AP, IB and Pre-College Credit
Advanced Placement Credit, International Baccalaureate Credit, GCSE Advanced (A) Level Examinations, and Pre-College Credit
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit
The University of Pennsylvania may award credit or advanced course standing to students who have taken Advanced Placement courses or Higher Level International Baccalaureate examinations administered by the International Baccalaureate Organization. Scores warranting University credit vary by department. Matriculants seeking credit for testing must have official score reports sent directly to Penn by the Educational Testing Service or the International Baccalaureate Organization.
The following policies will be in effect for students entering the University during the 2012-2013 academic year. Please note that these policies remain under ongoing review and are subject to change without notice.
Advanced Placement
| Examination | Score | Penn Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Art History | 5 | Waiver for ARTH 101 or ARTH 102, consult with undergraduate chair |
| Art (Studio) | 5 | no credit (possible exemptions for majors, portfolio considered) |
| Biology* | 5 | Biology 091 (1 c.u.) - no AP credit is given for laboratory work |
| Chemistry* | 5 | Chemistry 091 (1 c.u.) - no AP credit given for labs |
| Computer Science A | 5 | CIS 110 (1 c.u.) (credit for "A" or "AB" but not both exams) |
| Computer Science AB | 5, 4 | CIS 110 (1.0 c.u.) (credit for "A" or "AB" but not both exams) |
| Economics | ||
|
5 | Economics 001 waiver |
|
5 | Economics 002 waiver |
| English | ||
|
5 |
English Free (1 c.u.) (note: The English Freshman Free does not fulfill the college writing requirement) |
|
5 |
English Free (1 c.u.) (note: The English Freshman Free does not fulfill the college writing requirement) |
| Environmental Science | 5 | ENVS 200 (1 c.u.) non-majors only, majors see department |
| European History | 5 | History 041 (1 c.u.) |
| French Language | 5 | French 210 (1.cu.) (fulfills language requirement) |
| 4 | no credit (fulfills language requirement) | |
| French Literature | 5 | French 220 (1.cu.) (fulfills language requirement) |
| 4 | no credit ( fulfills language requirement) | |
| German Language | 5 | German 104 (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) |
| 4 | no credit, (fulfills language requirement) | |
| Government and Politics | no credit | |
| Human Geography | no credit | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 5 | ITAL 210 (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) |
| Latin | 5 | Latin Free (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) |
| 4 | No credit (fulfills language requirement) | |
| Latin - Literature | 5 | Latin Free (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) |
| 4 | no credit (fulfills language requirement) | |
| Latin - Vergil | 5 | Latin Free (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) |
| 4 | No credit (fulfills language requirement) | |
| Mathematics AB | no credit | |
| Mathematics BC* | 5 | Math 104 (1 c.u.) |
| Music Theory | no credit | |
| Physics-B | 5 | Physics 091, 092 (2 c.u.) Please see the Department of Physics and Astronomy website for further details on lab requirements. |
|
Physics-C (Mechanics) |
5 | Physics 093 (1 c.u.) Please see the Department of Physics and Astronomy website for further details on lab requirements. |
|
Physics-C (Electricity and Magnetism) |
5 | Physics 094 (1 c.u.) Please see the Department of Physics and Astronomy website for further details on lab requirements. |
| Psychology | 5 | Psychology 001 Waiver |
| Spanish Language | 5 | Spanish 210 (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) |
| 4 | no credit (fulfills language requirement) | |
| Spanish Literature | 5 | Spanish 220 (1 c.u.) ( fulfills language requirement) |
| Statistics | 5 | Statistics 111 (1 c.u.) |
| United States History | 5 | History 042 (1 c.u.) |
| World History | 5 | History 044 (1 c.u.) |
* An internal departmental examination is also available for credit.
International Baccalaureate
| Higher Level Examination | Score | Penn Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropology | no credit | |
| Biology* | 7, 6 | Biology 091 (1 c.u.) (NOTE: Does not fulfill lab requirement) |
| Chemistry* | 7, 6 | Chemistry 091 (1 c.u.) |
| Economics | 7, 6 | Economics 001 and 002 Waiver |
| English A/B | 7, 6, 5 | English Free (1 c.u.) (Note: Does not fulfill the college writing requirement) |
| French A | 7, 6 | French 220 (1 c.u.) |
| 5 | French 210 (1 c.u.) | |
| French B | 7, 6 | French 210 (1 c.u.) |
| Geography | 7, 6 | Geography Free (2 c.u.) |
| 5 | Geography Free (1 c.u.) | |
| German A | 7, 6 | German 216, German Free (2 c.u.) |
| 5, 4 | German 212 (1 c.u.) | |
| German B | 7, 6 | German 216, German Free (2 c.u.) |
| 5, 4 | German 104 (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) | |
| History of the Americas | 7, 6, 5 | History 042 (1 c.u.) |
| History of Europe | 7, 6, 5 | History 041 (1 c.u.) |
| Latin | 7 | Latin Free (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) |
| 6 | No credit (fulfills language requirement) | |
| Mathematics* | No credit | |
| Mathematics with Further Mathematics* | 7 | Math 104 (1 c.u.) |
| Music | No credit | |
| Philosophy | 7, 6, 5 | Departmental review on case-by-case basis |
| Physics | 7, 6 |
Phys 091, 092 (2 c.u.) Please see the Department of Physics and Astronomy website for further details on lab requirements. |
| Psychology | 7, 6 | Waiver for Psychology 001 |
| Spanish A | 7, 6 | Spanish 220 (1 c.u.) |
| 5 | Spanish 210 (1 c.u.) | |
| Spanish B | 7, 6 | Spanish 210 (1 c.u.) |
| Theater Arts | 7, 6, 5 | Departmental review on case-by-case basis |
* An internal departmental examination is also available for credit.
GCSE Advanced (A) Level Exam Policy
| Examination | Grade of A* or A or B | Grade of C |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | no credit | no credit |
| Biology | BIOL 91 | no credit |
| Chemistry | CHEM 91 | no credit |
| Economics |
A* or A = Waiver Econ 001&002 B = no waiver |
no credit |
| English | departmental review | departmental review |
| Greek |
A = Greek Free (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) B = no credit (fulfills language requirement) |
no credit |
| History |
A* or A = Choice of HIST 041, 042, or 044 (2 c.u. limit) B=no credit |
no credit |
| Latin |
A = Latin Free (1 c.u.) (fulfills language requirement) B = no credit (fulfills language requirement) |
no credit |
|
Math w/Further Math (Edexel) |
no credit | no credit |
|
Math w/Special paper w/merit (Cambridge) |
no credit | no credit |
| Physics |
A* or A = PHYS 093, 094, 050,051 (total=3 c.u.) B = PHYS 091, 092, 011, 012 (total=3 c.u.) |
no credit |
Students must show their original A-Level certificates to the Office of Transfer Credit , Room G09 College Hall, in order to have their scores evaluated for credit.
For any exams not listed above, and for those that specify "departmental review," students will be sent to each relevant department with a Transfer Credit Form indicating that the Office of Transfer Credit recommends 1–2 c.u. for a grade of A* or A or B.
For Advanced Supplementary ("AS") level examinations, students will be sent to each relevant department with a Transfer Credit Form for review.
Pre-College Credit
If you have taken courses at an accredited college or university during high school, the Office of Advanced Placement and Transfer Credit will evaluate your credits the same way they evaluate transfer student credits.
To be eligible, the courses must be taught on the college campus by a member of the regular faculty; they must be open to enrollment by and graded in direct competition with regularly matriculated undergraduates at that college; and they must be part of the normal curriculum published in the institution's catalog. Further, courses that are being used to fulfill high school graduation requirements may not also count for college credit.
If your course work fulfills these criteria, please contact the Office of Transfer Credit for more information at info@admissions.upenn.edu.
