How to Apply to Stony Brook University’s Nursing (BSN) Degree: No Direct Admission for First-Year Students, 57 Credits of Prerequisites in the College of Arts and Sciences First, Then a Separate Application Around the End of Year Two, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Stony Brook University, a member of the State University of New York (SUNY), offers its bachelor’s in nursing through the School of Nursing, awarding a Bachelor of Science (B.S.). The website is explicit that nursing is upper-division: first-year applicants are not admitted directly into nursing. They enter the College of Arts and Sciences, take the prerequisites, and then apply separately to the nursing program; meeting the minimum criteria “does not guarantee acceptance.” This guide follows the website for fall 2027 entry and speaks to U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. RN-to-Baccalaureate gets one line in section 1; graduate nursing programs are outside the scope.

1. Degree and programs

• Degrees: the nursing program page lists the Basic Baccalaureate Program (BBP) and the Accelerated Baccalaureate Program (ABP) for students who hold a non-nursing bachelor’s degree. Both are on-site and lead to licensure as a registered nurse (NCLEX-RN eligibility); the RN to Bachelor’s program is for registered nurses with an associate degree or diploma and is offered by distance education with on-site requirements. The site also says the RN to Bachelor’s/Master’s is currently suspended.
• Basic Baccalaureate (BBP): the nursing curriculum takes 2 years with a summer break; students may be able to work part-time; a bachelor’s degree is not required; accepted students start in the fall.
• Accelerated Baccalaureate (ABP): the full curriculum is condensed into 12 months; the website says students cannot work during the program; a bachelor’s degree must be completed by the start; accepted students start in the summer.
• RN to Baccalaureate: for registered nurses with an associate degree in nursing; fall start. One line only here.
• School of Nursing Scholars Program: the honors page says a select number of students receive early assurance of a seat in the nursing program on completing core requirements and foundation courses; in years one and two they join lower-division nursing seminars and School of Nursing activities and get faculty mentors. Admission is highly competitive and weighs high school record, standardized test scores, curriculum strength, honors and awards, leadership, extracurriculars and unique talents (that page lists test scores, while the admissions office says testing is optional; both appear, so confirm with admissions). To apply, select “Pre-Nursing” as the intended major on the Common Application; admission to the university is decided first and honors review follows. The number of places and any GPA condition for the guaranteed seat are not published on the pages we read.
• STEM designation: the pages we read do not say; not stated.
• Clinical setting: the honors page says nursing students’ clinical experiences are highlighted at Stony Brook University Medical Center, described as a 560-bed tertiary care hospital and the only level one trauma center in the area. The program page lists sample courses: Social Justice in Health Care, Healing and the Arts, Pathophysiology, Fundamentals of Pharmacology.

2. How you get in, and the bar

• First-year route: first-year applicants who have taken no college courses after high school are considered for the College of Arts and Sciences, where they complete prerequisites and apply to the nursing program at the end of their second year. The website says this “is not a direct admission program, but does provide all the prerequisite requirements needed to apply to the Basic Baccalaureate Program.” The upper-division overview says first-year applicants apply to a pre-major, and the international first-year page lists nursing among “Restricted Majors in the Health Sciences” requiring at least 57 college credits, with the upper-division application submitted in the year all prerequisites are expected to be complete.
• No guarantee: “Admission to the Nursing program is highly competitive. Meeting minimum criteria for admission does not guarantee acceptance.” The School reserves the right to make final decisions based on the applicant pool and to change criteria to meet accreditation and registration requirements.
• Basic Baccalaureate prerequisites (no bachelor’s degree): minimum cumulative GPA 2.8; 57 credits in the listed courses, each with a grade of C or higher; three of the four science prerequisites (microbiology with lab, anatomy and physiology I and II with lab, chemistry) completed by the application deadline, with the fourth allowed to be in progress or planned as long as it is finished before the start term. The page states a cumulative GPA minimum only; it gives no separate prerequisite-GPA threshold.
• Application items: application and personal statement; paid fee or approved waiver; official transcripts from all colleges attended (including completed and in-progress prerequisites); three letters of recommendation requested through the portal after you apply; a resume; and meeting the Technical Standards for Admission and Retention. Outstanding prerequisite coursework must be posted on official transcripts and evaluated before the first day of classes.
• Interview: the nursing program page says interviews may be required of qualified applicants.
• Entrance exams (TEAS, HESI, etc.): the pages we read do not mention them; not stated.
• After admission: admitted students upload required documents through the CastleBranch system (a one-time fee), show evidence of health insurance and of student malpractice insurance, and must finish all prerequisite coursework before the program starts, or risk being removed. Physical exam, immunizations, background check and volunteer or clinical experience requirements are not detailed on the pages we read; not stated.
• Criminal history: SUNY policy bars the application from asking about prior criminal history; after acceptance the university asks about felony convictions if the student seeks campus housing or participation in clinical or field experiences where a background check is required, and a campus committee reviews the answer. The website warns that such history may affect completing certain programs or licensure.
• Internal transfer: current Stony Brook students follow the same prerequisites and apply in the year they expect to finish them; the pages do not describe a separate internal-transfer route.

3. Prerequisites and curriculum

• High school courses: the international first-year and nursing pages we read do not say how much high school math, biology or chemistry nursing needs (the international first-year page lists unit requirements only for engineering majors, and nursing is not among them); not stated. Ask admissions (enroll@stonybrook.edu).
• Basic Baccalaureate prerequisite list (57 credits, Stony Brook equivalents): English Composition 3 (WRT 102); Sociology 3; Psychology 3 (PSY 103); Lifespan Development 3 (PSY 220); Microbiology with lab 4 (BIO 299); Anatomy and Physiology I with lab 4 (HAN 200); Anatomy and Physiology II with lab 4 (HAN 202); Chemistry 3; Statistics 3; Humanities 6; Fine Arts 3; US History 3; Global Issues 3; second semester of an elementary foreign language 3; Electives 9; total at least 57. Footnote: Stony Brook students who satisfy the language requirement by speaking a language other than English meet the nursing language requirement, but electives rise from 9 to 12 credits. These courses together with the nursing curriculum satisfy Stony Brook’s curriculum requirements.
• Applicants who already hold a non-nursing bachelor’s degree (Accelerated applicants, and Basic Baccalaureate applicants with a degree): a shorter list with the same 2.8 GPA and C-or-higher rule: English Composition 3, Lifespan Development 3, Microbiology with lab 4, Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab 4 each, Chemistry 3, Statistics 3; three of the four sciences completed by the deadline.
• Transfer-equivalency tool: the website points to Stony Brook’s Transfer Equivalency Database for checking whether an outside course satisfies a nursing prerequisite.
• AP and IB credit: the nursing pages we read do not say how these exams count toward prerequisites; not stated. Check the transfer-credit and exam-credit policy pages or ask admissions.
• Nursing curriculum and clinical hours: the pages we read give no course sequence, total clinical hours or full list of clinical partners (only the university medical center is named); not stated.
• NCLEX-RN pass rate: the pages say graduates are eligible to sit for the exam but publish no pass rate, so none is given here.

4. Rounds, deadlines and fees (fall 2027 entry)

• Nursing deadlines (nursing application page): Basic Baccalaureate — application deadline January 8, 2027, program start fall 2027; Accelerated Baccalaureate — deadline October 8, 2026 (already past when this was written; check with the website whether it still accepts applications), start summer 2027; RN Baccalaureate — deadline March 15, 2027, start fall 2027. Deadlines cover the application, recommendations and transcripts. The page warns the system takes a few days to show an application as submitted and received. To be considered for both Basic and Accelerated, submit a separate SUNY application for each because the start terms differ.
• Application platform and fee: the nursing page describes two application options (use one) and a $50 fee; the option named in the page text is the SUNY Application. After submitting you receive a StartSBU portal login and complete the checklist there.
• Entering Stony Brook itself: for fall 2027, Early Action November 1 and Regular Decision January 15, both completion deadlines; Early Action decisions December 11 and January 29 (a complete file by November 1 is guaranteed a January 29 decision); Regular Decision February 26 and March 26. The fee is $50; platforms are Common App, SUNY App and Coalition (the international page lists the first two).
• Essay, recommendations, testing: first-year applicants write an essay on a topic of their choice and need one recommendation (teacher, counselor, coach, clergy or community member, not family). SAT/ACT is optional; review is holistic (record, GPA and curriculum strength, plus involvement, leadership and talents). SAT code 2548, ACT code 2952. The nursing program separately requires three recommendations, a personal statement and a resume.
• Nursing Scholars deadlines: the honors deadlines on the first-year page (priority November 1, final January 15) list the other honors programs and do not name the Nursing Scholars Program; the honors page only says to select “Pre-Nursing” on the Common App. Specific dates are not stated on the pages we read.
• NursingCAS and similar platforms: the Stony Brook nursing page names only the StartSBU portal and the SUNY Application, so those platforms are not discussed (and no application platform was accessed).

5. The three kinds of applicants

U.S. applicants

• Costs (2026–2027 estimate, full time): tuition $7,070 in-state and $31,050 out-of-state; fees $3,860; housing $12,291; meal plan $7,450; on-campus direct costs $30,671 in-state and $54,651 out-of-state; books $900, transportation $840, personal $2,408 (indirect $4,148); estimated total $34,819 in-state and $58,799 out-of-state. The site says these are estimates as of February 20, 2026, that SUNY sets tuition each June, and that tuition and fees may vary by program of study; full-time students are billed for health insurance unless they waive with proof of coverage. A nursing-specific surcharge and clinical costs (uniforms, equipment, health screening) are not listed on the pages we read; not stated.
• Scholarships: all new first-year students are automatically considered for most first-year scholarships without a separate application; transfer students have transfer scholarships; the site urges filing the FAFSA early each January.
• In-state preference: beyond the tuition difference, the pages we read do not describe an admission preference for New York residents; not stated.

International applicants

• Process: there is no separate international application; international students file the first-year or transfer application, identified by citizenship and visa type. Students needing an F-1 visa (or holding F-1, F-2, J-1 or J-2) are international.
• Nursing requirements for international applicants: the nursing page says international applicants and anyone who attended institutions outside the U.S. must have transcripts evaluated for transfer equivalency by a NACES-accredited evaluator such as WES; applicants whose native or primary language is not English must present a TOEFL score: at least 90 for exams taken before January 21, 2026, or at least 4.5 for exams on or after that date. That page mentions TOEFL only.
• English proof for first-year entry (international first-year page, not nursing-specific): TOEFL, Duolingo, SAT, ACT, IELTS, AP, IB, A-level or PTE; examples of minimums are TOEFL iBT 80 (exams before January 21, 2026) or 4 (after), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 105; applicants from native English-speaking countries and international applicants from English-medium schools are exempt. The two pages differ on TOEFL (80/4 versus 90/4.5), so nursing applicants should follow the nursing page and confirm with admissions. The site also says restricted majors may require higher course grades for conditionally admitted students.
• Funds and I-20: admitted students must show the ability to pay one year of educational and living costs before the I-20 is issued; financial documents are not needed for the admission decision.
• International students in clinical courses, licensure, Social Security number: not stated on the pages we read. Contact the School of Nursing or admissions (enroll@stonybrook.edu).
• International scholarships: not stated on the pages we read.

Applicants from China (own section)

• Gaokao: the international first-year page’s English-proficiency table has a row “GaoKao 125 (out of 150)” without saying which subject it refers to; not stated. Whether Gaokao results serve as academic evidence is not stated. The nursing pages do not mention the Gaokao.
• Transcripts and the school-leaving exams: international first-year applicants submit grades for the three most recent years in English (four years if already graduated), sent by the school; the pages do not describe the Huikao or credential verification; not stated. If you have university coursework in China before nursing, a NACES-accredited evaluation is required.
• Guidance specific to Chinese applicants: none on the pages we read; ask admissions.

6. Costs and scholarships (additional notes)

• Tuition and fee figures are above; the site says they may vary by program, and no nursing-specific amount is listed.
• Whether the Nursing Scholars Program carries a scholarship is not stated; the scholarships page says all new first-year students are automatically considered.

7. Transfer

• General Stony Brook transfer rule: anyone who took coursework at an accredited college after high school is a transfer applicant; applicants have typically completed at least 24 college credits with a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher by the time they apply; restricted majors may have different criteria. The fee is $50, and graduates of SUNY or CUNY two-year colleges can have up to four application fees waived.
• Into nursing: the transfer page says nursing is upper-division and transfer applicants who have not finished the prerequisites should complete them before applying, advising that remaining prerequisites be completed at the current institution when possible. Prerequisites, the 2.8 GPA, deadlines and materials are as in sections 2 to 4: Basic Baccalaureate January 8, 2027, Accelerated October 8, 2026, RN Baccalaureate March 15, 2027.
• International transfer: the international transfer page, like the first-year page, has no separate international application and identifies international students by visa type; the nursing page requires a NACES-accredited evaluation for study outside the U.S. Further details are not stated on the pages we read.
• The general transfer deadline of May 1 (fall) is Stony Brook’s own; nursing has separate deadlines, so do not mix them up.

8. Pre-health advising

The admissions site has a “Pre-Professional Programs” page; for nursing, rely on the School of Nursing and admissions. This guide does not go further.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• To study nursing, apply to Stony Brook (College of Arts and Sciences) and apply separately to nursing around the end of year two; it is not direct admission
• Cumulative GPA 2.8, 57 credits of prerequisites each at C or higher, three of four sciences complete by the deadline
• Basic Baccalaureate deadline January 8, 2027; three recommendations, resume and personal statement; qualified applicants may be interviewed
• For early assurance of a seat: select Pre-Nursing on the Common App and be considered for the School of Nursing Scholars Program

International applicants (including China):

• Have non-U.S. transcripts evaluated by a NACES-accredited evaluator such as WES; the nursing page requires TOEFL (90 on the old scale, 4.5 on the new)
• Clinical courses, licensure and Social Security number for international students: not stated, so confirm with the school
• Gaokao: not stated, apart from one 125/150 row in the English-proficiency table

Transfer students:

• Finish prerequisites before applying; GPA 2.8; nursing has its own deadlines, separate from the May 1 transfer deadline

Sources: Stony Brook University, Nursing: upper-division application; Upper-division programs; Nursing program page; Honors programs (incl. School of Nursing Scholars); First-year applicants; International first-year applicants; Transfer applicants; International transfer; Tuition and costs; Scholarships. Most date pages do not print a year for each date, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry; Stony Brook’s website has the latest. The School of Nursing’s own site, the course catalog (third-party hosted) and the application platforms were not accessed.