AP Calculus AB Credit Policy

If you are good at Math, then choosing AP Calculus courses can be very advantageous for your academics. Colleges and universities grant credit or advanced placement for scoring the required AP score. Colleges grant these credits because it shows a great deal of hard work and commitment on the student’s part.

In this guide, we will discuss in detail the AP Calculus AB credit policy, the difference between credit and placement, how many colleges in the US offer credits for AP Calculus AB, and the credit policy of the top 20 colleges in the US.

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AP Calculus AB credit policy and advanced placement

Since that AP courses are advanced-level and are equivalent to introductory college-level courses, choosing them shows your dedication and hard work.

So, the biggest advantage of taking an AP course is that you gain either college credits or advanced placement. Getting advanced placement or credits from your college will help you graduate sooner than usual. Let’s now understand the difference between AP credits and advanced placements.

AP credits

Students are awarded credits for taking the AP exam and scoring the minimum required score. Typically, you need to secure a credit of 120 to graduate, which you collect by attending classes, completing projects, etc. So when you have passed an AP exam, college gives you credits even before starting out. Let’s understand this with an example.

For instance, you have secured an AP score of 5 in your AP Calculus AB exam, and the college that you are applying to offers 4 credits for a 5 AP score in the subject. So, that means that you are entering college with 4 credits under your belt even before starting college.

Advanced placement

So, another way of getting benefits from AP courses is advanced placement. So, instead of granting college credits, colleges allow you to skip some classes. These classes can be introductory classes of your major or core courses required by the college.

Do colleges offer credits for AP Calculus AB?

Yes, of course! Colleges do offer credits for AP Calculus AB but their credit policies differ from each other. Some colleges might only be offering credits, some might offer only placement, some might offer both, and some might not offer either.

So, before applying read the college’s credit policy that you are applying to and apply accordingly.

Acceptable AP scores	No.of colleges
Total no.of colleges offering AP credits for AP Calculus AB	1964
No.of colleges accepting 5 AP scores	22
No.of colleges accepting 4 or more AP scores	446
No.of colleges accepting 3 or more AP scores	1484
No.of colleges accepting 2 or more AP scores	18
No.of colleges accepting 1 or more AP scores	3

Source: College Board

From the above table, you can clearly see that a total number of 1964 colleges offer credits for AP Calculus AB. Out of these colleges, 22 accepts only 5 AP score, 446 colleges accept 4 or more score, 1484 accepts 3 or more score, 18 colleges accepts an AP score of 2 or more, and 3 colleges accept 1 or more score.

AP Calculus AB credit policy of top 20 colleges

College	Minimum score required	Minimum credit offered	AP credit policy link	Additional notes
Princeton University Princeton, NJ	5	1	Princeton AP Calculus AB credit policy
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA	5	18.01A/18.02A	MIT AP Calculus AB credit policy	A score of 5 on the Calculus AB exam allows you to enroll in the accelerated Calculus sequence of 18.01A/18.02A
Harvard University Cambridge, MA	5	4	Harvard AP Calculus AB 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	5	6	Stanford AP Calculus AB credit
Yale University New Haven, CT	5	1	Yale AP Calculus AB credit policy
University of Chicago Chicago, IL	5	MATH 15100	University of Chicago AP Calculus AB credit policy	UChicago offers advanced placement for AP Calculus AB.
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD	5	4	John Hopkins AP Calculus AB credit policy
University of Pennsylvania	5		University of Pennsylvania AP Calculus AB credit policy	UPenn doesn’t grant credit for the AP Calculus AB exams.
California Institute of Technology	0		Caltech AP Calculus AB credit policy	Caltech doesn’t grant credit for AP exams.
Duke University Durham, NC	4	MATH 21	Duke AP Calculus AB credit policy	Duke University offers advanced placement for AP Calculus AB.
Northwestern University Evanston, IL	4	1	Northwestern AP Calculus AB credit policy
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH	4	3	Dartmouth AP Calculus AB credit policy
Brown University Providence, RI	4 or 5	Math 0090	Brown University AP Calculus AB credit policy	Duke University offers advanced placement for AP Calculus AB.
Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN	5	4	Vanderbilt University AP Calculus AB credit policy
Rice University Houston, TX	4	3	Rice University AP Calculus AB credit policy
Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis, MO	5	3	Washington University in St. Louis AP Calculus AB credit policy
Cornell University Ithaca, NY	4	4	Cornell AP Calculus AB credit policy
Columbia University New York, NY	4	3	Columbia AP Calculus AB credit policy
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN	5	4	University of Notre Dame AP Calculus AB credit policy
University of California, Berkley Berkley, CA	3	2.6	University of California, Berkley AP Calculus AB credit policy

Conclusion

So in conclusion, a total of 1964 colleges offer college credit for AP Calculus AB. This allows you to gain credits even before starting your classes. So, if you have a strong foundation in Math and opt for an AP course in Mathematics, then AP Calculus AB can be a great option for you to gain college credits.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)