Statewide AP Credit Policies

The opportunity to earn college credit during high school is a key benefit for students who take AP courses and exams. Most 4-year colleges and universities in the United States—as well as many institutions in more than 65 other countries—grant credit, advanced placement, or both for qualifying AP Exam scores.

This means students can save time and money and get a head start on their education when they enter college with the credit they deserve through AP. And research has shown that students who earn credit for AP Exam scores tend to earn more credits overall when in college, particularly in the subject area in which they took the exam.

A record number of state higher education systems have adopted uniform policies on AP credit. Over the past seven years, adoption of statewide credit policies has tripled.

As of fall 2023, 35 states have implemented statewide or systemwide AP credit policies, which typically require all public higher education institutions to award credit for AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. AP policies that grant credit for scores of 3 have grown 22% since 2015, and the number of policies for credit overall has grown 14%. Both trends are largely attributable to state and system policies.