AP Career Kickstart for Higher Education
AP Career Kickstart™ courses combine the benefits of Advanced Placement® with real-world professional career skills, preparing students for postsecondary success in high-demand fields. Colleges and universities play a key role in connecting these courses to credit and meaningful career pathways.
Why AP Career Kickstart Matters for Higher Education
Developed with college faculty and industry professionals, AP Career Kickstart courses are designed to align with introductory college coursework and built to strengthen pipelines from high school to college and to career-aligned fields. AP courses are shown to have the following benefits for students and higher education institutions.
| Benefit | Impact |
|---|---|
| Stronger education and career pathways | Students taking AP Exams are more likely to complete a major in their AP subject or in a related discipline. AP Career Kickstart courses equip students with the skills needed for in-demand careers. |
| Institutional outcomes | AP courses are associated with higher first-year college student GPAs, improved retention, and increased likelihood of on-time graduation. |
| Enhanced readiness | Students arrive prepared with academic knowledge and professional career skills for postsecondary success. |
| Access and opportunity | AP gives school leaders resources to reach more students, including those in traditionally underrepresented groups, strengthening the pipeline to college. |
These benefits and impacts have been observed in the full range of courses in the AP Program, and College Board will continue to track student outcomes for the AP Career Kickstart courses. You can find more information on the benefits and impacts of AP in AP Students in College: A Review of Key Research (.pdf).
“Business is the foundation of modern life. Whether it’s scrolling on social media and seeing integrated marketing communications in real-time, or converting a hobby into a business on Etsy, business concepts are everywhere. Students in all disciplines must understand the underlying business principles they see daily in practice. This course is set up uniquely to give students a foundational knowledge of business while simultaneously building their financial acumen for personal financial literacy—a skill vital to our economy. Students will leave this class with the tools to apply their knowledge of personal finance to improve their own lives and an understanding of business that they can apply to all walks of life.”
— Dr. Jen Riley, Senior Lecturer, Vanderbilt University, Advisory Board Member
“As we attempt to better the lives of our students, Cybersecurity is a field that is here to stay and will help provide our students with upward mobility opportunities, create new opportunities for generational wealth, change their families’ lives, and help improve their communities.”
—Dr. Diego Tibaquirá, Professor, Miami Dade College, Advisory Board Member
AP Career Kickstart Courses
The course frameworks and assessments for the following AP Career Kickstart courses were developed with college faculty and industry professionals to reflect academic expectations and workforce-relevant foundations.
| AP Course | AP Exam Code | Course Description | Comparable College Coursework |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP Business with Personal Finance | 72 | This course introduces students to foundational business and personal finance concepts, including entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, accounting, and management. The course is aligned to national personal finance standards. | Introductory business and/or personal finance courses |
| AP Cybersecurity | 71 | This course explores the foundations of cybersecurity, aligned to the NICE Workforce Framework. Students will examine risk management, threats, and defense strategies, as well as security practices across networks, devices, and applications. | Introductory cybersecurity courses |
| AP Networking | 70 | Launching in fall 2027, this course provides students with a foundational understanding of network systems and the digital infrastructure that supports IT and cybersecurity pathways. The course is aligned to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework. | Introductory networking courses |
The American Council on Education (ACE) has reviewed AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity and recommends lower-division baccalaureate credit consideration. AP Networking will be submitted for ACE consideration in 2027 after the pilot phase is complete. For detailed semester hour recommendations and score guidance, refer to AP Credit-Granting Recommendations. Final credit and placement decisions are determined by each institution.
“The rigor [of AP Business with Personal Finance] is well-suited for a freshman-level introductory course, particularly through the skills demonstrated in the exam which synthesizes core concepts such as entrepreneurship, decision-making, and communication.”
—American Council on Education Faculty Evaluator
“The exam [for AP Cybersecurity] demonstrates a high level of comprehensiveness, effectively covering the three essential domains of cyber controls: administrative, physical, and technical. Its structure and content are well-aligned with current higher education standards, and the inclusion of scenario-based questions is a particular strength.”
—American Council on Education Faculty Evaluator
AP Career Kickstart Timeline
- Fall 2026: AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity courses launch.
- May 2027: First AP Exam administration for both courses.
- Fall 2027: AP Networking launches.
What Colleges and Universities Can Do Now
Review Credit and Placement Options
Examine AP Career Kickstart course frameworks and, where available, AP credit-granting recommendations to determine appropriate credit and/or placement within your institution. Example: Align AP Cybersecurity with an introductory cybersecurity course, or use placement to accelerate students into the next course in sequence.
Engage Faculty in Course Review
Invite faculty to review AP Career Kickstart course frameworks, assessment design, and alignment to introductory coursework. Faculty may also participate in AP higher education events, AP advisory committees, new course development, and exam readings. Explore more opportunities for faculty to engage with AP.
Align Programs and Pathways
Align with system- and statewide AP policies. Where appropriate, integrate AP Career Kickstart courses into local programs of study, articulation agreements, or transfer pathways that support progression into high-demand fields.
Contact [email protected] to learn more about pathway alignment.
Resources
Download
AP Students in College: A Review of Key Research
Review key findings and figures on first‑year student performance, subsequent‑course success, credit use, and completion.
Link
AP Program Results
A greater percentage of U.S. public school graduates are taking and succeeding on AP Exams than 10 years ago. Review results by graduating class.