AP Classes and College Credit—Best Practices?

Hey folks, I'm planning on taking a few AP classes next year and I've heard that you can earn college credits with them. Can someone explain how this works? Which AP scores do most colleges accept for credits? Which AP subjects give the most transferable credits?

Absolutely, taking AP classes can indeed offer college credit and/or allow you to place out of certain entry-level classes in college. How this works exactly varies from college to college. Typically, colleges have a certain score that they'll accept for credit or placement. For example, some schools will only give credit for AP scores of 4 or 5, while others might also accept a score of 3.

As for which AP subjects provide the most transferable credits, it really depends on the specific college's policies. However, as a general rule of thumb, core classes like English, Mathematics, Science, and History tend to have a higher likelihood of being accepted for credit because they often correspond to general education requirements that all students must fulfill.

One important detail to note is that although colleges may grant credit, how that credit is applied towards your degree might be different. For some colleges and for certain majors, credit for some AP classes might be given as general elective credits, and not towards specific course requirements. For instance, you might get credit for AP Biology, but if you're majoring in Biochemistry, the AP credit may not specifically exempt you from your required Biochemistry coursework.

To ensure the AP classes you take will be most beneficial, your best bet would be to look at potential colleges you're interested in and see what their policies are regarding AP credits. Each college typically has a grid available on their Registrar's or Admissions website that shows which AP exams they accept and the corresponding scores for credit. This can help you strategically plan which AP courses would be best to take. Remember, the course rigor can also demonstrate your academic readiness to colleges, even beyond the potential of earning credits.