Tuition, Cost & Funding
Excellent Education. Affordable to All.
Stony Brook University is going beyond the expectations of what today’s public universities can accomplish. Since its founding in 1957, this young university has grown to become one of only four University Center campuses in the State University of New York (SUNY) system with more than 25,700 students, 2,500 faculty members, and 20 NCAA Division I athletic programs. Our faculty have earned numerous prestigious awards, including the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize and the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics.
The University offers students an elite education with an outstanding return on investment: U.S. News & World Report ranks Stony Brook among the top 40 public universities in the nation. Its membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places Stony Brook among the top 62 research institutions in North America. As part of the management team of Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University joins a prestigious group of universities that have a role in running federal R&D labs.
The Graduate School at Stony Brook University offers a variety of highly competitive funding opportunities for doctoral study, including teaching and research assistantships, Graduate Council Fellowships, the Dr. W. Burghardt Turner Fellowship and the GEM Fellowship. Enrolled students also can compete for a variety of other fellowships and awards.
For details on the specific opportunities available, contact your program for more information.
Campus Resources
Tuition & Fees - The Student Financial Services website has information on tuition, fees, billing, and payment, including the semester-based Time Option Payment Plan (TOPP).
Financial Aid- The Financial Aid website details the types of aid available to students, eligibility criteria, application procedures, and repayment information.
Campus Fellowships & Funding - Stony Brook offers a number of fellowships to help graduate students meet their educational and research expenses. Some are available to incoming students only; others are open to all enrolled students.
Graduate Council Fellowships (Nomination Procedures) - Graduate Council Fellowships (GCF) are available to exceptionally qualified incoming doctoral and MFA students. Candidates are nominated by their respective graduate programs; nominations are due at the end of January.
Annual Graduate Awards - Current graduate students are eligible for several annual awards and fellowships, ranging from $500 to $10,000, to students.
National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) - The Graduate School serves as the administrative home for Stony Brook's NSF Fellows. This section provides an overview of how tenured fellows can use their cost-of-education allowance, guidelines for requesting reimbursement, and details about health insurance. If you are a student interested in the NSF GRFP and would like to know more about the application process, please visit the External Scholarships & Fellowships Advising site for additional information.
External Funding Database - The Graduate School compiles information from various funding agencies and private foundations offering funding to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. The list isn't comprehensive, but it is updated regularly as we're made aware of new opportunities. If you are interested in external fellowships, please keep in mind that the External Scholarships & Fellowships Advising Office may be able to assist. While the focus is on fellowships requiring an on-campus nomination or interview process, such as the Fulbright, their team can consult on a variety of opportunities. For more information, please visit the External Scholarships & Fellowships Advising website.
On-Campus Employment - The Student Employment website includes information on how to search for campus employment through SBU's recruiting database Handshake as well as a calendar of workshops and career development events.
Student Employee Health Benefits - Graduate students employed as Graduate or Teaching Assistants are eligible for health insurance under the SUNY Student Employee Health Plan (SEHP). Graduate students employed by the Research Foundation (RF) as Research Assistants are eligible for insurance under the RF health insurance plan.
Parental Leave Policy - The Stony Brook Parental Leave Policy enables graduate students to maintain full-time, registered-student status and facilitates their return to full participation in class work, research, teaching, and clinical training.
Emergency Loan Program - The Emergency Loan Program offers interest-free loans -- up to $2,000 -- to graduate students. The program, funded by the Provost and administered through the Graduate School, provides short-term loans to eligible graduate students to help them during an emergency financial hardship (medical, car, personal, family, etc).
Graduate Student Organization Funding - Stony Brook's Graduate Student Organization provides a number of funding opportunities for individuals, student organizations, and graduate departments.
RF Professional Development Fund - As part of the current contract negotiated between the Research Foundation for the State University of New York and the Communications Workers of America, Local 1104, the Office of the VP for Research at Stony Brook has established a $25,000 annual professional development fund for graduate students employed by the Research Foundation to attend conferences. The fund will cover registration fees only; $12,500 will be available at the beginning of each semester on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tuition on Research Grants (ToRG) - Grant proposals that include support for graduate students (i.e. as research assistants) must also provide support for graduate tuition.