Stony Brook: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes

Stony Brook is a public institution located in Stony Brook, New York with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Stony Brook admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 48%. Admitted students typically post a median SAT of 1410 and an ACT composite around 31. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $18,784 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price.

What GPA does my child need for Stony Brook?

70% of enrolled students at Stony Brook had a high school GPA of 3.75 or above, and the average was 94.48, according to its 2025-2026 Common Data Set.

What does Stony Brook weight in admissions?

Stony Brook reports these factor weights in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). What the weights mean

How Stony Brook reads an application: what each weighting means for your child, plus waitlist, transfer and early-round odds

SAT and ACT scores Stony Brook typically admits

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 680–770, with an EBRW midpoint near 670. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 29–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.

Where admitted students ranked in their high school class

Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort, often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.

How much does Stony Brook actually cost?

Published tuition is $10,931 for in-state students and $32,741 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $18,196 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $18,784 per year, and that is the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 39% of students receive Pell Grants.

Application deadlines and early decision data for Stony Brook

Will my child graduate from Stony Brook?

These predict outcomes at Stony Brook better than its acceptance rate does. How to read retention and graduation rates

Most popular majors at Stony Brook

The most popular undergraduate programs at Stony Brook, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Psychology, General, Biology, General and Business Administration, Management and Operations. Across all programs, Stony Brook confers roughly 3,222 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Psychology, General program report a median income of about $60,999 five years after entering college. What these figures mean

Is Stony Brook safe? Campus crime & safety

In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Stony Brook disclosed 43 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 2.4 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 10 violent offenses and 21 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Why per-1,000 rates, not counts

What is campus life like at Stony Brook?

About 52% of undergraduates at Stony Brook live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 2% of men join a fraternity and 3% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.

Other colleges in New York parents ask about

• CUNY Hunter College
  54% acceptance
• CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
  48% acceptance
• CUNY Brooklyn College
  58% acceptance
• CUNY City College
  60% acceptance
• Syracuse University
  46% acceptance
• University of Rochester
  40% acceptance
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  63% acceptance
• Vassar College
  19% acceptance

Common questions parents ask about Stony Brook