AP Biology College Credit

What is the AP Biology College Credit? Students who choose AP courses aim to advance in their academics. AP classes are advanced-level and are equivalent to introductory college-level courses. Colleges grant credits of placement passing an AP course as it shows a great deal of commitment and hard work.

In this blog, we will talk about the AP Biology credit policy, how many colleges in the US offer credits for AP Biology, and the credit policy of the top 20 colleges in the US.

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AP Biology college credit & placement

If you have opted for AP courses it shows a great deal of commitment and hard work on your part as these courses are advanced-level and equivalent to introductory college-level courses.

So, the biggest advantage of taking an AP course is that you gain either college credits or advanced placement. Gaining credits or placement from your college will help in finishing college sooner than usual. Now, let’s understand the difference between AP credits and placements.

AP credits

If you have passed an AP course by securing the required score specified by your college for that course then the college grants you a few college credits even before you have started college.

For example, you get a score of 4 in your AP Biology course. The college that you are applying to accepts students with a minimum of 4 points for AP Biology and grants 5 credits for AP Biology. So, you go to college with 5 credits under your belt even before starting out college.

So, on average students need 120 credits to graduate so gaining credits even starting college allows you to complete college sooner than usual and before most students.

Advanced placement

Instead of credits, some colleges allow you to skip some classes. These classes can be introductory courses for your major or core courses made mandatory by the college.

Colleges allow students to skip these classes because the student has studied what is on those courses during their AP classes.

Do colleges offer credits for AP Biology?

Yes, of course! Colleges offer credits for AP Biology but they have their own set of credit policies and they differ from each other. As the credit policy of colleges varies a lot it is always recommended to read their policies in detail before applying.

Acceptable AP scores	No.of colleges
Total no.of colleges offering AP credits for AP Biology	1960
No.of colleges accepting 5 AP scores	31
No.of colleges accepting 4 AP score	447
No.of colleges accepting 3 AP score	1481
No.of colleges accepting 2 AP score	1

Source: College Board

From the above table, you can clearly see that a total number of 1960 colleges offer credits for AP Biology. Out of these colleges, 31 accepts only 5 AP score, 447 colleges accept 4 or more score, 1481 accepts 3 or more score, 1 college accept 2 or more score, and no college accepts an AP score of 1.

AP Biology credit policy of top 20 colleges

College	Minimum score required	Minimum credit offered	AP credit policy link	Additional notes
Princeton University Princeton, NJ	5	2	Princeton AP Biology credit policy
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA	0		MIT AP Biology credit policy	No AP credits are granted by MIT for the AP Biology exam.
Harvard University Cambridge, MA	5	8	Harvard AP Biology credit policy	To be eligible for Advance Standing at Harvard University, students need a total of 32 credits in their AP classes. This can be earned by scoring 5 in four AP exams.
Stanford University Stanford, CA	0		Stanford AP Biology credit policy	No AP credits are granted by Stanford for the AP Biology exam.
Yale University New Haven, CT	0		Yale AP Biology credit policy	No AP credits are granted by Yale University for the AP Biology exam.
University of Chicago Chicago, IL	4	BIOS 10130	University of Chicago AP Biology credit policy	UChicago offers advanced placement for AP Biology.
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD	5	6	John Hopkins AP Biology credit policy
University of Pennsylvania	5		University of Pennsylvania AP Biology credit policy	UPenn doesn’t grant credit for the AP Biology exams.
California Institute of Technology	0		Caltech AP Biology credit policy	Caltech doesn’t grant credit for AP exams.
Duke University Durham, NC	4	BIOLOGY 21	Duke AP Biology credit policy	Duke University offers advanced placement for AP Biology.
Northwestern University Evanston, IL	5	1	Northwestern AP Biology credit policy
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH	0		Dartmouth AP Biology credit policy	Dartmouth doesn’t grant credit for the AP Biology exams.
Brown University Providence, RI	4	BIOL 0200	Brown University AP Biology credit policy	AP credit for BIOL 0200
Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN	4	4	Vanderbilt University AP Biology credit policy
Rice University Houston, TX	4	6	Rice University AP Biology credit policy
Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis, MO	4	6	Washington University in St. Louis AP Biology credit policy
Cornell University Ithaca, NY	4	4	Cornell AP Biology credit policy
Columbia University New York, NY	5	3	Columbia AP Biology credit policy
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN	5	8	University of Notre Dame AP Biology credit policy
University of California, Berkley Berkley, CA	3	5.3	University of California, Berkley AP Biology credit policy

AP Biology Credit Policies of Popular US Colleges

Boost your AP scores before exam day! Book a free trial with Wiingy’s top AP Biology tutors and ensure you don’t miss out on scoring high. Every point counts towards your dream college. Act now!

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)