Credit for Prior Learning

The California Community College System, the California State University (CSU) System, and the University of California (UC) System all award credit for Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. The San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) grants credit toward its local associate degrees and applies it towards California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) certifications for students who attain scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Exams of the College Board.

AP courses are offered in high schools and allow high school students to take a national, standardized test at the end of the course to earn college credit. If you passed an AP exam with a minimum score of three (3), please request that your official AP test scores be sent to your SMCCCD college.

Students can earn a minimum of 3-semester units of credit for each AP exam satisfactorily passed. The Advanced Placement Equivalency Guide identifies how AP exam credit can be applied. Students should meet with a counselor for specific information regarding AP exam placement and credits awarded. Students intending to transfer to a four-year institution should consult a counselor or the individual university regarding its AP credit policy.

If you took an AP exam and received a minimum score of 3 or higher in a subject, you can:

1. Request your official AP scores be sent to your SMCCCD College. For information about obtaining your AP scores, contact the College Board. NOTE: If you have submitted your scores to another institution outside our district, you will need to submit your scores again to SMCCCD.

2. Upon receipt of your official AP scores, credit will be determined according to the SMCCCD AP Credit Equivalency Guide; coursework and units will be posted on your SMCCCD transcripts.

3. Upon notification, meet with a counselor to determine if you wish to accept, decline, or appeal the application of the AP credit to your transcript.

The following chart outlines the application of credit for AP toward each SMCCCD college’s coursework, associate degree general education requirements, degrees and California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) certifications.

If your SMCCCD college does not offer a course similar in content to an AP exam, the college will award credit for the General Education area shown in the SMCCCD AP Equivalency Guide below. If an AP exam does not align with a general education area, the College may award elective credit.

If only a portion of the credit applicable is deemed beneficial to the student, only that portion will be added to the student record.

Please note:

• AP credit will receive a grade of CRE, which does not affect GPA.

• The equivalencies defined by the AP Test Policy will be applied based on when the student completed the exam.

• If you have any questions regarding Math and English placement or AP credit, please contact your counselor.

• While SMCCCD does not put a limit on the number of External Exams you may earn credit for, please be aware that transfer schools may have limits. Please check with your Counselor.

• AP exams that have been discontinued are not shown on this table.

If you plan to transfer to another institution, please be aware that every college/university has its own policies about Credit for Prior Learning. What was accepted at SMCCCD may not be accepted at another institution. Please consult a Counselor regarding your intended transfer institution(s).

For more information on AP regulations for the CSU and UC segments, please see:
https://www.calstate.edu/apply/transfer/pages/advanced-placement-ap.aspx
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/ap-credits/

All units listed are semester units.

SMCCCD AP Credit Equivalency Guide

Advanced Placement Test Score of 3, 4, or 5	SMCCCD Course Equivalent	SMCCCD Associate Degree GE Area	SMCCD GE Units	CalGETC Breadth Area	CalGETC Units
African American Studies	ETHN 105	Area 4	3 Units	N/A	N/A
Art History	N/A	Area 3A or Area 3B	3 Units	Area 3A or Area 3B	3 Units
Biology	N/A	Area 5B and Area 5C	4 Units	Area 5B and Area 5C	4 Units
Calculus AB	Math 251 (4 or 5) Math 241 (3)	Area 2	5 Units	Area 2	3 Units
Calculus BC	Math 251 and 252 (4 or 5), see AB subscore for (3)	Area 2	5 Units	Area 2	3 Units
Calculus BC / AB Subscore  (3)	If BC score (1,2, or 3) then use AB subscore same as AB test	Area 2	5 Units	Area 2	3 Units
Chemistry	CHEM 192 (Score: 3,4) CHEM 210 (Score: 5)	Area 5A and Area 5C	CHEM 210 (5 Units), CHEM 192 (4 Units)	Area 5A and Area 5C	4 Units
Chinese Language and Culture	N/A	Area 3B	3 Units	Area 3B	3 Units
Comparative Government and Politics	N/A	Area 4	3 Units	Area 4	3 Units
English Language and Composition	ENGL C1000 or C1000E	Area 1A	3 Units	Area 1A	3 Units
English Literature and Composition	N/A	Area 1A and Area 3B	6 Units	Area 1A or Area 3B	3 Units
Environmental Science	N/A	Area 5A and Area 5C	4 Units	Area 5A and Area 5C	3 Units
European History	HIST 101	Area 3B or Area 4	3 Units	Area 3B or Area 4	3 Units
French Language and Culture	N/A	Area 3B	3 Units	Area 3B	3 Units
German Language and Culture	N/A	Area 3B	3 Units	Area 3B	3 Units
Human Geography	GEOG 110	Area 4	3 Units	Area 4	3 Units
Italian Language and Culture	N/A	Area 3B	3 Units	Area 3B	3 Units
Japanese Language and Culture	N/A	Area 3B	3 Units	Area 3B	3 Units
Latin	N/A	Area 3B	3 Units	Area 3B	3 Units
Macroeconomics	ECON 100	Area 4	3 Units	Area 4	3 Units
Microeconomics	ECON 102	Area 4	3 Units	Area 4	3 Units
Physics 1	PHYS 210	Area 5A and Area 5C	4 Units	Area 5A and Area 5C	4 Units
Physics 2	PHYS 220	Area 5A and Area 5C	4 Units	Area 5A and Area 5C	4 Units
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism	PHYS 260	Area 5A and Area 5C	4 Units	Area 5A and Area 5C	3 Units
Physics C: Mechanics	PHYS 250	Area 5A and Area 5C	4 Units	Area 5A and Area 5C	3 Units
Precalculus	MATH 225	Area 2	6 Units	N/A	N/A
Psychology	PSYC C1000	Area 4	3 Units	Area 4	3 Units
Spanish Language and Culture	N/A	Area 3B	3 Units	Area 3B	3 Units
Spanish Literature and Culture	N/A	Area 3B	3 Units	Area 3B	3 Units
Statistics	STAT C1000	Area 2	4 Units	Area 2	3 Units
U.S. Government and Politics	N/A	Area 4	3 Units	Area 4	3 Units
U.S. History	HIST 201	Area 3B or Area 4	3 Units	Area 3B or Area 4	3 Units
World History: Modern	HIST  106	Area 3B or Area 4	3 Units	Area 3B or Area 4	3 Units