Notable alumni
Nobel laureates
- Linda B. Buck (B.S. 1975) – Physiology and Medicine, 2004
- Jeffrey C. Hall (Ph.D. 1971) – Physiology and Medicine, 2017
- George H. Hitchings (1927, 1928) – Physiology and Medicine, 1988
- Martin Rodbell (Ph.D. 1954) – Physiology and Medicine, 1994
- George J. Stigler (B.A. 1931) – Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, 1982
- David J. Wineland (post-doc, 1973) – Physics, 2012
Academic administration and teaching
- Fouad Ajami (1945–2014) - Lebanese-born American scholar, author, and professor
- JP Anderson – assistant professor of Race and Public Law in America at San Diego State University, musician of the Band Rabbit Junk
- Lloyd Barber – President Emeritus; former president and former vice chancellor of the University of Regina
- H. Kim Bottomly – former president of Wellesley College
- Paul Brass – expert on the politics of India
- Jonathan Bricker - clinical psychologist, academic, and scientist
- Ron Chew – museum professional
- Geraldine Dawson (PhD 1979) – Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; chief science officer, Autism Speaks
- William C. Dement (1951) – Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine; Division Chief of the Stanford University Division of Sleep; founding president of the American Sleep Disorders Association, now the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
- Mark Emmert (1975) – former president of the University of Washington; current president of the NCAA
- Elaine Tuttle Hansen – former president of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine
- Yehuda Hayuth – Israeli professor of geography, and President of the University of Haifa
- Karen A. Holbrook (PhD 1972) – former president of Ohio State University
- Hean Tat Keh (PhD 1998) – Professor of Marketing at Monash University
- Elizabeth Topham Kennan – former president of Mount Holyoke College
- Michael Mackey (PhD) — Professor of Physiology and Joseph Morley Drake Chair in Physiology at McGill University
- John G. Matsusaka – Charles F. Sexton Chair in American Enterprise, Professor of Finance and Business Economics, Business and Law, and Political Science, at the University of Southern California
- Douglas Robinson (PhD 1983) – translation scholar, Chair Professor of English and Dean of the Arts Faculty at Hong Kong Baptist University
- Kermit Ritland - ecologist and geneticist
- Anne Salomon – associate professor with the School of Resource and Environmental Management in the Faculty of Environment at Simon Fraser University
- Greg Weisenstein (BA, MA) – president of West Chester University from 2009 to 2016
Aeronautics and astronautics
- Michael P. Anderson (1981) – NASA astronaut, crew member in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
- Michael R. Barratt (1981) – NASA astronaut and physician
- Albert Scott Crossfield (1949, 1950) – first man to fly faster than Mach 2; assisted in the design of, and piloted, the X-15
- Suzanna Darcy-Henneman (1981) – Boeing test pilot; Boeing 777 senior test pilot
- Ron Dittemore (1974, 1975) – Space Shuttle program manager of NASA
- Bonnie Dunbar (1971, 1975) – NASA astronaut; crew member on five Space Shuttle missions; has spent more than 1,200 hours (50 days) in space
- John M. Fabian (Ph.D. 1974) – NASA astronaut; crew member on two Space Shuttle missions
- Richard F. Gordon, Jr. (1951) – NASA astronaut, crew member of Gemini 11 and Apollo 12
- Robert J. Helberg (1932) – Director of the Lunar Orbiter program
- Gregory C. Johnson (1977) – NASA astronaut; crew member of STS-125
- Stanley G. Love (1989, Ph.D. 1993) – NASA astronaut; crew member of STS-122; planetary scientist
- George C. Martin (1931) – former Vice President of Engineering at Boeing; project engineer on the Boeing B-47; chief project engineer of the Boeing B-52
- George "Pinky" Nelson (1974, Ph.D. 1978) – NASA astronaut; crew member on three Space Shuttle missions
- Maynard Pennell (1931) – former Vice President of Product Development at Boeing; responsible for the design of the Boeing 707, Boeing 720 and Boeing 727
- Joseph Sutter (1943) – chief designer of the Boeing 747
- Milton O. Thompson (1953) – NASA research pilot selected as an astronaut for the X-20 Dyna-Soar
- Joseph John "Tym" Tymczyszyn (1948) – test pilot of America's first commercial jet aircraft, the Boeing 707
- Dafydd Williams – Canadian astronaut and crew member of two Space Shuttle missions: STS-90 in 1998, and STS-118 in August 2007
Art and architecture
- Deborah Aschheim (1990) – artist
- Nancy Carman (1976) – ceramist
- F. Lennox Campello (1981) – artist and critic
- Dale Chihuly (1965) – sculptor
- Chuck Close (1962) – painter
- Alfredo Arreguín (1967) – painter
- Roger Shimomura (1961) – painter
- Dan Corson (1964) – artist
- Fredericka Foster (1972) – artist and activist
- George Nakashima (1929) – woodworker and architect
- Martin Friedman – art historian
- Steven Holl (1970) – architect and watercolorist
- Diane Katsiaficas (M.F.A. 1976) – visual artist
- Paul Kuniholm (P.B.D. 2012) – artist
- Patricia J. Lancaster (M.A. 1981) – former commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings
- Martina López – photographer
- John Pollini (1968) – art historian
- Norie Sato (M.F.A. 1974) – artist
- Alyson Shotz (M.F.A. 1991) – sculptor
- Victor Steinbrueck (1940) – architect and preservationist
- Paula Mary Turnbull – sculptor
- Wang Chiu-Hwa (1946) – architect
- Art Wolfe (1975) – photographer and conservationist
- Minoru Yamasaki (1934) – architect, noted for the design of the World Trade Center
Business and law
- Peter Adkison (1997) – founder and former CEO of Wizards of the Coast; US publisher of Magic: The Gathering , Dungeons & Dragons and Pokémon
- Harry Arend – Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court [1]
- William S. Ayer (1978) – President and CEO of Alaska Airlines
- David Bonderman (1963) – investment banker; acquired Continental Airlines; founder of Texas Pacific Group
- Donald Bren (1956) – Chairman and sole shareholder of the Irvine Company, largest real estate developer in California; wealthiest real estate developer in the United States and 23rd richest American ($13 billion US), according to Forbes
- Andrew Brimmer (1950, 1951) – first African American on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
- Jeffrey Brotman (1964, 1967) – founder and President of Costco [2]
- Edward Carlson – former CEO of United Airlines and Westin Hotels
- Barbara Ann Crancer (JD) – former St. Louis County (Missouri) Associate Circuit Court Judge; daughter of former Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa
- Chris DeWolfe – CEO and co-founder of MySpace
- David Estudillo (1996, JD 1999): United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington [3]
- John Fluke (1935) – founder of the Fluke Corporation of Everett, Washington
- Mary Maxwell Gates (1949) – first female chairperson of United Way (1985–1987); Seattle community leader; philanthropist; mother of Bill Gates [4]
- Bill Gates Sr. (1949, JD 1950) – Seattle lawyer; philanthropist; father of Bill Gates [5]
- Ivar Haglund (1928) – founder of Ivar's restaurant; folk singer
- Faith Ireland (1965) – Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court [6]
- Irving Kanarek – aerospace engineer; legal defendant for Charles Manson
- Lauren J. King (2004) – United States district judge of the Western District of Washington [7]
- Leonard H. Lavin – founder of Alberto Culver Company, maker of Alberto VO5 and Mrs. Dash products
- Arthur D. Levinson (1972) – Chairman of Apple Inc. (2011–present); Chairman of Genentech (1999–2014)
- Mike McGavick (1983) – former chairman and CEO of Safeco; 2006 Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from Washington
- Salvador Mendoza Jr. (1994) – United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [8]
- Yoshihiko Miyauchi (MBA 1960) – Chairman and CEO of ORIX Corporation, the world's largest leasing conglomerate
- Raquel Montoya-Lewis (JD 1995): Washington Supreme Court Justice [9]
- Jill Otake (JD 1998) – United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
- Donald Petersen (1946) – President of Ford Motor Company, 1985–1989; credited for its turnaround
- Irv Robbins (1939) – co-founder of Baskin & Robbins
- Steven Rogel (1965) – CEO of Weyerhauser
- Orin C. Smith (1965) – CEO of Starbucks, 2000–2005, and president, 1994–2005
- James Sun (1999) – contestant on The Apprentice ; chairman and co-founder of GeoPage
- Takuji Yamashita (1902) – early civil rights pioneer
Literature
Pulitzer Prize winners
- William Bolcom (1958) – Music, 1988; composer and winner of three Grammy Awards in 2006
- Timothy Egan (1981) – Journalism, 2001; journalist and author
- Ed Guthman (1941, 1944) – Journalism, 1949; journalist; former press secretary for Robert F. Kennedy; professor at the University of Southern California
- David Horsey (1975) – Editorial Cartooning, 1999, 2003; editorial cartoonist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Mike Luckovich (1982) – Editorial Cartooning, 1995; editorial cartoonist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Peter Rinearson (2005) – Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, 1984; aerospace reporter for The Seattle Times and later an author and software industry executive
- Marilynne Robinson (1968, 1977) – Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 2005; novelist, author of Gilead and Housekeeping
- James Wright (1954, 1959) – Poetry, 1972; poet
National Book Award
- Beverly Cleary (1939) – Children's Books, Fiction, Paperback 1981
- Timothy Egan (1981) – Non-fiction 2006 for The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
General
If no class year is listed, author may not have graduated.
- Ralph Angel (graduated, year not known) – poet
- Linda Bierds (1969, 1971) – poet and MacArthur Fellowship recipient
- Peter Blecha (1974, 1988) – historian, author, essayist
- Matt Briggs (1995) – novelist and short story writer
- Emily Compagno – attorney and television journalist
- David Eddings (1961) – author of epic fantasy novels
- P. T. Deutermann (1970) – fiction author
- Joanna Fuhrman – poet
- Tess Gallagher (1967, 1971) – poet
- David Guterson (1978, 1982) – writer of novel Snow Falling on Cedars
- Kristin Halbrook (2001) – fiction author
- Kristin Hannah (1982) – author and New York Times best-seller
- Frank Herbert – science fiction writer, Dune
- Thom Jones (1970) – short story writer
- Kitty Kelley (1964) – investigative journalist and author
- Hank Ketcham – creator of the U.S. comic strip Dennis the Menace
- Ada Limón (1998) – 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress of the United States
- Suzanne Matson (1987) – fiction writer
- Donald E. McQuinn (circa 1951) – author of military and science fiction, retired U.S. Marine
- John Okada, author of No-No Boy
- John Patric (circa 1924, no degree awarded) – author of numerous books, magazine and newspaper articles, and libertarian periodicals
- Jean-Paul Pecqueur – poet
- Jerry Pournelle (1956, 1958, 1964) – science fiction author, technology journalist, and essayist
- Tom Robbins – author, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
- Ann Rule (1953) – true crime author
- Marilyn Stablein (1981) – poet and author
- Alex Steffen – writer and editor
- John Straley (1977) – detective fiction author
- Sophus Keith Winther (Ph.D. 1927) – novelist
- Robert Zubrin (1984, 1992) – science fiction writer and Mars exploration advocate
Government, politics & diplomacy
- Brock Adams (1949) – U.S. Senator (1987–1993); U.S. Representative (1965–1977), for the state of Washington [11]
- Fouad Ajami (1969, 1973) – Director of the Middle East Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University [ citation needed ]
- Armida Alisjahbana – Minister of Economics and Development of Indonesia (2009–present)
- Morgan Christen (B.A., 1983) – United States federal appellate judge
- Suzan DelBene (MBA 1990) – U.S. Representative (2012-present) [12]
- Norman D. Dicks (1963, J.D. 1968) – Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1977–2013) [13]
- Jennifer Dunn (transferred 1962) – US Representative (1993–2005); former chair of the Washington State Republican Party [14]
- Earl D. Eisenhower (1923) – electrical engineer, Illinois House of Representatives (1965–1967)
- Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme (1955, 1957) – Vice President of Nigeria (1979–1983)
- Daniel J. Evans (B.S. 1948, M.S. 1949) – Governor of Washington (1965–1977); United States Senator (1983–1989) for the state of Washington [15]
- Tom Foley (1951, J.D. 1957) – U.S. Representative (1965–1995); Speaker of the House (1989–1995) [16]
- Booth Gardner (B.A. 1958) – Governor (1985–1993) of the state of Washington [17]
- Christine Gregoire (B.A. 1969, 1971) – Governor (2004–2012); former Attorney General of the state of Washington [18]
- Michael Hardt (M.A. 1986, Ph.D. 1990) – literary theorist and political philosopher based at Duke University [19]
- Bruce Harrell (B.A. 1980, J.D. 1984) – acting mayor of Seattle in 2017; current mayor [20]
- Susan Hekman (M.A. 1973, Ph.D. 1976) – professor of political science; director of the graduate humanities program at the University of Texas at Arlington [21]
- Jaime Herrera (B.A. 2004) – U.S. Representative (2011–2023) [22]
- Gordon Hirabayashi (B.A. 1946, M.A. 1949, Ph.D. 1952) – human rights activist
- Jay Inslee (B.A. 1973) – Governor of Washington state
- Henry M. Jackson (J.D. 1935) – U.S. Representative (1941–1953); U.S. Senator (1953–1983) for the state of Washington; chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1960–1961); member of the Delta Chi Fraternity [23]
- Walter Jenny (1978) – Secretary, Oklahoma Democratic Party; 2008 presidential elector; attorney for Oklahoma; member of Tau Kappa Epsilon International fraternity
- Sally Jewell (1978) – former U.S. Secretary of the Interior; former CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI)
- T. K. Jones – Civil defense expert in the Reagan administration [24]
- Tina Kotek (M.A. 1998) – governor of Oregon
- Tom Lantos (B.A. 1949, M.A. 1950) – U.S. Representative for California (1981–2008); Holocaust survivor [25]
- Wing Luke – Seattle City Council member; Washington state Assistant Attorney General[ citation needed ]
- Edwin L. MacLean – Minnesota state legislator
- Warren G. Magnuson (1926, J.D. 1929) – U.S. Senator for the state of Washington (1944–1981); [26] member of the Alpha Rho chapter of Theta Chi fraternity.
- Clarence D. Martin (1906) – Governor of the state of Washington (1933–1940); namesake of Martin Stadium at Washington State University
- Stephen McAlpine (B.A. 1972) – Lieutenant Governor of Alaska (1982–1990)[ citation needed ]
- Rob McKenna (B.A. 1985) – Washington Attorney General (2004–2012) [27]
- Keith Harvey Miller – Governor of Alaska (1969–1970)
- Greg Nickels – Mayor of the city of Seattle (2002–2010)
- Jeannette Rankin – U.S. Representative for Montana (1917–1919, 1940–1943); first female member of Congress
- Norm Rice (1972, 1974) – former mayor of the city of Seattle
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers (2002) – U.S. Representative (2005-Present) [28]
- Albert Rosellini (1932, 1933) – Governor of Washington (1957–1965) [29]
- Pat Russell (born 1923) – Los Angeles City Council member, 1969–87
- Angela Rye (B.A. 2002) – CNN Political Commentator and NPR Political Analyst; Executive Director and General Counsel to the Congressional Black Caucus for the 112th United States Congress
- Adam Smith (JD, 1990) – Democratic US Representative from Washington [30]
- Lou Stewart – Washington state labor leader
- Arthur R. Thompson – anticommunist cold warrior and CEO of the right-wing John Birch Society
- Thor C. Tollefson – U.S. Representative from Washington [31]
- Johnson Toribiong (J.D. 1972, 1973) – current President, Republic of Palau
- John Urquhart (B.A. 1971) – current King County Sheriff
- Lynn Woolsey – Democratic U.S. Representative (1993–) from California [32]
- J. Arthur Younger (1915) – Republican US Representative from California (1952–1967) [33]
- Paul Zellinsky (1933–2015) – Democrat and Republican member of the Washington House of Representatives [34]
- Dr Eteni Longondo (MPH, 2005) Minister of Public Health, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Darryl N. Johnson (B.A., 1960) – former U.S. Ambassador to Thailand (2001–2004) and Lithuania (1992–1994)
- John M. Koenig – former U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus (2012–2015)
- Allan Phillip Mustard (B.A., 1978) – U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan (2014–2019); chair of the OpenStreetMap Foundation
- Robin Raphel (B.A., 1969) – former U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia (1997–2000), Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs (1993–1997)
Military
Prominent officers
Monument to the Abraham Lincoln Brigade on campus
Active duty
- Peter W. Chiarelli (1980) – four-star General and the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army
- Bruce W. Clingan (1977) – Admiral United States Navy and Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, Commander, Allied Joint Force Command, Naples [35]
World War II
- Leslie Groves – major general, United States Army Corps of Engineers, head of the Manhattan Project
- William H. Holloman III (1924–2010), U.S. Army Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen; U.S. Air Force's first African American helicopter pilot; University of Washington professor of Black Studies [36] [37] [38]
- Tatsuji Suga – lieutenant colonel, Imperial Japanese Army, commander of all prisoner-of-war (POW) and civilian internment camps in Borneo
Other
- Frank E. Garretson – brigadier general, U.S. Marine Corps; Navy Cross recipient
- Tracy L. Garrett – major general, first female Inspector General of the United States Marine Corps
- Harley D. Nygren (B.S. 1945, BSME 1947) – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rear admiral, first director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
- Kelly E. Taggart – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rear admiral, second Director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
- Ronald R. Van Stockum – brigadier general' director, Marine Corps Reserve 1962–1964
Medal of Honor recipients
- Col. (then Maj.) Gregory (Pappy) Boyington (B.S. 1934) – USMC, fighter pilot and World War II ace
- 1LT Deming Bronson, USA (Class of 1914)
- Lieutenant Colonel Bruce P. Crandall (1951–1952) – U.S. Army helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War [39]
- Brig. Gen (then Maj.) Robert Galer (B.S. 1935) – major general, USMC, fighter pilot and World War II ace
- Sgt John D. "Bud" Hawk – USA (1951, 1952)
- 2LT Robert R. Leisy – USA (Class of 1968)
- PFC William K. Nakamura – USA (non-graduate due to internment at Minidoka in 1942) [40]
- Col. (then SSgt.) Archie Van Winkle – USMC (Class of 1961)
Religion
- Sanford Brown – social justice advocate, ordained United Methodist minister, and executive director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle
Science and technology
- Margaret Allemang (PhD 1974) – long-standing faculty member at the University of Toronto
- James G. Anderson (1966) – professor of atmospheric chemistry at Harvard University
- Tom M. Apostol (1944, 1946) – analytic number theorist and textbook author at the California Institute of Technology
- Bill Atkinson – designer of much of the graphic subsystem for the Apple Macintosh and creator of Hypercard and MacPaint
- Eric Temple Bell (1908) – mathematician and author; recipient of the Bôcher Memorial Prize
- Wendy Boss (M.S. 1970) – North Carolina State University
- Derek Blake Booth (Ph.D. 1984) – professor of earth sciences
- James B. Carrell (Ph.D. 1967) – mathematician; recipient of the Steele Prize
- Daryl Chapin (1929) – physicist best known for co-inventing solar cells
- Rita R. Colwell (1961) – director of the United States National Science Foundation
- Jeff Dean (Ph.D. 1996) – Google Senior Fellow; computer scientist and software engineer
- Melvin Defleur – social scientist noted in the area of mass communication
- Patricia Louise Dudley (Ph.D. 1957), zoologist specializing in copepods
- Ed Felten (M.S. 1991, Ph.D. 1993) – leading computer scientist in the field of security and authentication
- William Foege (1961) – former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
- Mark S. Ghiorso – geochemist noted for modeling magmatic systems
- David Goodstein – physicist and former vice provost of Caltech
- Ashutosh Chilkoti - Alan L. Kaganov Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University
- Lois Wilfred Griffiths (1921, 1923) – mathematician
- Victor Grinich – pioneer in the semiconductor industry; a member of the "traitorous eight" who founded Silicon Valley
- Mohamed Hashish – inventor of the abrasive waterjet cutter; fellow in the department of Mechanical Engineering
- Elizabeth Haswell – biologist, Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute-Simons Faculty Scholar at the Washington University in St. Louis
- Sharon Hillier (Ph.D.) – microbiologist and medical academic
- Harold Hotelling (B.A. 1919, M.A. 1921) – mathematical statistician; economic theorist
- Jennifer Hunter – mammalogist and Director of the Hastings Natural History Reservation (B.A. 2002)
- William Hutchinson – founder of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- Muhammad Zafar Iqbal (Ph.D. 1982) – former research scientist of Bell Communications Research (Bellcore); professor and the Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology; educationalist; columnist; sci-fi writer
- Erik M. Jorgensen – geneticist and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at the University of Utah noted for finding more than 30 genes involved in synaptic function in C. elegans
- Irving Kanarek – aerospace engineer; legal defendant for Charles Manson
- Lena Kenin (B.S. 1921) – OB/GYN and psychiatrist
- Gary Kildall – inventor of the CP/M operating system
- Shoshichi Kobayashi (1956) – former chairman of the Berkeley Mathematics Department; recipient of the Geometry prize
- Tessa Lau (PhD, 2001) – computer scientist, roboticist, and entrepreneur
- Zelma Maine-Jackson – American hydrogeologist [41]
- Victor Mills (1926) – inventor of disposable diapers
- Virginia Minnich (1938–1984) – professor of medicine; discovered hemoglobin E and elucidated the glutathione synthesis pathway
- Horace Yomishi Mochizuki (Ph.D. 1963) – mathematician specializing in group theory
- Alfred M. Moen – inventor of the single-handed mixing faucet; founder of Moen Incorporated
- PZ Myers (B.S. 1979) – biologist and science blogger
- Lina Nilsson (M.S.) – biomedical engineer and Tekla Labs cofounder, MIT Technology Review 35 Under 35
- Harley D. Nygren (B.S. 1945, BSME 1947) – engineer and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rear admiral, first Director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
- Tim Paterson (1978) – original author of the MS-DOS operating system
- Robin Reid – environmentalist scientist and professor at Colorado State University
- Howard P. Robertson (1922, 1923) – cosmologist
- Robert G. Roeder (1969) – Arnold and Mabel Beckman Professor at The Rockefeller University; recipient of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 2003 for "pioneering studies on eukaryotic RNA polymerases and the general transcriptional machinery, which opened gene expression in animal cells to biochemical analysis"
- Michael Schick- physicist
- Waldo Semon – inventor of vinyl and synthetic rubber
- Bell M. Shimada (B.S. 1947, M.S. 1948, Ph.D. 1956) – fisheries scientist
- Waldo R. Tobler – American-Swiss geographer and cartographer
- Ruth Todd – geologist
- Bud Tribble – vice president and director of software technology at Apple Computer; a founder of NeXT computer
- Cornelia Ulrich – Executive Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine
- Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh – plant sciences professor
- Bob Wallace – inventor of the term "shareware;" creator of the word processing program PC-Write; founder of the software company Quicksoft
- Esther Wilkins – dental pioneer, founder of UW's Dental Hygiene Program and author of Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist, the first comprehensive text on dental hygiene
- Ted Woolsey – video game translator for Square during the SNES era
- William Ka Ming Lau – senior scientist at the University of Maryland, former Deputy Director for Science, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Science Division, discovered the aerosol-monsoon regional feedback mechanism, i.e. the Elevated Heat Pump (EHP) effect
- Mitchell Hashimoto – founder of HashiCorp and Ghostty terminal emulator
Social science and humanities
- Mable E. Buland Campbell (B.A., 1904 and M.A., 1908) professor of English at University of Puget Sound
- Robert A. Dahl (B.A., 1936) – longtime professor of political science at Yale University
- Ukshin Hoti – professor of international law and philosophy at the University of Pristina
- Dale Kinkade (1955, 1957) – linguist, specialist on Salishan languages
- Antxon Olarrea – professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona
- Deborah Parker (B.A., 1999) – American Ethnic Studies and sociology, [42] [43] former trustee for the University of Washington's Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program board [42]
- Irene Reed (degree in 1961), anthropologist and linguist, specialist on the Yupik languages
- Kent R. Weeks (1963, 1966) – Egyptologist
Sports
Olympic medal winners
- Gold medal, men's rowing, 1936 Berlin Olympic Games
- Gold medal, men's rowing, 1948 London Olympic Games
- David Calder (silver medal, rowing, Canada, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games)
- Will Crothers (silver medal, rowing, Canada, 2012 London Olympic Games)
- Anna Cummins (gold medal, rowing, 2008 Beijing, silver medal, 2004 Athens Olympic Games)
- Rob Gibson (silver medal, rowing, Canada, 2012 London Olympic Games)
- Pan Cheng-tsung (bronze medal, golf, 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games)
- Adrienne Martelli (bronze medal, rowing, 2012 London Olympic Games)
- Conlin McCabe (silver medal, rowing, Canada, 2012 London Olympic Games)
- Hope Solo (women's soccer; gold medals, 2008 Beijing and 2012 London)
- Mary Whipple (gold medal, rowing, 2012 London, 2008 Beijing; silver medal, 2004 Athens Olympic Games)
Baseball
- Mike Blowers – former Major League Baseball player
- Fred Hutchinson – baseball player and manager and namesake of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- Jake Lamb – third baseman for Arizona Diamondbacks, 2017 All-Star
- Brent Lillibridge – MLB infielder for Chicago Cubs
- Tim Lincecum – 2008, 2009 and 2010 All-Star and two-time NL Cy Young Award recipient
- Kevin Stocker – shortstop for Phillies, D-Rays and Angels, 1993–2000
- Sammy White – former MLB catcher, 1953 All-Star
- Sean White – 2007, 2009, 2010 MLB pitcher for Seattle Mariners
Basketball
- Jon Brockman – drafted in the second round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings
- Marquese Chriss – former NBA player for the Phoenix Suns
- Justin Dentmon – professional basketball player, 2010 top scorer in the Israel Basketball Premier League
- Dan Dickau – attended 1997-1999; transferred to Gonzaga in 2000; drafted 1st round, 28th overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2002 NBA Draft; played professionally 2002–2010
- James Edwards – former NBA player
- Markelle Fultz – #1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, NBA player for the Orlando Magic
- Abdul Gaddy (born 1992) – player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Spencer Hawes – drafted in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings, currently plays for the South Bay Lakers
- Steve Hawes – attended 1969–1972; drafted 2nd round, 24th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1972 NBA Draft; played professionally 1972–1985
- Justin Holiday – undrafted in 2011; currently plays for the New York Knicks
- Bob Houbregs (1959) – first Washington alumnus in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; third overall pick in the 1953 NBA draft; member of Univ. of Washington 1953 final four team.
- Todd MacCulloch – former NBA player for the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets
- Dejounte Murray – NBA player for the San Antonio Spurs
- Louie Nelson – former NBA player
- Jack Nichols – 1948 All-American and former NBA player
- Kelsey Plum – guard who completed her Washington women's career in 2017; all-time leading point scorer in NCAA Division I women's basketball, and selected#1 in the 2017 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars
- Quincy Pondexter – drafted 26th overall in the 2010 NBA draft; currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs
- Eldridge Recasner – NBA three-time All-Pac-10 Conference guard, and former Continental and NBA player
- Nate Robinson – NBA guard picked 21st overall of 2005 NBA draft by the New York Knicks; winner of 2006, 2009, and 2010 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Competitions
- Lorenzo Romar – former head coach of the University of Washington basketball team
- Terrence Ross – drafted 8th overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors; currently plays for the Orlando Magic
- Brandon Roy – second-highest NBA-drafted Washington basketball player in school history (6th in the 2006 NBA draft) and the 2006–07 NBA Rookie of the Year; currently a basketball coach for Garfield High School
- Mark Sanford – first underclassman to enter the NBA draft from the University of Washington; second round pick of the Miami Heat of the 1997 NBA draft
- Detlef Schrempf – German-born former NBA star
- Tre Simmons – basketball player
- Isaiah Thomas – drafted in the 2011 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings; currently plays for the Washington Wizards; two-time NBA All-Star
- Rod Thorn – former NBA player, former president and general manager of the NBA's New Jersey Nets, [44] and 2018 inductee at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- Christian Welp – attended 1983–1987; drafted 1st round, 16th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1987 NBA Draft; played professionally 1987–1999
- Tony Wroten Jr. – drafted 25th overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies
- Phil Zevenbergen – attended 1985-1987; drafted 3rd round, 50th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in 1987 NBA Draft; played professionally 1987–1999
Football
- Victor Aiyewa – NFL linebacker for the Green Bay Packers
- Vince Albritton – former NFL safety for the Dallas Cowboys
- Khalif Barnes – NFL offensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders
- Eric Bjornson – former NFL tight end for the Dallas Cowboys
- Bern Brostek – NFL offensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams
- Dennis Brown – former defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL; played in and won Super Bowl XXIX [45]
- Mark Bruener – NFL tight end for the Houston Texans
- Mark Brunell (1993) – NFL quarterback for the Washington Redskins
- Donald Butler – NFL linebacker for the San Diego Chargers
- Chuck Carroll – elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and National Football Foundation Hall of Fame
- Chris Chandler – former NFL quarterback
- Ernie Conwell – NFL tight end for the New Orleans Saints
- Marquis Cooper – NFL linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Don Coryell (1950, 1951) – former NFL head coach for the San Diego Chargers and introduced the I formation to the NFL
- Darrell Daniels – NFL tight end for the Indianapolis Colts
- Stanley Daniels – NFL offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos
- Corey Dillon – NFL running back for the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots
- Steve Emtman – former NFL defensive lineman and the first pick in the 1992 NFL draft
- D'Marco Farr – former NFL defensive lineman and current television personality
- George Fleming – former NFL placekicker for the Oakland Raiders, first African-American to be elected to the Washington State Senate [46]
- Lee Folkins – former Pro Bowl NFL tight end for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys
- Mason Foster – NFL linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Ray Frankowski – former NFL guard for the Green Bay Packers
- Nesby Glasgow – former safety who played 14 seasons in the National Football League [47]
- Kevin Gogan – former NFL offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders
- Dashon Goldson – NFL Pro-Bowl safety for the San Francisco 49ers
- Don Heinrich – former NFL quarterback for the New York Giants
- Billy Joe Hobert – NFL quarterback
- Dave Hoffmann – NFL linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Brock Huard – former NFL quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks
- Damon Huard – NFL quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs
- Jeff Jaeger – former NFL Pro Bowl placekicker
- Ernie Janet – former NFL guard
- Derrick Johnson – NFL cornerback
- Tank Johnson – NFL defensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals
- Jim Jones – football player
- Napoleon Kaufman – former NFL running back for the Oakland Raiders [48]
- Jermaine Kearse – NFL wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks
- Senio Kelemete – NFL offensive lineman for the Arizona Cardinals
- Lincoln Kennedy – former NFL offensive lineman and three time Pro Bowl participant
- David Kopay (1964) – former NFL running back
- Olin Kreutz – former NFL Pro Bowl center for the Chicago Bears
- Jake Kupp – former NFL Pro Bowl offensive guard for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints
- Greg Lewis – NFL running back for the Denver Broncos
- Jake Locker – NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans
- Hugh McElhenny (1952) – former NFL running back and member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Jalen McMillan - NFL wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Siupeli Malamala – former NFL offensive tackle and offensive guard for the New York Jets
- Lawyer Milloy – NFL safety for the Seattle Seahawks
- Warren Moon (1978) – former National Football League quarterback and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Jim L. Mora – former head coach of the Seattle Seahawks
- Jim Norton – former NFL lineman
- Rome Odunze - NFL wide receiver for the Chicago Bears
- Tony Parrish – NFL safety for the San Francisco 49ers
- Jerome Pathon – NFL wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons
- Dave Pear – former Pro Bowl NFL defensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders
- Steve Pelluer – former NFL quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys
- Dante Pettis – NFL wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers
- Michael Penix Jr - NFL quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons
- Cody Pickett – NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers
- Chris Polk – NFL running back for the Philadelphia Eagles
- Ja'Lynn Polk - NFL wide receiver for the New England Patriots
- Fred Provo – former NFL halfback
- Marcel Reece – NFL fullback for the Oakland Raiders
- Matthew Rogers – offensive lineman for the 2001 Washington Rose Bowl team and American Idol finalist
- Danny Shelton – NFL nose tackle for the Cleveland Browns
- Sonny Sixkiller (1971) – former NFL and CFL quarterback; cast member in the original The Longest Yard
- William Arley Smith – former All Pro NFL wide receiver for the Chicago Cardinals
- Isaiah Stanback – former NFL wide receiver and kick returner for the Dallas Cowboys
- Jerramy Stevens – NFL tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Alameda Ta'amu – NFL defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Daniel Te'o-Nesheim – NFL defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Joe Toledo – NFL offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins
- Marques Tuiasosopo – NFL quarterback for the New York Jets; assistant coach for UW
- CJ Wallace – former NFL defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks
- Lester Towns – former NFL linebacker for the Carolina Panthers
- Arnie Weinmeister – former NFL lineman; member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; Teamster boss
- Reggie Williams – NFL wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Al Worley – 1968 Consensus All-American defensive back, set still-standing NCAA record for interceptions in a season (14)
Soccer
- Kate Deines – professional soccer player for the Atlanta Beat and Seattle Reign FC
- Lindsay Elston – professional soccer player for Houston Dash and Seattle Reign FC
- Joe Franchino (1997) – former Major League Soccer player and U.S. international
- George John – defensive player for the MLS team FC Dallas
- Ellis McLoughlin – played in Bundesliga and MLS
- Veronica Perez – professional soccer player for Washington Spirit and the Mexico National Team
- Brandon Prideaux – former Major League Soccer player; two-time MLS Cup champion
- Cristian Roldan – professional soccer player for the Seattle Sounders FC and United States men's national soccer team
- Hope Solo – former goalkeeper for US Women's National Team
- Craig Waibel – four-time Major League Soccer champion; defender for Houston Dynamo
Track and field
- Don Kardong (1974) – fourth place finisher at the 1976 Olympic marathon and former president of the Road Runners Club of America
- Brad Walker (2003) – two-time NCAA pole vault champion; gold medalist at the 2006 World Indoor Championships and 2007 World Championships
Other sports
- Fred Beckey (1949) – mountaineer
- Venise Chan (born 1989) – tennis player. [49]
- Louise Friberg (2003) – golfer
- William Quillian – tennis player
- Annabel Ritchie (born 1978) – rower
- Summer Ross (attended freshman year) – volleyball; 2010 FIVB Youth Under-19 and Junior Under-21 world champion
- Bob Sapp – kickboxer; MMA fighter; former NFL lineman
- Ed Viesturs (BS 1981) – first American to summit all 14 of the world's 8000 meter peaks
- Kenji Yamada – two-time U.S. National Judo champion
- Pan Cheng-tsung (2015) – golfer
Music
- Mark Arm (1985) – lead vocalist for the grunge rock group Mudhoney
- Anomie Belle – vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer and electronic musician
- William Bolcom – pianist and composer of cabaret songs, concertos, sonatas, operas, symphonies; awarded the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Twelve New Etudes for piano
- The Brothers Four – musical group from the 1960s
- Jack Endino (1980) – producer, musician, engineer, "godfather of grunge"
- Peter Hallock – organist, choirmaster, liturgist
- Malcolm Hamilton – harpsichordist
- Kenny G (1978) – smooth jazz saxophonist
- Elmer Gill – jazz pianist and vibraphonist
- Ryan Lewis (2009) – DJ, producer, composer, photographer, music video director, business partner of Seattle musician Ben Haggerty (aka Macklemore)
- Jake One – Hip hop music producer
- The Presidents of the United States of America – alternative rock group
- John Roderick – lead singer of The Long Winters
- Susan Silver – music manager [50]
- Richard Sparks – choral conductor
- Ken Stringfellow – main composer, vocalist and guitarist for rock group The Posies
- Kim Thayil (1985) – lead guitarist for rock group Soundgarden
- Alex Veley (1995) – soul keyboardist and singer
- Kathleen Wakefield – songwriter, singer and author
- Martin Welzel – organist
Television, film, and other arts
- Robert Armstrong – movie actor who portrayed Carl Denham in the 1933 version of King Kong [51]
- John Aylward – stage, TV, and movie actor, ER, The West Wing
- Stan Boreson – comedian and singer, the "King of Scandinavian Humor" [52]
- Angus Bowmer – founder of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon
- David Brooks – Broadway star and stage director and producer
- Dylan Bruce – Canadian actor and model, known for his roles on As the World Turns and Orphan Black
- Luke Burbank (1988) – radio host and reporter [53]
- Dyan Cannon – film and television actress and twice nominee for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
- Loren Carpenter (1976) – co-founded Pixar Animation Studios; currently Chief Creative Officer of Disney
- James Caviezel – actor, played Jesus Christ in the controversial film The Passion of the Christ , plays one of the leads in the TV series Person of Interest
- Lee Shallat Chemel – TV director, Murphy Brown
- Queenie Chu – actress, first runner-up of Miss Hong Kong Pageant 2004
- Tristram Coffin – actor who played Thomas H. Rynning, commander of the Arizona Rangers, in the syndicated television series 26 Men (1957–1959)
- Earl Cole – first African-American male winner of Survivor
- Jeffrey Combs – horror film actor and Star Trek regular
- Larry Coryell – jazz guitarist
- Imogen Cunningham (1907) – photographer
- Garret Dillahunt – actor, Raising Hope
- Patrick Duffy (1971) – TV actor, Dallas , Step by Step
- Anna Faris (1999) – film actress, Scary Movie , House Bunny
- Frances Farmer (1935) – film and theatre actress
- The Fung Brothers (Andrew Fung, 1988, and David Fung, 1988) – YouTube personalities, rappers, television actors in Broke Bites: What The Fung?!
- Leann Hunley – actress, Days of Our Lives , Dynasty , Dawson's Creek
- Ken Jennings – holds the record for the longest winning streak on Jeopardy!
- Richard Karn (1979) – television actor; Al Borland in Home Improvement
- Bruce Lee – martial artist and actor [54]
- Kyle MacLachlan (1982) – film and television actor most famous for roles in Twin Peaks , Desperate Housewives , Dune , and Sex and the City
- Mary Mapes – former producer of the CBS television show 60 Minutes
- Ernest Martin (1932) – theatre director and manager
- Joel McHale (1995, MFA 2000) – host of The Soup on E!; actor on NBC comedy Community
- Dennis Nyback (2008) independent film archivist, found footage filmmaker
- Robert Osborne (1954) – film historian
- Steve Pool (1978) – weather presenter and journalist of KOMO-TV
- Dorothy Provine – actress with leading roles in The Bonnie Parker Story, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Good Neighbor Sam and the TV series The Alaskans
- Pamela Reed – actress
- Kelsey Schmidt (1989) – Miss Washington USA 2016
- Jean Smart (1974) – television actress, Designing Women , Kim Possible
- Manick Sorcar – artist, engineer, and entrepreneur
- Rick Steves (1978) – host, writer and producer of public television's Rick Steve's Europe; best-selling travel author
- Julia Sweeney (1982) – Saturday Night Live actress
- George Tsutakawa (1937, MFA 1950) – painter and sculptor, faculty member of the University of Washington, recipient of Washington's Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award in 1984
- Robb Weller (1961) – Entertainment Tonight host and inventor of the wave
- Dawn Wells (1960) – Mary Ann of Gilligan's Island
- Steve Wiebe (1991) – primary subject of the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters and former world record holder for Donkey Kong
- Rainn Wilson – actor, The Office , Six Feet Under
- Art Wolfe (1975) – nature photographer and star of PBS show Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe
Crime
- Theodore Robert Bundy – commonly known as "Ted" Bundy; serial killer, 1974–1978; admitted to killing 30 people; some sources say he could have killed as many as 100
- Amanda Knox; convicted of the murder of her roommate in Italy, conviction later overturned