USC Office of Articulation
AP EXAM CREDIT AT USC
Credit: USC awards 4 units of elective credit for most AP examinations with a score of 3 or higher (See restrictions below.)
Restrictions:
- AP scores do not earn course equivalence.
- Students may not receive credit for both an AP exam and a college course taken before high school graduation covering the same subject matter, nor for an AP and IB exam covering the same subject matter.
- A maximum of 32 units will be granted for AP exam credit.
- No credit is given for Calculus AB Subscore, Music: Aural Subscore, or Music: Nonaural Subscore.
- Computer Science tests must have a score of 4 or 5 to earn credit.
- For exams taken spring 2009 and later, a score of 4 or 5 will be required on all exams to earn credit.
General Education: In addition, scores of 4 or 5 for certain exams will satisfy General Education requirements, as shown in the table below.
| GE 1 (Western Cultures and Traditions) |
Art (History) History (European) |
| GE 3 (Scientific Inquiry) |
Biology Chemistry Physics (B) Physics (C- Mechanics) Physics (C- Electricity/Magnetism) |
Foreign Language: Scores of 4 or 5 on the following exams taken Spring 2007 or later will satisfy the third level foreign language requirement, but do not earn USC course equivalence. (Students wishing to take a fourth level foreign language course must take a placement exam.)
| Chinese Language and Culture | Italian Language and Culture |
| French Language | Japanese Language and Culture |
| French Literature | Spanish Language |
| German Language | Spanish Literature |
Other credit: Some departments may use AP scores of 4 or 5 to waive prerequisites or degree requirements as shown below; see your department advisor.
|
Test
|
Prerequisite that can be waived
|
| AP Biology | Consult department for details |
| AP Chemistry | CHEM 105 A |
| AP Computer Science A | CSCI 101 |
| AP Computer Science AB | CSCI 102 |
| AP Economics (Microecon.) | ECON 203 |
| AP Economics (Macroecon.) | ECON 205 |
| AP Mathematics AB | MATH 125 (Also, with score of 4 or 5, take MATH 127 after departmental permission) |
| AP Mathematics BC | MATH 125, or MATH 126 with a score of 5 (Also, with score of 3 or 4, take MATH 127 after departmental permission) |
| AP Psychology | PSYC 100 |
Missing AP scores? Students must have their scores sent directly to USC from the College Board, not from their high school or in any other format. Contact the College Board for ordering instructions: 1-888-CALL-4AP. If spring official scores have been sent in June but do not appear on the student's TCR by August, send an email to uscartic@usc.edu.
For a complete list of AP exams, see here. For information about waiving prerequisites with AP exam scores, see here.