The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded on November 4, 1861, as Territorial University, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle approximately a decade after the city’s founding.

The university has a 703 acre main campus located in the city’s University District, as well as campuses in Tacoma and Bothell. Overall, UW encompasses more than 500 buildings and over 20 million gross square footage of space, including one of the largest library systems in the world with more than 26 university libraries, art centers, museums, laboratories, lecture halls, and stadiums.