Quad

Head-to-head

Stony Brook
U. California-Irvine

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. California-Irvine graduates 10 pts more of its students than Stony Brook (87% vs. 78%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    Stony Brook costs about $7.1K less per year on average than U. California-Irvine ($26,423 vs. $33,527, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    U. California-Irvine is 1.7× more selective than Stony Brook

    Acceptance rate
  4. 4

    U. California-Irvine has 8 pts more first-gen students than Stony Brook (44% vs. 36%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    U. California-Irvine has 1.7× as many undergrads as Stony Brook

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    U. California-Irvine grads earn $6.2K more ten years out than Stony Brook's ($80,735 vs. $74,502)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

U. California-Irvine admits 29%, Stony Brook 49%; U. California-Irvine's yield is higher, at 19%.

Acceptance rate
Stony Brook49%
U. California-Irvine29%
Quad's selectivity
  • Stony BrookVery selective
  • U. California-IrvineVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Stony Brook
1330–1500
U. California-IrvineTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Stony BrookRigor, GPA, and tests very important70%
  • U. California-IrvineGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. California-Irvine has 1.7× as many undergrads as Stony Brook; Stony Brook has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Stony Brook18.1K
U. California-Irvine30.2K
Pell Grant share
Stony Brook39%
U. California-Irvine36%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at Stony Brook, and Biology/Biological Sciences at U. California-Irvine; both have 19 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
Stony Brook19 to 1
U. California-Irvine19 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Stony BrookPsychology, General12%
  • U. California-IrvineBiology/Biological Sciences, General10%

What each costs

Stony Brook costs about $7.1K less a year than U. California-Irvine on average; U. California-Irvine's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Stony Brook$26.4K
U. California-Irvine$33.5K
Aid generosity
Stony Brook26%
U. California-Irvine27%

What each pays off

U. California-Irvine's former students earn more, a median $80.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Stony Brook$74.5K
U. California-Irvine$80.7K
Graduation rate
Stony Brook78%
U. California-Irvine87%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. California-Irvine got more selective while Stony Brook got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Stony BrookGrowing+66%
  • U. California-IrvineGrowing+84%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Stony Brook University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Stony Brook University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why