The University of Washington Tyee , first published in 1900 for the graduating class of 1901, was "dedicated by the Junior Class to all those students of the University of Washington in the past who loved their Alma Mater, and to those in the future who shall uphold her honor." The Tyee was published by the Junior Class until 1912, when the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) took over publication. Due to this change in publishers, there are some discrepancies in publication dates, cover dates, and volume numbers in the early years. An insert found inside the front cover of a copy of the 1900 Tyee (but probably written in 1948 or 1949, containing as it does a list of yearbooks extending to 1948) explains "why there is no Tyee bearing the year 1901 on the outside:"

"Whereas Volume I, brought out in 1900 by the Class of 1901 bears the year 1900 on the outside, Volume II, brought out in 1901 by the class of 1902, bears the year 1902 on the outside. And so through 1911 each volume, brought out as they were by the Junior Class, bore the year on the outside in which that class would graduate: always one year later than the year it was actually published. So in 1911 we have Volume XII, published by the Class of 1912 and bearing the year 1912 on the outside. But in 1912 the publication of the Tyee was taken over by the Associated Students of the University of Washington. And so in 1912 we have Volume XIII bearing the years 1911-12 on the outside. Similarly in 1913 we have Volume XIV bearing the years 1912-1913 on the outside. From that year on, the year on the outside is the same as the year the book was published, with the Volume number always one greater than the year, except in 1914 when the Volume number should have been XV but was erroneously called XIII. This was corrected in 1915 when Volume XVI was brought out."

There are editions of v. 1 of the Tyee that bear both the year 1900 and 1901 on the front cover. The copy in the Suzzallo/Allen Library stacks bears both dates.

The Tyee was published by the ASUW into the 1960s, although the publishers were listed as "The Students" in 1914, "The Student Body" in 1915, "The Students of the UW" in 1917-1918, and "The University of Washington Associated Students" in 1929. Volumes 18, 26, 28-34, 36-72, 73-75, and 77 included indices.

In 1965 William F. Johnston assumed the role of liaison between the publications board and the various student publication staffs; he was an aide rather than an editor. During these years, a quarterly Tyee magazine was also issued, and the quality of the yearbook was high: the 1967 Tyee , edited by Jack Rhodes, won the All-American Award from the Associated Collegiate Press. The cover, which featured photographs for the first time, was given special notice, and the photo essays, especially "What Is Camp," "The University in the Seattle Community," and "Haiku Interlude," were also praised.

In 1969, the quarterly Tyee magazine was abandoned because it competed for advertising with the Daily and was too expensive to produce. Around that time, the student body became critical of the Tyee yearbook. Many house and dormitory residents, for example, were displeased with their representation in the yearbook and felt the $150 price tag for a page of yearbook space was too high. There were complaints that too few candid shots were included, and that the Tyee therefore lacked "personality." The publications board tabled a proposal, also opposed by the yearbook editorial staff, that would have allowed living groups to design their own page layouts.

A combination of factors led to a thirteen-year suspension of the publication of Tyee . Decline in revenue and student interest were the major factors, but there were additional causes. In 1971 President Charles Odegaard, in order to reduce "the potentially dominant role of the ASUW over management and finances of student publications," dissolved the ASUW publications board, and the Board of Student Publications was formed. The new board included newspaper and yearbook representation, as well as faculty members and an appointed "professional journalist." After the restructuring, which probably resulted more from concerns about the Daily than the yearbook, the Tyee lost access to over $15,000 from the ASUW general expense fund. In 1971 the Board of Student Publications voted to suspend publication of the yearbook, citing debt and poor sales as chief concerns. William Asbury, head of student publications, wrote, "It is my earnest conviction that it would be a costly error for the Board of Student Publications not to discontinue the Tyee ." Asbury added that the yearbook should not be eliminated outright, but suspended until a suitable alternative could be found. Cheaper publications, such as a softbound photo essay journal, were suggested, but none proved feasible. On November 21, 1971, the Daily ran the headline, " Tyee Dies; 'No Economic Alternative.'" One board member, John Harding, noted, "We have a significant amount of evidence that our clients don't want what we are producing." The yearbook was resurrected for a time in the 1980s and 1990s, with volume 73 appearing in 1986. Nearly 200 people, far more than expected, attended the first meeting of the revived yearbook staff, and over 50 submitted applications for section editor positions. The new Tyee was published into the mid-1990s, with the last volume appearing in 1994.