Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest state-supported institutions of higher education on the Pacific coast. The Seattle-based university has earned an international reputation for research, and its graduate programs are some of the most highly rated in the nation. It is a leader in such fields as drama, dentistry, medicine, nursing, health services, astronomy, computer science, molecular biotechnology, oceanography, biostatistics, physics, physiology, pharmacology, geography, sociology, and social work. The university currently enrolls 35,000 students.