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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Stony Brook University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/stony-brook-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/stony-brook-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/stony-brook-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/stony-brook-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/stony-brook-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Stony Brook cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Stony Brook University is $30,539. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $7,070 and required fees of $3,861 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $18,874.

Out-of-state students face a published tuition of $31,050. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $18,784, which is $3,150 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #411 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Median federal debt for completers who borrowed at Stony Brook University is $18,228, a level below the median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,848. For affordability, Azimuth places the university in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average annual [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients comes to $18,784, which is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,150. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $12,943; for those earning over $110,000, it is $27,716.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $12,943; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $15,432; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $20,728; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $23,424; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $27,716.

Pell Grant recipients make up 39.4% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,773.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$12,943

**$30–48K**
$15,432

**$48–75K**
$20,728

**$75–110K**
$23,424

**$110K+**
$27,716

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$18,784**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model's 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $21,400. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $207.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$21,400

**Estimated parent payment**
$272/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=stony-brook-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.