Advanced Placement (AP) Credit

Advanced Placement Credit is a program in the United States and Canada, created by the College Board , which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities often grant placement and course credit to students who obtain high scores on the examinations.

Per the Illinois Board of Higher Education/IBHE:
College Credit for Scores of 3 or Higher at all Illinois Public Institutions of Higher Education

On August 13, 2015, HB 3428 was signed into law amending The College and Career Success for All Students Act (Public Act 099-0358) which now provides that a student who takes a College Board Advanced Placement examination and receives a score of 3 or higher on the examination is entitled to receive postsecondary level course credit at a public institution of higher education. The Act requires each public institution of higher education to comply with the same standard of awarding course credit to any student receiving a score of 3 or higher on a College Board Advanced Placement examination and applying the credit to meet a corresponding course requirement for degree completion at that institution of higher education.

For more information from IBHE on Advanced Placement (AP) Exams and credit, please visit their website at: 
IBHE Advanced Placement (AP) Exams Information - Coming Soon!

How does Advanced Placement Credit work with the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI)?

The Illinois Articulation Initiative provides recommendations to participating IAI schools about Advanced Placement Credit. However, each school has the final decision about how to award/give credit for Advance Placement Exams.

Public colleges and universities in the state of Illinois give credit for AP exams with a score of 3 or higher. How the credit is given is up to each individual institution. For example, one university may give credit for an exact course for AP exam scores of 3 and another university may only give 'elective' credit for a score of 3 but will give credit for a specific course for a score of 4 or 5. You should work with the college or university you are planning to transfer to in order to determine how AP exam credit is awarded.