Admissions Factors

What Stony Brook Looks For

Stony Brook rates 4 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, standardized test scores and application essay.

How Stony Brook rates each factor

Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.

Very important

Important

Recommendations

Considered

Not considered

Religious affiliation

The numbers behind the class

Overall admit rate

48.2%

30,930 of 64,197 applicants

Early decision admit rate

No early decision

Admitted from the waitlist

66.7%

3,462 of 5,191 who stayed on it

58.7% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.

Email me what Stony Brook looks for

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Frequently asked questions

What does Stony Brook look for in applicants?

Stony Brook rates 4 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, standardized test scores and application essay.

Does Stony Brook consider legacy status?

Stony Brook rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.

Does Stony Brook track demonstrated interest?

Stony Brook rates the level of an applicant's interest as "considered".

What is Stony Brook's waitlist acceptance rate?

5,191 students stayed on the waitlist and 3,462 were admitted, a rate of 66.7%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.

Source: Stony Brook’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.