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Career outcomes brief

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# Stony Brook University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

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## How much do Stony Brook graduates earn?

The reported median is $81,850 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $16,240 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Stony Brook University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $81,850, in the 90th percentile. That is $16,240 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $14,344 more than the model expects for similar students, placing that gap at the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,835.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,509. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $5,046.

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings scenarios for Stony Brook University span from $55,215 on the downside to $94,529 on the upside, reflecting the range of outcomes associated with different program clusters. Among the largest programs, Psychology completers earn a median of $58,137 four years after completion, while Business Administration and Management completers earn $72,765. The highest-earning program, Computer Engineering, shows a median of $128,038.

An estimated 38.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$81,850

**Rank for difference from expectations**
90th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Stony Brook reported median**
$81,850

**Peer schools comparable schools · $16,240 below Stony Brook**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $14,344 below Stony Brook**
$67,506

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How many Stony Brook students return and finish their degrees?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

**Returned the following fall**
89.4%

**Completed within six years**
77.1%

**Pell recipients completed within six years**
80.3%

Source: Stony Brook University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention; B4–B11 six-year completion. Retention and completion follow different entering cohorts.

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $55,215 to $94,529, around the reported median of $81,850. Compare the lower scenario with [Stony Brook borrowing and monthly payments](/school/stony-brook-university/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$55,215

**Median · reported**
$81,850

**Higher estimate**
$94,529

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

[Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do Stony Brook graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added).

Stony Brook graduates’ reported earnings are $14,344 above that expectation, the 90th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Stony Brook caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$7,835

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
+$6,509

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$14,344

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at Stony Brook report the highest earnings?

Stony Brook University's Health Sciences program ranks #3 nationally in its field and #2 in New York, with 446 degrees awarded and a median of $77,075 four years after completion. Psychology is the largest program by degrees awarded at 591, and its completers earn a median of $58,137 with an Azimuth national rank of #41.

Business Administration and Management awarded 464 degrees and shows a median of $72,765, ranking #87 nationally. The Biology program, with 549 degrees awarded, reports a median of $62,574 and an Azimuth national rank of #69.

Stony Brook University has 33 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, with 35 programs reporting earnings data. The largest program, Psychology, awarded 591 degrees and holds a national rank of #41, with graduates earning a median of $58,137 four years after completion.

Biology follows with 549 degrees awarded and a median of $62,574. Health Sciences stands out with a national rank of #3 and median earnings of $77,075, while Applied Mathematics awarded 399 degrees and shows median earnings of $82,200.

The highest-earning program, Computer Engineering, reports a median of $128,038.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Engineering**
$128,038

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$111,898

**Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions**
$110,827

**Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions**
$103,656

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$98,573

**Civil Engineering**
$92,908

**Mechanical Engineering**
$91,650

**Information Science/Studies**
$89,875

[Explore Stony Brook program cohorts and field ranks](/school/stony-brook-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show a downside of $55,215, a typical outcome of $81,850, and an upside of $94,529. The spread reflects how much field choice matters: Computer Engineering graduates earn a median of $128,038 four years after completion, while the largest program, Psychology, sits at $58,137.

Four years after completing their degrees, graduates of Stony Brook University earn a median of $81,850, a figure that places the university in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings cohort includes 4,825 completers.

Graduates earn about $14,344 more than the model expects for similar students. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that performance lands in the 90th percentile.

Scenarios modeled from the program mix range from $55,215 on the downside to $94,529 on the upside; the typical earnings scenario is $81,850. The model estimates graduate-school continuation at 38.0%, a figure derived from program mix rather than observed enrollment.

## 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/).