/College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Physics and Astronomy

Incoming Students

Arrival and Orientation

Classes typically start the last week of August; plan to arrive about two weeks earlier for a full week of orientation, run jointly by the Department and the Graduate School. See the Graduate School’s New Student Roadmap for what to do before and during your first days.

As an admitted student with a Stony Brook ID number, you’re automatically given a NetID and an email address (firstname.lastname@stonybrook.edu), but it isn’t usable until you set up your login credentials – see the Graduate School Orientation pages for the setup links. We communicate through this address, so set it up early and check it regularly. While you’re at it, set up your SOLAR login (for registration, billing, and records) and Brightspace (the University’s learning management system) too – the same Orientation pages have the setup links for both.

Orientation, which includes TA training, is mandatory for all TAs and is run jointly by the Graduate School and the Department. U.S. citizens and permanent residents can skip the international-student sessions; there’s a separate, later orientation about health insurance.

Visas

If you are applying for a student visa and are concerned about rejection or delay, we can provide a letter of recommendation directly to the embassy, though experience suggests these letters rarely make a difference. The most useful thing you can do is prepare carefully for your visa interview and understand what consular officials are looking for, e.g., your offer letter. Follow the procedures on Stony Brook’s Visa and Immigration Services page.

New York State Residency

PhD students. Funded PhD students should get started on New York State residency right away, since establishing residency generally requires one year of documented NY residency. The steps include registering to vote in New York, transferring your car registration to New York, filing New York state taxes, and keeping your rent receipts. File the residency application by the beginning of your second semester, even though you won’t have a full year of residency yet – the application requests a residency start date at the beginning of your third semester, and by then you will have accumulated the required year of documented residency. The application itself, required documentation, and deadlines are on Student Financial Services’ How to Apply page; the requirements specific to graduate students are on the Independent/Graduate/Professional Students page. This is worth doing early, since problems here can mean large, unrecoverable costs later.

MA students. MA students can also apply for New York State residency and receive the reduced in-state tuition rate, provided they are not claimed as a dependent on anyone else’s income tax filing. The same application and instructions above apply.

Housing

Most first-year students live on campus in Chapin, Schomburg, or the West Apartments (current rates on the graduate housing page). Returning students sign year-long contracts (June 1 - May 31); new students start paying on arrival. Apply by paying your advance deposit through SOLAR once you have your ID number – for Fall admission, housing is guaranteed if your deposit and request are in by May 15th (Spring has no fixed deadline but isn’t guaranteed, so apply early).

Off-campus housing is possible but harder to arrange alone – most students join or form a shared group, ideally after visiting in person (no later than early August). A car is almost always necessary, since public transit is limited. Good areas are generally east of campus, within about 30 minutes: Stony Brook, Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station, East Setauket, Setauket, Mount Sinai, Sound Beach, Miller Place, Rocky Point, and Shoreham, plus Centereach and Selden (a bit south) and St. James (a bit west). Prices vary a great deal, so see a place in person before renting. The Graduate Orientation Page and the Stony Brook Graduate Housing Facebook Group are good starting points. The PGSA also maintains some advice about housing.

Most students don’t need a car in their first year on campus; a car helps more once you move off campus. A reasonably reliable used car runs around $3,500, plus inspection, repairs, and insurance (costly for new drivers) – you’ll also need a NY State driver’s license to register one.

Preparing for Classes and Registration

Our advice is don’t register for classes before orientation. During orientation week, the Department discusses course selection with faculty so each student ends up with a good first-semester schedule. You only need to be registered for one credit by the first day of classes – add the rest during orientation and the first week.

If you completed a serious lab course elsewhere, bring the lab reports and related materials in case you want to request a waiver – see Core Course and Lab Waivers. Equivalent graduate coursework for our breadth courses may also be accepted if you bring the material.