Solid graduate outcomes with earnings above the peer average.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
Stony Brook graduates experience steady earnings growth throughout their early-to-mid career progression. Median earnings begin at $59,492 six years after enrollment, advance to $69,248 at eight years, and reach $74,502 at ten years, representing 25.2% total growth from the six-year benchmark.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings exceed the peer average, indicating above-typical outcomes for this institution type.
Financial justification for the investment.
Excellent affordability. Median debt of $18,228 is well under annual earnings, enabling comfortable repayment.
Stony Brook graduates manage debt levels effectively, with median borrowing of $18,228 ranking in the 79.0th percentile nationally. This represents $1,772 less than the peer median debt of $20,000, indicating controlled borrowing relative to comparable institutions.
Stony Brook University demonstrates well above average return on investment performance, ranking at the 87.8th percentile nationally. Graduates earn $8,461 beyond expectations relative to students with similar demographics at other institutions, placing Stony Brook in the 82.9th percentile for value-added earnings performance.
Approximately 25.2% of Stony Brook graduates continue to graduate or professional study, based on program mix analysis with high confidence level. Th...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Stony Brook's strongest earning programs span health professions, engineering, and applied sciences. Adult Health Nurse/Nursing leads with graduates earning $95,054, followed by Information Science/Studies at $88,954 and Mechanical Engineering at $87,654.
Human Computer Interaction produces graduates earning $81,573, while Applied Mathematics graduates earn $75,438. These high-earning programs contrast with Biology ($47,372) and Psychology ($50,246), which often prepare students for graduate study rather than immediate high-compensation careers.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
The earnings distribution at Stony Brook shows meaningful variation reflecting diverse career paths and program choices. Graduates at the 25th percentile earn $48,580 while those at the 75th percentile reach $107,097, creating a 2.2:1 ratio between top and bottom quartiles.
