Get an overview of the AP Program and how it works.
The Advanced Placement® Program (AP) enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. The AP Program develops college-level courses that high schools can choose to offer and corresponding AP Exams that are administered once a year.
Benefits
Taking AP courses and exams can help students:
Stand out on college applications. AP courses on a student’s transcript show that they’ve challenged themselves with the most rigorous courses available to them. And success on an AP Exam shows that they’re ready for college-level coursework.
Earn college credit and/or skip introductory courses in college. Most four-year colleges and universities in the United States—as well as many institutions in more than 100 other countries—grant students credit, placement, or both for qualifying AP Exam scores. Search credit policies by college.
Which Students Should Take AP?
All students who are willing and academically prepared to accept the challenge of a rigorous academic curriculum should be considered for admission to AP courses
College Board encourages the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP courses for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the AP Program. Schools should make every effort to ensure that their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population.
Certain AP courses have prerequisites. For example, students taking AP Physics 1 should have completed geometry and be taking Algebra 2 or an equivalent course. Check the individual course pages to see this information.
28 AP Exams go digital! Details will be published on AP Central. click here
