Applying to the PhD Program

To apply to the Ph.D. program, you need to fill out an application form and include the following material:

•A statement of purpose, describing your background and interests
•Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
•At least three recommendation letters; this is the most important part of your application
•Applicants whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL or IELTS test scores. However, if you have received your Undergraduate or Masters degree in English the English Proficiency requirement may be waived. When completing the application check the box that indicates what coursework was received in English. Please see the Graduate bulletin here for additional information or contact the Program.
•It is not necessary to submit GRE scores as they will not be considered.
•Application fee (currently $100)

The Graduate School, in consultation with the Graduate Council, has extended the waiver of the GRE requirement for an additional year. GRE scores are not necessary for the Fall 2027 application cycle. Applications must be submitted online. This site contains detailed instructions.

Note that the application portal status page will give several options to upload additional documents after the application has been submitted. Applicants will receive access to upload additional documents, including their resume and personal statement, after the application is formally submitted (and application fee paid). To provide materials after submission, navigate to the 'Upload Materials' section on your dashboard, select the best document type among the limited dropdown menu options, and upload the supplemental document(s).

You should also check the web page of Stony Brook University Graduate School and in particular the Graduate Bulletin, which contains a listing of all rules and policies, currently offered graduate courses, and more. (Some of the information in the Bulletin, such as the faculty listings, can be slightly outdated.)

Important note: Our PhD program is primarily concerned with the promotion of research in pure mathematics. Students whose primary interests lie in applied mathematics should therefore consider directing their inquiries to the Department of Applied Mathematics or the Department of Computer Science. These departments are completely separate from the Department of Mathematics, and have admissions processes which are entirely independent from ours.

TOEFL scores must be received by the university in electronic form from ETS; photocopies of your test report are not acceptable. To have the scores sent to us, use the following codes:

Department code: 0703
Stony Brook University Institution code: 2548

Admitted students can have official transcripts sent electronically to gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu or have them mailed to:

The Graduate School
Graduate Admissions
2401 Computer Science Building
Stony Brook, NY 11794-4433

Admissions are generally for Fall semester only: with rare exceptions, we do not consider applications for the Spring semester. The deadline for all Fall 2027 applications is January 15, 2027. For full consideration for Graduate Council and other special fellowships, the applicants are encouraged to apply by January 1, 2027.

All questions should be addressed to Graduate Administrator of the Math Department, graduate-admin@math.stonybrook.edu