Cost & financial aid brief
Stony Brook University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Stony Brook cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $12,943.
In the $30,001–$48,000 band it is $15,432, then $20,728 in the $48,001–$75,000 band, $23,424 in the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $27,716 for those earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,773, which describes a pattern of lower average net prices at lower incomes rather than an individual aid package.
Stony Brook University publishes a cost of attendance of $30,539. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $12,943.
The average net price reaches $20,728 for the $48,001–$75,000 band and $27,716 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,773.
Azimuth ranks the university #411 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of roughly $11,755.
The average net price for first-time, full-time Title IV aid recipients is $18,784, which is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,150. The median federal student loan debt at completion is $18,228.
About 78.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $1,848.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $21,400. If repaid over ten years, a graduate with the median federal debt would face an estimated monthly payment of $207.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
78.1% of federal aid recipients borrow through federal programs. That median is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,848.
The median Parent PLUS loan, measured among parent borrowers alone, is $21,400. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 46% of a 3,030-graduate bachelor's cohort borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative principal of $25,283 per borrower.
Federal loans covered 45% of these graduates, averaging $19,044 per borrower, of whom 7% also held private loans averaging $43,679.
At Stony Brook University, the investment picture is shaped by earnings that outpace expectation and borrowing that sits below the peer median. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $81,850.
Azimuth places that figure in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $14,344 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 90th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $55,215 in a downside case to $94,529 in an upside case, with $81,850 as the typical scenario. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $18,228 in federal student loans, $1,848 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $207 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings and borrowing point the same way here: graduates out-earn the model's expectation, and the median debt sits below the peer median.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $21,400. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $207.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $21,400
- Estimated parent payment
- $272/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $18,228
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $21,400
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $207/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $272/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $479/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $81,850, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.2% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.