The station is served by the 1 Line of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, which connects Northgate, Downtown Seattle, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.

[3][7] The University of Washington has long-term plans to redevelop its parking lots along Montlake Boulevard into additional office and classroom space, forming the new "East Campus" area.

[10] In 1911, urban planner Virgil Bogue's rejected comprehensive plan for Seattle envisioned a citywide subway system, including a line serving the east side of the university campus and connected to Ravenna and eastern Capitol Hill.

[11][12] The Forward Thrust Committee's planned regional rapid transit system, which was rejected by voters in 1968 and 1970,[13] included a subway station at the University Hospital near Husky Stadium, from where trains would continue south through Capitol Hill to Downtown Seattle.

[17] The $6.7 billion proposal, including a light rail line continuing north from the University District to Northgate and Lynnwood,[18] was rejected by voters in 1995 and replaced with a smaller plan.

[19] In November 1996, voters approved a condensed $3.9-billion regional transit plan that included a shorter light rail line from the University District to Downtown Seattle and SeaTac.

[24] Faced with budget issues and further schedule delays, Sound Transit deferred construction of the segment between Downtown Seattle and the University District in 2001 while re-evaluating alignment options.

[28][29] In 2004, the Sound Transit Board confirmed this route, including an underground station at Husky Stadium with a subterranean pedestrian connection to the campus, as the new preferred alignment for the Link light rail project.

[36] The FTA rejected the mid-block crosswalk and a compromise pedestrian overpass connecting to the center of the Montlake Triangle from Rainier Vista was adopted in 2011.

[41] The University Link project received an $813 million grant from the federal government in January 2009, allowing it to move towards final design and construction.

[43] Utility relocation and site preparation at the station, consisting of the demolition and replacement of facilities at Husky Stadium—including two ticket offices, a concessions kitchen, and restrooms—had begun in February and continued until August.

[48] The project's two tunnel boring machines arrived at University of Washington station for assembly in April 2011 and were dedicated by local and state politicians on May 16.

[64] In October 2018, Sound Transit approved a $20 million contract to replace the station's 13 escalators, open one set of stairs to the public, and build a connection between the two sub-mezzanines above the platform.

[72] On September 17, 2024, a bent pantograph on a train damaged the overhead wire over the northbound track at the station and caused a stall that was not removed for the remainder of the day.

Northbound trains have been limited to 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) on approach or departure from University of Washington station to prevent further damage to the wires, which was originally scheduled to be repaired in December.

[78] The upper mezzanine contains ticket vending machines and passenger information,[3] and is decorated with ceramic tiles and fixtures with green and yellow accents.

[79] The surface plaza around the station includes bicycle racks under the bridge's ramp,[3][80] as well as pay parking in nearby lots owned by the university.

[82] The non-public areas of the station include a track crossover, maintenance spaces, and a smoke ventilation system assisted by two surface vents to the north and south of the complex.

The 1,100-foot-long (340 m) wall featured 800 photographs of 1,500 people taken at university events and at Tukwila International Boulevard station, interspersed with viewing windows into the work site and explanatory text.

[93][94] The station is served by the 1 Line, which runs between Lynnwood, the University of Washington campus, Downtown Seattle, the Rainier Valley, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.