Pre-Arrival Information

Congratulations on your admission to SUNY Stony Brook University. We are very excited for you to be a part of our campus community.

This website is designed to provide useful information to newly admitted, incoming, international students.

Please use this site to get information on travel, reporting to campus, what to bring or buy, and some other helpful information for international students including Visa / Documentation, Living on Campus, health, advising (including orientation & registration information) as well as financial issues

As information changes in response to COVID-19 please review the following sites for up to date information:

If you are living on campus, you will be notified of your move in date into your assigned residence hall. Please note, your room will NOT be available to move-in before your assigned move in date. Be sure to make travel arrangements accordingly.

If you are an international student living on campus this fall, please read the important information below:

New and continuing graduate resident students may check-in to their assigned on-campus housing location between August 2 - August 20, Monday through Friday, 9 am-4:30 pm; Sunday, August 15 from 11am-3 pm; or Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, August 22 from 8 am-4:30 pm.

New international first-year and transfer resident students may check-in to their assigned on-campus housing location on Sunday, August 15 from 10 am-4:30 pm.
Continuing international undergraduate resident students may check-in to their assigned on-campus housing location on Friday, August 20, Saturday, August 21, or Sunday, August 22 from 8 am-4:30 pm.
If you are flying to John F. Kennedy (JFK) or LaGuardia (LGA) airports in New York (closest international airports to Stony Brook) or Newark Liberty (EWR) airport in New Jersey, you should book flights that land by 12 noon (East Coast time, UTC-04:00) to allow enough time to retrieve luggage, go through customs, and travel to Stony Brook's campus in time to check in by 4:30 pm.
If you experience a travel delay, you can request an exception to check into campus, but not later than 9 pm East Coast time (UTC-04:00). Please contact your area office prior to 4 pm on the day of your arrival so that a late check-in can be coordinated. If you do not communicate with your area office in advance or you cannot arrive on campus by 9 pm, you will need to make alternative arrangements to stay at a hotel until you can check in during the next business day.
JFK Airport: Hotels are located at/near JFK airport.

LaGuardia Airport: Hotels are located at/near LGA airport.

Newark Liberty Airport: Hotels are located at/near EWR airport.

Stony Brook University: Hotels are located on/near Stony Brook University’s campus.
Yes, the Office of New Student Programs is coordinating free bus transportation on select dates and times for undergraduate and graduate international students who are living on campus . Bus transportation will be available from John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport to Stony Brook University. If you are flying into a different airport, the free shuttle bus will not be available from there. You are welcome to purchase, at your own cost, separate transportation to JFK airport from where our free shuttles will depart. Below are the details on the options available as well as a sign-up link if you would like to reserve a spot on the bus.

Note: The free shuttle buses have a limited capacity, and are available on a first come, first served basis to students living on campus. No guests are permitted on the buses, these buses are only available to the SBU student. Sign up as soon as you are sure which bus you are able to take, but no later than Friday, July 23 . By August 1, we will send a confirmation email to your Stony Brook email account with the date, time, and terminal pick-up location at JFK airport.

New Undergraduate Students
- Sunday, August 15, 2021. 1:00pm (EST) Bus Departure from JFK, Estimated Arrival to SBU 3:00 PM (EST)
Returning Undergraduate Students
- Friday, August 20, 2021. 1:00pm (EST) Bus Departure from JFK, Estimated Arrival to SBU 3:00 PM (EST)
New & Returning Graduate Students
- Wednesday, August 4, 2021. 6:00pm (EST) Bus Departure from JFK, Estimated Arrival to SBU 8:00 PM (EST)
- Tuesday, August 10, 2021. 1:00pm (EST) Bus Departure from JFK, Estimated Arrival to SBU 3:00 PM (EST)
- Thursday, August 12, 2021. 6:00pm (EST) Bus Departure from JFK, Estimated Arrival to SBU 8:00 PM (EST)
- Sunday, August 15, 2021. 1:00pm (EST) Bus Departure from JFK, Estimated Arrival to SBU 3:00 PM (EST)
- Tuesday, August 17, 2021. 1:00pm (EST) Bus Departure from JFK, Estimated Arrival to SBU 3:00 PM (EST)
- Friday, August 20, 2021. 1:00pm (EST) Bus Departure from JFK, Estimated Arrival to SBU 3:00 PM (EST)
Sign Up Here
You should allow at least 2 hours of travel time to reach Stony Brook University’s campus from the local airports.

Long Island Railroad (LIRR)
- If you are flying into LaGuardia (LGA) or John F. Kennedy (JKF) airports, follow signs from the terminal/baggage claim to the AirTrain. Take the AirTrain to Jamaica Station. At Jamaica Station, follow the signs to the LIRR tracks. There are multiple tracks at the station where the trains will arrive, so be sure to take a train that has the destination of Port Jefferson . Stony Brook is the second to last stop on the Port Jefferson line, but sometimes you may be directed to transfer trains halfway through the trip. Ask an employee if you have any questions.
- If you are flying into Newark International Airport (EWR), follow signs from the terminal/baggage claim to the AirTrain. Take the AirTrain three stops to the NJ Transit / Newark-Penn Station. Take that train all the way into Penn Station, NY. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket machine or on the New Jersey (NJ) Transit app on your smartphone. In Penn Station, follow signs to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) tracks. A screen will show which trains are arriving on which tracks. There are multiple tracks at the station where the trains will arrive, so be sure to take a train that has the destination of Port Jefferson . Stony Brook is the second to last stop on the Port Jefferson line, but sometimes you may be directed to transfer trains halfway through the trip. Ask an employee if you have any questions.
Uber and Lyft
- Download the Uber and/or Lyft apps on your smartphone. Set your pickup point as the terminal you have arrived at, and set your destination as your residence hall or specifically where at Stony Brook University you would like to be dropped off. To find the campus via GPS, enter the address "100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11790." Note that this method can cost upwards of $80-150 USD (compared to the train which will cost $15-30 USD per ticket), but you can share the ride with others to split the cost.
Taxi
- Taxi cars are available at JFK and LGA that can drive you to campus for a fee.
If you need to request a late residence hall check-in anytime from August 23 through September 3 , more information will be provided in the move-in email which you will receive from Campus Residences in late July.

Since the last day to add and drop fall classes is Friday, September 3, you must arrive by September 3 in order to keep your housing agreement and continue in your fall courses.

If you do not communicate a late arrival and do not check into your residence hall room by 5pm on August 23, your agreement will be canceled.

If you request a later arrival date (no later than September 3) and then cancel after August 22, you will be billed until that arrival as part of a cancellation request.

If you have questions after reviewing the information, please contact orientationoffice@stonybrook.edu or call (631) 632-6710.