Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Courses (AP)
Advanced Placement gives students a chance to take college level courses and earn college credit while in high school. The classes are taken on campus and you earn credit based on your score on a national exam at the end of the course. For more information about the AP program, visit ap.collegeboard.org. Taking AP classes and exams can help students get ahead in high school and college.
Students will:
- Build skills and confidence.
- AP students learn essential time management and study skills needed for college and career success.
- They dig deeper into subjects that interest them and learn to tap their creativity and their problem-solving skills to address course challenges.
- Stand out to colleges.
- Students who take AP courses send a signal to colleges that they’re serious about their education and that they’re willing to challenge themselves with rigorous coursework.
- 85% of selective colleges and universities report that a student’s AP experience favorably impacts admission decisions.
- Succeed in college.
- Research shows that students who receive a score of 2 on their AP Exams are ready for college work.
- Research shows that students who receive a score of 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP peers.
- 3 out of 4 AP students enrolled in a four-year college start school with some AP credit.
- Save time and money in college.
- Research shows that students who take AP courses and exams are much more likely than their peers to complete a college degree on time, which means they avoid paying for additional years of tuition.
- Most colleges and universities nationwide offer college credit, advanced placement, or both for qualifying AP Exam scores. This can mean:
- Fulfilling graduation requirements early
- Being able to skip introductory courses or required general education courses
apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/ap-a-glance/discover-benefits