Stony Brook University

Public · Selective · NY

Photo: Mohamedaali2 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationNY · Northeast

SettingSuburban

Undergrads18,101

Student:faculty19:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate64.8%

6-yr grad rate75.6%

Drop-out rate10.2%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$11k

Out-of-state tuition$33k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity75%

Gender diversity51.2%

International9.5%

Identity—

Overview

Stony Brook University is one of SUNY's two flagship research universities, on Long Island roughly an hour from Manhattan by train. It combines serious research depth with a public-university price point, and its identity is built around the sciences, medicine, and a genuinely research-driven undergraduate experience rather than a traditional liberal-arts atmosphere. The university's rise as a national research power is tied closely to its physics and mathematics departments — Nobel laureate C.N. Yang taught here for decades — and to a landmark gift from the Simons Foundation that has reshaped the university's research ambitions and endowment in recent years.

Academics

Physics, mathematics, computer science, and the health sciences are Stony Brook's core strengths, backed by its own academic medical center, a well-regarded journalism program built around the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, and a formal research partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory that gives students and faculty access to facilities few universities its size can match. The Simons Center for Geometry and Physics anchors a genuinely elite theoretical physics and math community. An Honors College and specialized programs like WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) offer smaller cohorts and closer mentorship inside a large public university. Undergraduates in STEM fields have real access to lab research and graduate-level facilities most public universities their size don't offer.

Campus & student life

The campus is suburban Long Island, self-contained and built around a large, diverse, and noticeably international and STEM-heavy student body. Manhattan is reachable by train but not a daily draw, so campus life centers on residence halls, a wide range of clubs, and a Division I athletics program, including a football team playing in the FCS, that has grown in visibility over time. Stony Brook Southampton, the university's satellite campus on the East End, adds marine science and creative writing options outside the main Long Island campus.

Getting in

Stony Brook evaluates applicants with real attention to intended major, particularly for competitive STEM and pre-health tracks, and rewards strong quantitative preparation in the transcript. It is less essay-driven and less personality-focused than elite private schools but still weighs the full academic record, including rigor of coursework, rather than a single test-score formula. Honors College and WISE program admission involves a more selective, separate layer of review.

After graduation

Graduates move strongly into biotech, healthcare, tech, and graduate or medical school, helped by the research pedigree and the Brookhaven connection specifically. The university's research reputation, and its physics and math programs in particular, carry real weight with employers and PhD programs in the sciences. Stony Brook Medicine and the university hospital also feed a steady pipeline directly into regional healthcare careers.

Worth knowing

The Brookhaven National Laboratory partnership, the Simons Foundation's investment, and the university's own academic medical center give science-track students research access that's unusual at this price point — a strong option for a student prioritizing lab experience over prestige branding. The Stony Brook Southampton satellite campus is also worth knowing about for marine science or creative writing specifically.

stonybrook.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate49%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1330–1500 · ACT 29–33

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App, Coalition (Scoir), or SUNY application.

Priority / scholarshipNov 1

Early Action at Stony Brook is non-binding and there is no Early Decision option; the same November 1 date also serves as the priority deadline for Honors College, WISE, and University Scholars consideration. Decisions are released on a set timeline (Early Action by end of January, Regular Decision by end of March), not on a rolling basis.

Interviews: No interview is required for general first-year admission; Scholars for Medicine and Scholars for Dental Medicine applicants are contacted directly for a required interview.

Supplemental essays (1)

Honors Program Statement
Please discuss why you are a good fit for your preferred University Honors Program
250 words · Required · Required only for Honors College, University Scholars, or WISE applicants; the school describes the length as "approximately 250 words." Applicants selecting more than one program submit only one statement, addressed to their preferred program choice.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗