University of Washington

UW is on a 634-acre campus in the urban setting of Seattle, Washington, not far from Seattle.

UW Student Activities

UW has many clubs, organizations, and activities for students to join – including band, chorus, theater groups, a campus newspaper, a radio station and more.

Interested in Greek life? UW has fraternities and sororities.

UW has the Interfraternity Council/Pan-Hellenic Council. In fact, more students participate in the Interfraternity Council/Pan-Hellenic Council than any other on-campus activity.

Other popular student organizations at UW include Taiwanese Student Association, Chinese Student Association, Yacht Club and Asian American Intervarsity Christian Fellowship/Muslim Students Association.

UW students' favorite campus events are Dawg Daze and Fall Fling, Spring Concert and Taiwanese Student Association Night Market.

Does UW Offer Student Housing?

This table offers information on housing at UW.

UW offers housing for students. Students are not required to live on campus. First year students are given no special consideration for on-campus housing.

Most UW students live off campus. In 2022, 31% of undergrads at UW lived in some kind of on-campus housing and 69% of students lived off-campus or commuted to UW. There are 11,123 spots available in on-campus housing for all 36,206 undergraduates. In the 2021-2022 school year, 9,766 students chose to live in campus housing. First year students are allowed to park a car on campus.

UW offers coed housing and housing for students with disabilities.

UW Athletics

At UW there are a variety of athletic options for students interested in joining a sports program.

Intercollegiate sports are the highest tier of college sports and can be very competitive. Intercollegiate teams are regulated by the NCAA, funded by the university, and compete against teams from other universities. The division of a sports team depends on the size of the university, funding, and competition level. An intercollegiate school team will be Division I, II or III, with Division I being the highest level.

Club sports are not regulated by the NCAA and are a great option for students not interested in trying out for an intercollegiate team. Club sports are usually student run but can also be funded by the university.

Intramural sports are the most casual and informal. Intramural sports are often free and require very little time commitment.

Let's take a look at the athletic options available at UW:

Safety at UW

College is like a home away from home. Whether you're walking to class or coming back from late-night studying (or partying!), it's important to feel safe on campus.

University of Washington is patroled 24 hours a day by trained security. The UW campus has emergency telephones or alarms for students to use anytime of day or night. The school also has student security patrols.

UW offers late-night transportation or safety escorts for students. Dorms can only be accessed with secure key cards so that students can feel confident that they are safe in on-campus housing.

Plan a Visit to UW

Visiting colleges is one of the best ways to get a sense of the campus and student body. If you'd like to visit UW, take Interstate 5 to Seattle, WA. If you need to fly, book your flight to Seattle-Tacoma International airport.

While you're planning, check out other schools in Washington you may want to visit too. Click the heart at the top of each school's page to save it to your college list.

Want to visit but can't make the trip? Explore UW's campus without leaving home by taking a virtual campus tour

Keep Reading About UW

Choose one of the options below to find out more about about UW:

Overview

Admissions

Academics

Tuition & Aid

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