AP Chemistry Credit Policy

By Wiingy on Mar 22, 2023

Updated Mar 12, 2025

AP Chemistry Credit Policy

Students opt for AP classes to advance their academics. AP courses are equivalent to college-level courses choosing them and securing good scores on the exam will help you gain AP credits or placement from your college.

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

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

AP Chemistry credit

If you are reading this blog, it means you have opted for AP Chemistry and are curious to know about the AP Chemistry credit policies, in general, and college-specific. But before that let’s understand how AP credits work and how it is different from AP placements.

AP credits

Let’s understand it through an example. So, for instance, you have secured a 4 in your AP Chemistry exam, and the college you have been selected in offers you 6 credits for that. So, that means that you already have 6 credits to your name before even starting college.

Typically, you need to secure 120 credits to graduate from college, so gaining credits for your AP score, even before starting out, will definitely help you finish your college sooner than usual.

Advanced placement

Some colleges offer advanced placement instead of credits. This means that colleges allow you to skip some classes. These classes can be introductory courses for your major or core courses required by the college.

Colleges allow this placement because AP students would have already studied what is on those courses. So, offering them to skip these courses allow students to finish college sooner than usual.

Do colleges offer credits for AP Chemistry?

Yes, colleges do offer college credits for your AP Chemistry score. AP Chemistry is one of the most widely accepted AP exams. Every college has a different credit policy. The credit colleges offer and the score they accept varies from college to college so read about the AP credit policy in detail for your targeted college.

Acceptable AP scoresNo.of colleges
Total no.of colleges offering AP credits for AP Chemistry1957
No.of colleges accepting 5 AP scores28
No.of colleges accepting 4 or more AP scores476
No.of colleges accepting 3 or more AP scores1450
No.of colleges accepting 2 or more AP scores2
No.of colleges accepting 1 AP score1
No.of colleges offering AP Chemistry credits

Source: College Board

From the above table, you can clearly see that a total number of 1957 colleges offer credits for AP Chemistry. Out of these colleges, 28 accept a 5 AP score, 476 colleges accept an AP score of 4, 1450 accept an AP score of 3, 2 colleges accept an AP score of 2, and only one college, Williams College, accepts 1 score.

AP Chemistry Exam Guide
AP Chemistry Exam Guide 2024

AP Chemistry credit policies for top 20 colleges

Below is the list of the top 20 colleges and universities in the USA and their AP Chemistry credit policy.

CollegeMinimum score requiredMinimum credit offeredAP credit policy linkAdditional notes
Princeton University

Princeton, NJ
41Princeton AP Chemistry credit policy
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA
0MIT AP Chemistry credit policyNo AP credits are granted by MIT for the AP Chemistry exam.
Harvard University

Cambridge, MA
58Harvard AP Chemistry credit policyTo 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
4Stanford AP Chemistry credit policy
Yale University

New Haven, CT
0Yale AP Chemistry credit policyNo AP credits are granted by Yale University for the AP Chemistry exam.
University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
5CHEM 11100University of Chicago AP Chemistry credit policyUChicago offers advanced placement for AP Chemistry.
Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD
44John Hopkins AP Chemistry credit policy
University of Pennsylvania5EAS 091 (1 c.u.), for Engineering students onlyUniversity of Pennsylvania AP Chemistry credit policyUPenn offers advanced placement for AP Chemistry.
California Institute of Technology0Caltech AP Chemistry credit policyCaltech doesn’t grant credit for AP exams.
Duke University

Durham, NC
4CHEM 21Duke AP Chemistry credit policyDuke University offers advanced placement for AP Chemistry.
Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
41Northwestern AP Chemistry credit policy
Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH
45Dartmouth AP Chemistry credit policy
Brown University

Providence, RI
4Brown University AP Chemistry credit policyNo AP credit, but students with a score of 4 or 5 may enroll in Chemistry 0330 without taking the placement exam.
Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN
58Vanderbilt University AP Chemistry credit policy
Rice University

Houston, TX
48Rice University AP Chemistry credit policy
Washington University in St. Louis

Saint Louis, MO
43Washington University in St. Louis AP Chemistry credit policy
Cornell University

Ithaca, NY
54Cornell AP Chemistry credit policy
Columbia
University

New York, NY
33Columbia AP Chemistry credit policy
University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN
43University of Notre Dame AP Chemistry credit policy
University of California, Berkley

Berkley, CA
35.3Univesity of California, Berkley AP Chemistry credit policy
AP Chemistry Credit Policies of Popular US Colleges

Conclusion

Taking an AP course can be challenging as they are advanced-level and are equivalent to college courses but taking them and securing a good mark in the course can get you into a good college with credit or placement.

Credit or placement granted by colleges or universities will help you in gaining either college credit or allow you to skip some classes and ultimately allows you to complete your college sooner than usual.

Before applying to colleges do read their credit policy for your AP course so that you know what they are offering and how much you need to score to get into that college.

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

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Do you get credit for AP Chemistry?

Yes, most colleges or universities offer credit for AP Chemistry with few expectations like Yale University, Caltech, MIT, etc. So read the credit policy for AP Chemistry of your targeted college before applying.

Do colleges accept a 3 on AP Chem?

Yes,1450 colleges in the US accept a 3 on AP Chem.

What percent do you need to get a 2 on AP Chem?

You need 24% to get a 2 on AP Chem.

Is AP Chemistry hard?

Yes, AP Chemistry is considered one of the hardest AP classes, based on the passing rate and students’ opinions shared over online discussion forums.

AP Chemistry, in particular, is one of the most rigorous AP classes, with its complex concepts and challenging exams. To ensure you’re fully prepared, private tutoring can provide the personalized support you need.

Struggling to grasp the intricacies of AP Chemistry? Learn how one-on-one guidance can make all the difference: Private Tutoring: The Key to Mastering High School Chemistry. Private tutoring equips you with tailored strategies, focused problem-solving sessions, and expert insights to tackle even the toughest chemistry concepts effectively.

How many credits is AP Chemistry?

The credit policy of any AP course varies from college to college. Some colleges might not even offer credits at all. Some might only offer advanced placement and some might offer both. So, it is better to read the AP credit policy of colleges for AP Chemistry.

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Reviewed by Wiingy

Mar 12, 2025

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