The University of Washington is a public research university founded in 1861. It is one of the oldest public universities on the Pacific Coast. The University of Washington is ranked 10th in the world by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and educates over 54,000 students annually across its three campuses in Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell. The main Seattle campus is situated between Lake Union and Portage Bay, with views of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges.