The Course

AP Latin

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AP Latin Revisions for 2025-26

We revised AP Latin to align with current third- and fourth-semester intermediate college-level Latin courses.

Course Overview

AP Latin is equivalent to an intermediate college-level Latin course focusing on the in-depth study of selections from two influential works of Latin literature, Vergil’s Aeneid and Pliny the Younger’s Letters. Significant time is also dedicated to the reading of nonsyllabus texts chosen by teachers, as well as four course project passages. Students will also place these texts in a meaningful context, which will help students develop their critical, historical, and literary sensitivities. Throughout the course, students will consider the main ideas, effects or purposes, and points of view expressed in these works to gain a deeper understanding of the content and culture in which they were created.

Course and Exam Description

Course Resources

Course Content

The course framework provides a clear and detailed description of course requirements necessary for student success. The framework specifies what students must know, be able to do, and understand, with a focus on the required syllabus readings.

The AP Latin framework is organized into six commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. As always, you’ll have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like.

Unit
Unit 1: Teacher's Choice - Latin Prose
Unit 2: Pliny’s Letters: Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
Unit 3: Pliny’s Letters: Ghosts and Apparitions, Letters to Trajan and Calpurnia, and Teacher’s Choice – Latin Prose
Unit 4: Teacher’s Choice – Latin Poetry and Vergil’s Aeneid, Excerpts from Books 1 and 2
Unit 5: Vergil, Aeneid, Excerpts from Books 4, 6, 7, 11, and 12
Unit 6: Course Project and Teacher’s Choice – Latin Poetry

Course Skills

The AP Latin framework included in the course and exam description outlines distinct skills that students should practice throughout the year—skills that will help them learn to think and act like classics scholars.

SkillDescription
1. Read and ComprehendRead and comprehend Latin poetry and prose.
2. Describe Style and ContextDescribe the style and context of Latin poetry and prose.
3. AnalyzeAnalyze Latin poetry and prose.

AP and Higher Education

Higher education professionals play a key role in developing AP courses and exams, setting credit and placement policies, and scoring student work. The AP Higher Education section features information on recruitment and admission, advising and placement, and more.

This chart shows recommended scores for granting credit, and how much credit should be awarded, for each AP course. Your students can look up credit and placement policies for colleges and universities on the AP Credit Policy Search.

Meet the Development Committee for AP Latin

The AP Program is unique in its reliance on Development Committees. These committees, made up of an equal number of college faculty and experienced secondary AP teachers from across the country, are essential to the preparation of AP course curricula and exams.