General 21
- Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other 20
- Geophysics and Seismology 13
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Climatology 11
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General 5
Psychology
- Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 437
- Psychology, General 0
- Psychology, Other 0
Public Administration And Social Service Professions
- Social Work 51
Social Sciences
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 266
- Political Science and Government, General 215
- Sociology, General 167
- Geographic Information Science and Cartography 86
- Social Sciences, General 73
- Political Science and Government, Other 72
- Anthropology, General 46
- Archeology 12
Visual And Performing Arts
- Art/Art Studies, General 115
- Film/Cinema/Media Studies 63
- Design and Visual Communications, General 22
- Dance, General 20
- Art History, Criticism and Conservation 19
- Industrial and Product Design 14
- Acting 11
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 6
- Directing and Theatrical Production 4
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology 4
- Music, General 2
- Voice and Opera 2
- Stringed Instruments 2
- Jewelry Arts 1
- Music History, Literature, and Theory 1
- Music Theory and Composition 1
- Keyboard Instruments 1
- Jazz/Jazz Studies 1
- Percussion Instruments 1
- Interior Design 0
- Graphic Design 0
- Theatre Literature, History and Criticism 0
- Photography 0
- Painting 0
- Sculpture 0
- Printmaking 0
- Ceramic Arts and Ceramics 0
- Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts 0
- Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other 0
- Music Performance, General 0
- Music, Other 0
- Visual and Performing Arts, Other 0
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