How does Stony Brook determine need-based financial aid for undergraduate students?

Stony Brook determines need-based financial aid for undergraduates primarily from the FAFSA, and in some cases additional verification documents, to measure your family’s financial strength and compare it to the school’s cost of attendance. The key number is your Student Aid Index, or SAI, which comes from the FAFSA and helps determine eligibility for federal, state, and institutional need-based aid. Stony Brook then builds an aid package using available sources such as Pell Grants, New York State aid like TAP if you qualify, federal loans, work-study, and any institutional need-based funds.

In practice, the school looks at factors reported on your FAFSA such as parent and student income, certain assets, household size, and your dependency status. They use that information to estimate how much your family can reasonably contribute toward educational costs. Your demonstrated financial need is generally the difference between Stony Brook’s cost of attendance and your calculated ability to pay.

After you submit the FAFSA, Stony Brook receives your information electronically and reviews it for aid eligibility. Some students are selected for verification, which means the financial aid office may ask for tax records, W-2s, proof of nonfiling, or other documents before finalizing the award. If you are a New York resident, TAP is separate from the FAFSA, so you usually need to complete the state application process as well.

Once everything is processed, Stony Brook issues a financial aid offer showing the mix of grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study you qualify for. If your family’s finances changed significantly because of something like job loss, reduced income, or unusual expenses, Stony Brook may also review a special circumstances appeal, which can sometimes change need-based eligibility.