What IELTS score do you need for Stony Brook University?

The catalog says applicants who are not exempt must present a minimum TOEFL or IELTS score, and scores more than two years old must be retaken. You need no test if you hold a high school diploma, bachelor's, master's or PhD from an institution where the primary instruction was in English, are a US citizen, or served as a teaching assistant at such an institution. Stony Brook publishes no country list, so an Indian English-medium degree can qualify.

At a program's request, conditional admission may be offered below the minimum; otherwise you must pass a course at the Intensive English Center first. Teaching assistants need a higher Speaking score: IELTS 7 or TOEFL Speaking 23 to teach without an Oral Academic English course. See the catalog.

First-year applicants submit TOEFL 80 (4 from 21 January 2026), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 105, PTE Academic 53, ACT English 19, SAT Reading and Writing 480, IB English HL 5 or another listed exam. Applicants from native English-speaking countries, or who attend an English-medium school, are exempt. Below the minimum, the University Preparation Program offers conditional admission through the Intensive English Center. See international first-year.

The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement Stony Brook sets for admission, which leads to your Form I-20. For the wider picture of studying in the US with each test, see IELTS for the USA and PTE for the USA.

Requirements change between admission cycles. Check the Stony Brook Graduate Catalog admissions page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar.