USC Office of Articulation
USC Credit for Advanced Placement Examinations
As of Spring 2009, AP exams in most subjects with scores of 4 or 5 will be granted 4 elective units towards the total number of units required for graduation; no credit is given for scores of 1, 2, or 3. (Before Spring 2009, credit was given for scores of 3, 4 or 5.)
A maximum of 32 units will be granted for AP exam credit. 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 an IB exam covering the same subject matter. AP exams do not earn course equivalence.
Note: To have your AP scores sent to USC, please contact College Board at (888) CALL-4-AP or go to www.collegeboard.org and have your scores sent to the University of Southern California. To avoid possible delays, please be sure that College Board includes your Social Security Number when sending your scores.
| Name of AP Examination | G. E. Credit or Three Semester Language Requirement (with scores of 4 or 5) |
Units Granted |
| Art (History) | Western Cultures & Traditions (Category I) |
4 sem. units |
| Art (Studio: Drawing) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Art (Studio: 2D) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Art (Studio: 3D) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Biology | Scientific Inquiry (Category III) |
4 sem. units |
| Chemistry | Scientific Inquiry (Category III) |
4 sem. units |
| Chinese Language & Culture | Foreign language requirement | 4 sem. units |
| Computer Science (A) or (AB) No credit if taken before Spring 1999. Score of 4 or 5 required before Spring 2009. Maximum of 4 units for Computer Science A and AB. |
None | 4 sem. units |
| Economics (Micro) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Economics (Macro) | None | 4 sem. units |
| English (Lang. & Comp.) | None | 4 sem. units |
| English (Lit. & Comp) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Environmental Science | None | 4 sem. units |
| French (Language) | Foreign language requirement | 4 sem. units |
| French (Literature) | Foreign language requirement | 4 sem. units |
| German (Language) | Foreign language requirement | 4 sem. units |
| Govt. & Pol. (United States) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Govt. & Pol. (Comparative) | None | 4 sem. units |
| History (United States) | None | 4 sem. units |
| History (European) | Western Cultures & Traditions (Category I) |
4 sem. units |
| History (World) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Human Geography | None | 4 sem. units |
| Italian (Language & Culture) | Foreign language requirement | 4 sem. units |
| Japanese Language & Culture | Foreign language requirement | 4 sem. units |
| Latin Literature | None | 4 sem. units |
| Latin (Vergil) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Mathematics (AB) *not AB subscore* | None | 4 sem. units |
| Mathematics (BC) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Music (Literature) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Music (Theory) | None | 4 sem. units |
| Physics (B) | Scientific Inquiry (Category III) |
4 sem. units |
| Physics (C-Mechanics) | Scientific Inquiry (Category III) |
4 sem. units |
| Physics (C-Electricity/Magnet) | Scientific Inquiry (Category III) |
4 sem. units |
| Psychology | None | 4 sem. units |
| Spanish (Language) | Foreign language requirement | 4 sem. units |
| Spanish (Literature) | Foreign language requirement | 4 sem. units |
| Statistics | None | 4 sem. units |