How to Get Into Stony Brook University 鈥� Acceptance Rate and Strategies

August 18, 2025

Located 60 miles east of New York City, Stony Brook University boasts the largest campus of any public school in the state of New York. One of two flagship institutions in the SUNY system, Stony Brook receives over 55,000 applications. SBU has become one of the top-ranked and most diverse public schools on the East Coast. Therefore, it鈥檚 no shock that in 2025, the Stony Brook acceptance rate is now under 50%.

In order to help you prepare for the challenges ahead on the path to becoming a Seawolf, this article will cover the following topics:

Stony Brook University acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
Stony Brook in-state vs. out-of-state acceptance rate
SAT, ACT, GPA, and class rank of accepted Stony Brook University applicants
Admissions trends
SBU’s system for rating applicants
A look at the demographics of current Stony Brook University undergraduates
The percent of accepted students that attend Stony Brook University (yield rate)
Tips for applying
How to assess whether applying to SBU is even worth the $50 application fee (for you)

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Stony Brook University Acceptance Rate

The Stony Brook University acceptance rate was 49% for the Class of 2028. 55,880 students applied (an all-time high), and 27,406 were accepted.

Historical Stony Brook acceptance rates are as follows:

	Applicants	Admits	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2027	50,341	24,670	49%
Class of 2026	40,513	19,908	49%
Class of 2025	38,826	18,659	48%
Class of 2024	37,083	18,138	49%

Stony Brook University In-State vs. Out-of-State Acceptance Rate

This is the rare public institution at which it is easier to get accepted if you are an out-of-state applicant. For the Class of 2028, the in-state acceptance rate was 41.5% while the out-of-state acceptance rate was a much higher 61%. This is partly explained by the yield rate (more on that below), which is much higher for in-state students than for out-of-state students鈥�20% vs. 5%, respectively.

What GPA do you need to get into Stony Brook University?

For enrolled Class of 2028 students, the average GPA was 92.91, and 57% earned above a 3.75.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Stony Brook University?

Among enrolled 2024-25 first-year students, an impressive 48% hailed from the top 10% of their graduating class, while 81% earned a place in the top quarter%.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Stony Brook University?

According to Class of 2027 statistics, the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was 1340-1480, while the mid-50% ACT range was 29-33.

It’s important to note that less than 40% of enrolled students submitted test scores alongside their applications, so it’s important to interpret the above data with that in mind.

Admissions Trends & Notes 鈥� Class of 2028

Applications to SUNY Stony Brook increased by 11% last year (and 24% the year before that).
Applications from out-of-state students rose by 12%, and applications from international students rose by 26%.
Typically, 10-15% of Honors College applicants are admitted.
The SAT range for the “most successful candidates” to the Honors College was 1500-1560.
The Class of 2028 was Stony Brook’s largest-ever incoming class.
According to the latest data, only less than 1% of students who accepted a spot on the waitlist were ultimately accepted.

How Stony Brook University Rates Applicants

Stony Brook University views four factors as 鈥渧ery important鈥� to the admissions process: rigor of high school course load, standardized test scores (despite being test-optional currently), and application essays. Additionally, items that are 鈥渋mportant鈥� as part of the admissions process are recommendations. Every other factor (except religious affiliation) is “considered.”‘

For a slightly different look at the school鈥檚 institutional priorities, we go right to their own admissions office:

鈥淎dmission to Stony Brook is based on a holistic review of a student’s academic record including the overall grade point average and strength of curriculum, as well as other academic and personal factors such as co-curricular and community involvement, evidence of leadership, special talents or interest.鈥�

Since Stony Brook University wants to see achievement and leadership outside of the classroom as well, it鈥檚 important to grasp what competitive colleges are looking for when evaluating extracurricular activities. In short, they are looking for commitment and achievement in 2-3 core areas. For more, check out our blog entitled:聽How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?

Who Actually Gets Into Stony Brook?

Next, let鈥檚 look at the demographics of Stony Brook University’s undergraduate student body.

The regional representation of a recent class was as follows:

New York State: 83%
Out-of-State: 10%
International: 7%

Historically, the greatest percentage of international students come from the following countries:

China
India
Uzbekistan
Pakistan
Bangladesh

In terms of ethnic identity, the breakdown of the Class of 2027 was follows:

White: 18%
Asian: 38%
Hispanic: 15%
Black or African American: 7%
International: 12%

A look at the gender split reveals that university enrolled a fairly even number of men and women into the Class of 2027:

Men: 49%
Women: 51%

Stony Brook University鈥檚 Yield Rate

Stony Brook University鈥檚 yield rate is 14.7%, a few points lower than previous years. For comparison, other top state schools have the following yields: University of Washington (26%), UCLA (52%), and Binghamton University (18%).

Tips for Applying

If you plan on joining the 55,000+ Stony Brook University hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

Firstly, we encourage you to check out the聽offered by the university.
Stony Brook University will continue to be test-optional in 2025-26.
This school does not use interviews as part of their evaluation process.
Stony Brook University does judge you on your level of聽demonstrated interest. We suggest making the effort to follow them on social media, sign up for a virtual info session, visit campus (if possible), contact an admissions officer, etc.
Lastly, Stony Brook does not typically require any supplemental essays, so make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the 2025-26 Common App essay prompts required by SBU.

Should I Apply to SBU?

Over three quarters of teens enrolled in SBU finished in the top quartile of their high school class and 78% possessed at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA in a rigorous curriculum. If you check those boxes, then you may be a competitive applicant and, if the school is a good fit for you, submitting an application will certainly be worth your time and $50.

Stony Brook Acceptance Rate 鈥� Final Thoughts

Most students applying to a school of Stony Brook University鈥檚 caliber also need to also have a proper mix or 鈥渢arget鈥� and 鈥渟afety鈥� schools on their college list. More on creating a balanced college list can be found here.

Ready to start building your college applications? Check out the following resources:

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College Admissions

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).