Advanced Placement (AP)
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- Welcome to Advanced Placement (AP)
- AP Exams & College Credits
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- AP Capstone Diploma RETURNING THIS YEAR!
- AP Spring Testing Schedule 2025
- How to Register & Pay for the AP Exams
- Exam Scholarship Application
- About AP Scores
- Create Your Road Map with CollegeBoard
- Practice Questions
- AP Scholar Criteria
- Frequently Asked Questions
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- AP Exams & College Credits
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Earn College Credits
By making it through an AP course and scoring successfully on the related AP Exam, you can save on college expenses. Currently more than 90 percent of colleges and universities across the country offer college credit, advanced placement, or both, for qualifying AP Exam scores. These credits can potentially save students and their families thousands of dollars in college tuition, fees and textbook costs, which can transform what once seemed unaffordable into something within reach.
You can see specific colleges’ guidelines on accepting AP scores for credit and placement by searching the AP credit policy database. Here you can see how many credits your AP scores will earn you and which courses you may be able to place out of at your future college.
Skip Introductory Classes
If you know what you want to major in at college, taking an AP course related to that major and earning a qualifying score on the AP exam can help you gain advanced placement out of introductory courses. This means that you can possibly place out of crowded required courses, and move directly into upper-level classes where you can focus on work that interests you most.
Even if you take an AP exam unrelated to your major — or if you’re not sure what you want to major in — AP courses can often help you place out of your colleges’ general education requirements. With this additional time on your class schedule, you can pursue a second major or minor, take exciting electives or follow additional interests in new ways.