AP Credit Policies at Top Colleges

As you get ready to apply to college, you might wonder what will happen with all those AP exams you worked so hard to prepare for. Depending on a college’s AP credit policies and your scores, you might be able to knock out an entire year worth of college with AP credit, or you might be able to get a bunch of prerequisite or core courses out of the way.

The College Board lets you search the AP score policies of just about any college, but we’ve summarized the policies at top colleges for you here:

Princeton University	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Each exam may replace one or two courses A maximum of two history courses may be replaced with AP credit Princeton AP policy available here
Harvard College	Requires 5 to earn credit Credit toward graduation is offered only when the student activates Advanced Standing by earning at least 32 credits through AP exams, which requires a score of 5 on four to eight AP exams Harvard AP policy available here
University of Chicago	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Some subjects confer placement in a higher course rather than credit Decision to award credit is made at the end of the first year of residence and credits will appear on the student’s official transcript University of Chicago AP policy available here
Yale University	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Credit only offered in certain subject areas Yale AP policy available here
Columbia University	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Each satisfactory AP exam score confers 3 or 6 credit hours Columbia AP policy available here
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Requires 5 to earn credit Credit is only awarded for certain subjects To earn credit for certain subjects, students must take the MIT Advanced Standing Exam MIT AP policy available here
Stanford University	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Credit not offered for all subjects No more than 10 units in a given subject area or 45 units total may be awarded Stanford AP policy available here
University of Pennsylvania	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Placement offered in lieu of credit for some subjects Not all subjects are considered UPenn AP policy available here
Duke University	Requires 4 or 5, depending on subject Departments have different criteria for whether to accept AP courses toward the major Duke AP policy available here
California Institute of Technology	AP exams more likely to be used for placement than for credit From the college: “Course credit and/or placement in an accelerated program is sometimes granted as deemed appropriate by department faculty.” Students won’t know whether they receive credit until fall registration CalTech AP policy available here (page 177)
Dartmouth College	Requires 4 or 5, depending on subject Credit awarded for AP exams does not reduce the 35 credits required for graduation Dartmouth AP policy available here
Johns Hopkins University	Requires a 4 or 5, depending on subject Exception: A 3 on Calculus BC is acceptable Only specific subjects are considered Johns Hopkins AP policy available here
Northwestern University	Requires a 3 to 5, depending on subject Each undergraduate school determines how credit may be applied to degree requirements Northwestern AP policy available here
Brown University	Used primarily for placement purposes Score of 3 to 5 required for placement, depending on subject Brown AP policy available here
Cornell University	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Final decision to award credit up to the appropriate department Cornell AP policy available here
Rice University	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Where applicable, credit counts toward major Rice AP policy available here
Vanderbilt University	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Exception: A 3 on Calculus BC is acceptable Credit awarded may vary based on the student’s intended major Vanderbilt AP policy available here
University of Notre Dame	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Exception: A 3 on Latin is acceptable Notre Dame AP policy available here
Washington University in St. Louis	Requires 4 to 5, depending on subject Exception: A 3 on certain foreign language exams may confer credit if confirmed by coursework at the university A maximum of 15 credits may be awarded for AP work, and credits do not apply to general education requirements Washington University in St. Louis AP policy available here
Georgetown University	Requires a 4 to 5, depending on subject Georgetown AP policy available here

These policies are all subject to change, so you should always check with the college you will attend to clarify their AP credit policies and avoid surprises!

Looking for more AP class options?

If you’re looking for additional AP course options, learn more about C2’s new AP Complete program. AP Complete is the perfect solution for students who want to enhance their transcript or access courses outside of the normal high school setting.

September 13, 2018/by Al Chan

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