Stony Brook University Welcomes its Largest-Ever Incoming Class

First-Year student enrollment increased by 13%; most undergraduate applications of any SUNY school

Stony Brook University welcomed the largest incoming class of first-year students in its more than 66-year history, with a first-year undergraduate student enrollment increase of 13%.

New first-year students attending Stony Brook for the 2024 fall term totaled 4,042 (vs. 3,569 in fall 2023) and 1,334 new transfer students in fall 2024(vs. 1,286 in fall 2023). Transfers increased 4% over the prior fall. Stony Brook received the most undergraduate applications of any State University of New York (SUNY) school.

Stony Brook, one of New York State's flagship universities, continues to place a top priority on year-over-year enhancements to the student experience inside and outside the classroom through faculty engagement, professional advising, mental health and other support services. The increases are a testament to its rise in reputation as a world-class academic institution where students from all backgrounds are welcomed and supported throughout their college journey.

"This historic enrollment of first-year students is a testament to Stony Brook University's steadfast commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience and its rise in reputation as one of the nation's most prominent public flagship research universities," said Interim President Richard McCormick. "Stony Brook today exemplifies dramatically all the most important developments in modern American higher education - a growing and highly diverse student body, an expanding research enterprise, and research achievements that are contributing mightily to the economy and society."

Stony Brook continues to have one of the highest percentages of Pell-eligible students among public universities. It also leads the SUNY system in the highest number of Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) applications and posted the largest EOP class in its history. The state-funded EOP programsupports promising New York students who face financial and academic barriers so they can attend and graduate from a SUNY college.

While prominent research institutions that include MIT and Harvard have experienced drops in enrollment for their Black and Latinx students this fall, enrollment of first-time students at Stony Brook who identified as Black increased from 364 (10.2% of the incoming class) in fall 2023 to 433 (10.7% of the incoming class) in fall 2024. Those who identified as Latinx increased from 496 (13.9% of the incoming class) in fall 2023 to 633 (15.7% of the incoming class) in fall 2024. This represents an increase of over 200 students who identify as Black or Latinx over the prior year.

Highly Ranked Again

Stony Brook has risen remarkably in U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2025rankings in recent years, moving from #93 in the 2022 rankings to #58 in the 2024 rankings. In the 2025 rankings released on September 24, the university has maintained its gains, coming in at #58 again and for the third year in a row ranked as the #1 public university in New York. Notably, Stony Brook is the only New York school among the Top 30 public universities, coming in at #26 for the second year in a row.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.