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November 20, 2008 5:34 AM

Nice, clean list of which colleges accept which AP credits?

I'm looking for a readable list that lets me identify the AP policy of each college I'm looking into, to help me choose which tests to take.

posted by LSK to education (16 comments total)

I doubt you're going to find a list like this — usually the policies to accept AP credits are set by individual departments, not by some school-wide fiat, so you're talking about a list that would include information on dozens of independent decisions made by thousands of independent schools.

If you've got a list of a dozen (or thereabouts) schools, have you tried simply Googling each one? Searching on "site: AP credit" should help. Here, for example, are the policies of my alma mater.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:05 AM on November 20, 2008

Your best bet may be to speak directly with admissions. There can be some gotchas.

For instance, my daughter is taking some AP classes this year. The classes are administered through Ball State and held at her HS, and this was a deal-breaker with one private university here in Indiana *COUGH*DePauw*COUGH* Seems they only accept AP credits if the classes are held on a college campus, and not in a HS.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:13 AM on November 20, 2008

The underlying decision is easy. Take the AP tests for each of your AP courses.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:43 AM on November 20, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Probably not the answer you want to hear, but any list you fine will be very inadequate. Individual colleges within a University can treat AP credits different ways, so it will depend on whether you're in the Engineering college or Agricultural college or main Arts and Sciences college or Fine Arts college or whatever. Different departments within a college may treat AP credits different ways, so it will be depend on whether you're majoring in Art History or Applied Physics or English Literature or Underwater Basketweaving. Further, AP credits can be "accepted" in different ways. Some programs will give you different number of credits for different scores (since AP exams aren't simply pass/fail), and others won't give you credits, but will exempt you from certain specific requirements.

If you're taking one of the AP exams in a core course, and you get a top mark, it'll probably get you *some* type of leg up in almost any program. So it's not a waste that way. It's all very complicated, though, and something you can really only get a picture of once you start looking at individual programs in individual schools.
posted by aswego at 8:13 AM on November 20, 2008

What schools are you looking into? Here's NYU's list (scroll down to "Advanced Placement Equivalencies"), which is in the first Google result for "NYU AP credits". I'll bet you can find a bunch of schools that way. Of course, you might get out-of-date info.
posted by equalpants at 8:20 AM on November 20, 2008

seconding ROU_Xenophobe. you never know what may change at the university or perhaps you change your mind....

I took AP psych, didn;t think I would need the credit and so didn;t take the test... one year later I was required to sit through a University Psych class 4 hours a week and we even used the same exact text book and watched the same slow motion movies of Phineas Gage taking a pole through his his head. Not worth it- just take the tests, all of them.
posted by nzydarkxj at 9:12 AM on November 20, 2008

I second what others say. Colleges change their policy year-to-year, too - my school was more generous with certain AP credit for the class before mine than it was for me. I had little way of really figuring it out before attending.

When looking at AP credit, keep in mind usefulness. I got a ton of credit, but some doesn't do anything for my degree. Though it ups my standing so I can schedule earlier.

Just guessing, I would say that you can probably get the most credit for language APs, followed by math, science, and humanities, if that helps. APs in your major might also be useful.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 10:02 AM on November 20, 2008

Nthing the idea that it will be very difficult to find a comprehensive list.

Some generalities that come from taking a fair number of APs and then applying to various colleges:

- As a rule, the more "elite" the school, the fewer APs accepted.

- Languages, math, and science are the most likely to be accepted, because French 1, Bio 101, etc. are likely to be basically the same everywhere. Courses such as "English Literature" or "Studio Art" are taught very differently at different schools.

- Sometimes credits will transfer but the classes will not cover requirements. Example: I got 4 credits for AP Statistics, but I still was required to take Biostatistics for my major. Same class.

If you're a senior, take as many APs as you can; you can have any bad scores withheld from the final report that you send to colleges (for a fee - $10). If you're a junior and choose to do this, be aware that colleges will note a missing AP score if your transcript has an AP class. You can also take APs on your own if you feel confident about the material.
posted by charmcityblues at 10:10 AM on November 20, 2008

"The underlying decision is easy. Take the AP tests for each of your AP courses."

This isn't quite how it works, and I didn't describe my circumstances sufficiently.

Basically, I don't have any 'real' AP courses. I am studying several topics independently. I want to know which subjects I should try for the APs in.
posted by LSK at 11:17 AM on November 20, 2008

You should talk to your school's college counselor. Given a vague lists of where you might want to go, your counselor should be able to help you research which APs are most frequently accepted in those schools. This can be a huge help since schools sometimes have byzantine rules about APs. (If you don't have any schools in mind, they'll help you decide on some specifics, but it doesn't have to be anything definite.)

Anecdotally, AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C and the AP foreign languages are accepted in most schools, usually for credit. But I Am Not a High School Counselor Nor Am I an Admissions Officer (IANAHSCNAIAAO).
posted by shadytrees at 11:44 AM on November 20, 2008

Even if you can't get credit, it may be worth taking the APs anyway, if you can afford it, assuming you're not yet a senior. It will be evidence to colleges that you actually accomplished something in your independent study and may help you in the admissions process. It may even help you after graduation--my AP scores are on my college transcript, even though I didn't actually get college credit for any of them.
posted by phoenixy at 2:57 PM on November 20, 2008

Try for the ones you will score best in, as many as you can afford. Sounds too simple, right?

But...a few points. I was a complete and utter overachiever, took AP and IB, so many that my university maxed out my credits. So, don't take an AP test for every single thing you're studying independently, because it may not really help you class-credit wise in college. Also, schools are notorious for being somewhat....flexible on this. It depends on you, your context, the school's financial situation (denying AP credits? means a school gets YOU longer while you sit through the same GE class that the AP material covered), and a bundle of other things as noted above. Oh, and at some schools it also depends on how much of a fuss you kick up: are you good at being stubborn? then your AP credits will be accepted once they get tired of dealing with you..maybe.

Not even College Board is going to have a list. Even if someone proves me wrong and they do have a list, it isn't likely to be completely up-to-date. Testing standards, the economy, and a myriad of other things that aren't on your mind at all impact colleges in ways that later impact you. So call. Maybe email so you can get it in writing. Admissions people may not be the best end source; they want to admit you and get your money and THEN deal with your AP credits. So talk to departments, if you can.
posted by librarylis at 12:50 AM on November 21, 2008

Have you tried the College Board's list of AP Credit Policies?
posted by ahughey at 4:19 AM on November 21, 2008

Why do you think AP exams are the way to go? You're not taking the AP course, so what is your purpose for taking the exam? What do you expect to get out of it, specifically?

Are you looking for credit (and presumably saving time/money while in higher ed)? Are you looking for something to enhance your transcripts and chances of acceptance? These are fairly important questions that may save you time, money and frustration.

If you're looking to simply get credit without the course, you should look into CLEP. If you're looking to save time and money, consider dual enrollment classes at a local college.

AP exams and results are in many ways designed to simulate a course delivered to high school students but taught at the college level - like a practice college class. You can do an AP course through independent study, but that's largely missing the point of preparation from a qualified instructor in a college level course but with the safety net of high school.

Instead of focusing on the AP exam (and credit awarded) as the result, I'd suggest focusing on learning not just the course content, but more importantly the skills college students need to succeed: particularly higher level reading, writing, and analysis. Five-year higher ed completion rates hover around 40-45% in the US. A significant (but certainly not only) factor in this is lack of preparation at the high school level. This is one area where good AP courses can make a significant impact, especially by offering wider availability to ANY student, not just the "honors" kids.

Figure out what your goals are beyond 'I want AP credit' and look at your other options before signing up for a bunch of exams that may not serve your purposes.
posted by ahughey at 4:57 AM on November 21, 2008

Basically, I don't have any 'real' AP courses. I am studying several topics independently. I want to know which subjects I should try for the APs in.

Are you a badass? Do you like taking tests? Consider taking some GRE subject tests. Not so useful for credits, but it might impress the admissions people.
posted by ryanrs at 10:42 PM on November 21, 2008

Okay - if you have self-studied a language, definitely take the AP test for it. The test itself is good preparation for college, and most places will give you credit OR make you take a placement test (which the AP is also good prep for) OR you could use it as evidence to the department that you should skip some beginner classes.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 2:51 PM on November 22, 2008