How Many College Credits will AP Calculus Give You

The main reason for taking AP exams is to earn college credits before even stepping foot on campus. After all, the letters AP stand for advanced placement. So if you can score well on the AP Calculus AB or BC exam, then you may automatically earn credits for college-level calculus courses. This gives you a significant head start in your college career! First and foremost, if you are unsure which test to take, check out this helpful article: Whats the Difference between the AP Calculus AB and BC tests?. Low Memorial Library at Columbia University, New York City How Many College Credits Can I Earn? Typically colleges and universities offer the equivalent of one semester of calculus if you score at least 4 (out of 5) on the AP Calculus AB exam, or two semesters if you score at least 4 on the AP Calculus BC exam. Depending on the school, this could mean 3-5 college credits based on your AB score or 6-10 credits based on the BC. Every school is different, though, so its important to know before you go! For example, some colleges and universities award credits even if you scored a 3. Other schools might look at the AB subscore of the BC test. Suppose you didnt do so well on the BC test, but did ok on the problems that tested AB material. Then the AB subscore alone might entitle you to college credits. Below is a chart indicating how a few different institutions handle AP credit. However because policies may change, you should also double check with each school that you apply to. SchoolCalculus ABCalculus BCCalculus BC: AB Subscore Boston College3 cr. if score 46 cr. if score 43 cr. if score 4 Columbia University3 cr. if score 43 cr. if score = 4 6 cr. if score 5 Fordham University3 cr. if score 43 cr. if score 4 MIT12 cr. if score = 5 Oberlin College4 cr. if score 48 cr. if score 44 cr. if score 3 The Ohio State University5 cr. if score 310 cr. if score 3 The University of Georgia4 cr. if score 44 cr. if score 3 The University of Washington5 cr. if score = 3 or 45 cr. if score = 3 10 cr. if score = 510 cr. if score 4 Credits vs. Equivalent Courses Some schools may count AP scores as equivalent courses without awarding actual credits. For example, Calculus I may be a prerequisite for an upper level biology course. A high enough score on AP Calculus AB or BC exam may entitle you to bypass the Calc I prerequisite, allowing you to sign up for the bio course, even if the school did not award you AP credit for calculus. Further Benefits Many colleges and universities designate certain courses to fulfill general requirements (sometimes called areas or objectives). These requirements may comprise quantitative reasoning or critical thinking for example. Students would be expected to take a number of courses in each area as part of their major course of study. Strong AP scores may also fulfill these kinds of requirements. For instance, a passing score of 3 on the AP Calculus AB or BC exam might count towards a quantitative reasoning requirement. As always, check with the college or university to determine what their policies are. Summary AP exam scores can translate to college credits, which means fast-tracking your college career. Walking onto campus with credits already on your transcript is just like having money in the bank. To find out if your intended college or university gives AP credit for calculus, try this handy tool.