AP credits
Elective units awarded may be applied to UC graduation requirements for specific subjects and/or for general education requirements, as determined by each campus.
For transfer students, AP exams can also be used to meet transfer admission subject requirements in English (UC-E), Math (UC-M) and 4 other courses chosen from the humanities (UC- H), behavioral/social sciences (UC-B) and biological/physical sciences (UC-S).
Although the College Board reports all AP test results to us, students should be aware AP test scores lower than 3 will not adversely affect their chances for admission.
Units granted for AP tests are not counted toward the maximum number of credits required for formal declaration of a major or the maximum number of units a student may accumulate prior to graduation. Students who enter UC with AP credit do not have to declare a major earlier than other students, nor are they required to graduate earlier.
Credit granted for AP exams
Credit is expressed in semester units for Berkeley and Merced, and quarter units for all other campuses. In the left column, the designations (e.g. UC-E, UC-M, etc.) indicate if the AP exam score can be used to meet one of the minimum junior transfer admission requirements. Note: Even an exam with multiple designations can only meet one requirement.
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African American Studies |
2.6 sem/4 qtr |
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Art and Design |
2-D Art and Design: 5.3 sem/8 qtr 3-D Art and Design: 5.3 sem/8 qtr Drawing: 5.3 sem/8 qtr (5.3 sem/8 qtr unit maximum for all three exams) |
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Art History (UC-H) |
5.3 sem/8 qtr |
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Biology (UC-S) |
5.3 sem/8 qtr |
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Chemistry (UC-S) |
5.3 sem/8 qtr |
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Computer Science |
Computer Science A: 5.3 sem/8 qtr |
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Economics (UC-B) |
Microeconomics: 2.6 sem/4 qtr Macroeconomics: 2.6 sem/4 qtr |
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English* |
Language and Composition (UC-E): 5.3 sem/8 qtr Literature and Composition (UC-E/H): 5.3 sem/8 qtr (5.3 sem/8 qtr maximum for both exams) |
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Environmental Science (UC-S) |
2.6 sem/4 qtr |
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Government and Politics (UC-B) |
United States: 2.6 sem/4 qtr Comparative: 2.6 sem/4 qtr |
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History (UC-B/H) |
United States History: 5.3 sem/8 qtr European History: 5.3 sem/8 qtr Modern World History: 5.3 sem/8 qtr |
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Human Geography (UC-B) |
2.6 sem/4 qtr |
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Language Other than English (UC-H) |
5.3 sem/8 qtr for each: Chinese Language and Culture |
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Mathematics (UC-M) |
Calculus AB: 2.6 sem/4 qtr Calculus BC: 5.3 sem/8 qtr (5.3 sem/8 qtr maximum for both exams) |
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Music Theory (UC-H) |
5.3 sem/8 qtr |
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Physics (UC-S) |
Physics 1: 5.3 sem/8 qtr Physics 2: 5.3 sem/8 qtr Physics C Mechanics: 2.6 sem/4 qtr Physics C Electricity and Magnetism: 2.6 sem/4 qtr (5.3 sem/8 qtr maximum for all tests) |
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Psychology (UC-B) |
2.6 sem/4 qtr |
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Statistics (UC-M) |
2.6 sem/4 qtr |
*Only one of the two English courses required for transfer admission may be satisfied with an AP exam score.
AB subscore on Calculus BC examination
Students who take the Calculus BC examination and earn a subscore of 3 or higher on the Calculus AB portion will receive 4 quarter units for the Calculus AB examination, even if they do not receive a score of 3 or higher on the BC examination (note that the maximum credit awarded for both exams is 8 quarter units). Note: No credit is awarded for the Precalculus exam offered in 2024 and beyond.
Music Theory subscore
We grant credit for the full Music Theory exam. Students who earn only a subscore will not receive exam credit.
Duplication with college courses
Students should be advised that college courses taken before or after attending UC may duplicate AP, IB and/or A-Level examinations. Additionally, exams may duplicate each other (for example, an AP or IB exam in the same subject area).
If the student does duplicate an exam with another exam of the same subject content, and/or an exam with a college course, we will award credit only once.