AP Credit-Granting Recommendations
The American Council on Education (ACE) and College Board recommend that colleges and universities award credit for AP scores of 3 or higher on any AP Exam. This recommendation is based upon ACE’s most recent review of AP and on the recommendation of the development committee for each course and exam.
Founded in 1918, ACE is the nation’s unifying voice for higher education. ACE serves as a consensus leader on key higher education issues and seeks to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.
Credit-Granting Recommendations by Subject Area
The tables below show ACE’s recommendations for what cut score should be demonstrated on each AP Exam to earn college credit, how many credits should be awarded, and the equivalent college course.
For some subjects, recommendations vary by AP Exam score. In these cases, each row lists the recommended credit for a specific score.
For more detailed information for each AP subject, visit ACE’s website.
| AP Exam | Minimum Score | Total Credits | Subject (Equivalent Course) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D Art and Design | 3 | 3 | 2-D Design Concepts |
| 3-D Art and Design | 3 | 3 | 3-D Design Concepts |
| Art History | 3 | 6 | Art History before 1500; Art History after 1500 |
| Drawing | 3 | 3 | Drawing I |
| Music Theory | 3 | 3 | Music Theory I |
| Music Theory | 4 | 6 | Music Theory I |
| AP Exam | Minimum Score | Total Credits | Subject (Equivalent Course) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research | 3 | 6 | Interdisciplinary Research |
| Seminar | 3 | 3 | Introductory Research |
| AP Exam | Minimum Score | Total Credits | Subject (Equivalent Course) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business with Personal Finance | 3 | 6 | Introduction to Business; Personal Finance |
| Cybersecurity | 3 | 3 | Cybersecurity |
| AP Exam | Minimum Score | Total Credits | Subject (Equivalent Course) |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language and Composition | 3 | 6 | English Composition |
| English Literature and Composition | 3 | 6 | Introduction to Literature; English Composition |
| AP Exam | Minimum Score | Total Credits | Subject (Equivalent Course) |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | 3 | 3 | African American Studies |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | Introduction to Comparative Politics |
| European History | 3 | 6 | European History |
| Human Geography | 3 | 3 | Human Geography |
| Macroeconomics | 3 | 3 | Macroeconomics |
| Microeconomics | 3 | 3 | Microeconomics |
| Psychology | 3 | 3 | Psychology |
| United States Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | Introduction to American Government |
| United States History | 3 | 6 | United States History |
| World History: Modern | 3 | 6 | Modern World History |
| AP Exam | Minimum Score | Total Credits | Subject (Equivalent Course) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus AB | 3 | 4 | Calculus I |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 8 | Calculus I and II |
| Computer Science A | 3 | 4 | Introduction to Java Programming |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | 3 | Introduction to Computer Science |
| Precalculus | 3 | 4 | Precalculus |
| Statistics | 3 | 3 | Statistics |
| AP Exam | Minimum Score | Total Credits | Subject (Equivalent Course) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 3 | 4 | General Biology with lab |
| Chemistry | 3 | 4 | General Chemistry I with lab |
| Chemistry | 4 | 8 | General Chemistry I and II with lab |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 3 | Environmental Science |
| Physics 1 | 3 | 4 | General Physics I with lab |
| Physics 2 | 3 | 4 | General Physics II with lab |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | 4 | Physics: Electricity and Magnetism with lab |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | 4 | Physics: Mechanics with lab |
| AP Exam | Minimum Score | Total Credits | Subject (Equivalent Course) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Language and Culture | 3 | 8 | Chinese Language |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | 12 | Chinese Language |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 5 | 16 | Chinese Language |
| French Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | French Language |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | French Language |
| French Language and Culture | 5 | 12 | French Language |
| German Language and Culture | 3 | 12 | German Language |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 16 | German Language |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | 20 | German Language |
| Italian Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | Italian Language |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | Italian Language |
| Italian Language and Culture | 5 | 12 | Italian Language |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 3 | 8 | Japanese Language |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | 12 | Japanese Language |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 5 | 16 | Japanese Language |
| Latin | 3 | 6 | Latin |
| Latin | 4 | 9 | Latin |
| Latin | 5 | 12 | Latin |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | Spanish Language |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | Spanish Language |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | 12 | Spanish Language |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 3 | 9 | Spanish Language |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 12 | Spanish Language |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 5 | 15 | Spanish Language; Hispanic Literatures |