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  • Blog > Academics, Applications

Will an Ivy League University Transfer My AP Credits?

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Sophia Minhas

  • May 29, 2024

Ivy League schools are the most desired higher learning institutions. If you are 1 of the less than 10 admitted to one, you probably stand out academically, including taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes and scoring high on AP exams. If you’re wondering do Ivy Leagues accept AP credit, the good news is most Ivy League schools accept AP credits. Like all universities, their policies about AP credits vary, so how it functions at Dartmouth will be vastly different at Harvard. 

We visit all 8 institutions in the Ivy League and evaluate how AP credits transfer, such as meeting prerequisites and even degree requirements, to allow you to take advanced courses sooner.

  • Brown University – Providence, RI

Brown stands out as one of the rare instances where they don’t accept Advanced Placement credits as course credit or meet your concentration requirements. AP students can only use designated AP scores as placement credits to register for higher-level classes. Depending on the Academic department, AP courses on your transcript still have a course equivalent. If you complete an advanced subject, there may be a transcript notation retroactively. 

  • Columbia University – New York, NY

Columbia transfers as much as 16 points of AP credit from college-level coursework taken in high school. Each department reviews the College Board Advanced Placement curriculum annually to decide individually what course credits, placements toward degree requirements, and other exemptions you are due. Columbia accepts AP scores of 5 and not very often 4 towards course credit. Again, each department decides on its own do Ivy Leagues accept AP credit.

  • Cornell University – Ithaca, NY

Cornell accepts Advanced Placement credits to satisfy degree requirements exclusively for the credits to count towards your bachelor’s degree. Each department answers, do Ivy Leagues accept AP credit? Some students may be exempt from some introductory courses and even allowed to take advanced courses. While you may have taken AP classes in high school and taken the tests, it will be up to your department to guide you to the best courses available.

  • Dartmouth College – Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College accepts scores of 4 and 5 on Advanced Placement exams that transfer as college credit. Score requirements to answer do Ivy Leagues accept AP credit vary by department. Most allow you to use the credit to be exempted from a lower-level class or to take a higher-level course. These credits will be recognized in your Dartmouth transcripts but cannot fulfill the 35 credits you need to graduate. 

  • Harvard University – Cambridge, MA

Harvard allows AP credits to be transferred toward graduation if you activate Advanced Standing. To earn Advanced Standing status, you need 4 scores of 5 from the College Board Advanced Placement exams. If a particular AP exam was studied in one semester only, Harvard will transfer one-half credits towards your Advanced Standing status. If you’re wondering, do Ivy Leagues accept AP credit? The school only accepts scores of 5 to qualify as course credit.  

Harvard University Widener Library
  • Princeton University – Princeton, NJ

Princeton only accepts AP scores of 5 and not very often 4 towards college credit. It depends on the specific department, do Ivy Leagues accept AP credit? Each will award the credits and placement recommendations per their policies. As a freshman, you will receive a report showing all your units of Advanced Placement that you earned from AP scores you submitted at the time of application.

  • Yale University – New Haven, CT

Yale University uses an Advanced Standing system to honor your AP credits of 4 and 5, answering do Ivy Leagues accept AP credit. Your AP scores make you eligible for activating the Advanced Standing status. This will provide 1 acceleration credit or the equivalent of credit for one class. Skip lower-level courses to focus on more advanced ones, qualify as a junior by the second year of college, and more.

  • University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA

Penn State may grant credits for Advanced Placement exams, but to place you in higher-level classes. You won’t be able to use it to satisfy college courses, including general academics, which Penn considers integral to attending the school. Depending on each department, AP credits can be applied so you can move forward to the next course in a series or enroll in an honors-level course.

AP Scores Do CountEven if the answer is “no” to do Ivy Leagues accepting AP credit, your Advanced Placement scores do count whether it’s in the college admissions process, to opt-out of lower-level classes, advancing to more challenging coursework, or graduating early. Want personalized guidance to make your Ivy League dream a reality, talk to an Enrollment Specialist now.

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