AP, IB, and College Credit Policies
We know you’re an exceptional student, and that you’ve worked hard to earn credits that might be applied to courses at Emory College of Arts and Sciences. We are happy to consider them and, often, to accept them. We do, however, have some parameters to ensure you get the most out of your Emory education. See our credit policies below.
Please note that all policies remain under ongoing review and are subject to change.
General Guidelines
For entering first-year students a combined total of 24 credit hours of the following types of credit may be granted:
- AP credits
- IB, French Baccalaureate, A Level exams, and all other international exams credits
- Other college credit
- Transient study credits earned after the freshman year at Emory
Beyond the 24 hour credit limit, Emory College will use the additional exams or courses to fulfill pre-requisites for placement into higher level courses. No additional credit or waivers or General Education Requirements (GERs) will be given. Members of the admission staff, under the joint supervision of the dean of admission and the student academic affairs dean in the college, will evaluate college credit for entering students. Official AP and IB test scores and college transcripts may be submitted to the Office of Admission by July 15 in order to be evaluated for credit before freshmen orientation. Scores and transcripts must be received by the end of the first semester freshman year.
Advanced Placement Credit
We typically will award four semester hours of college credit for each score of four or five on examinations of the Advanced Placement (AP) Program of the College Entrance Examination Board.
Exceptions:
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We award eight hours of credit for a score of four or five on the Calculus BC examination. Students receiving credit for the Calculus BC examination may not receive credit for the Calculus AB examination as well. Students who do not receive credit for Calculus BC but who score a four or five on the Calculus AB subgrade of the Calculus BC examination will receive four hours of credit for Calculus AB.
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In the case of two AP results for individual language examinations (i.e., English Literature and English Language) or Computer Science, credit may be awarded for either examination but not for both.
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Emory College of Arts and Sciences does not grant credit for the Human Geography examination.
Entering first-year and transfer students must have AP results sent directly from the College Board to the Emory Office of Admission. Our reporting code is 5187. Score results must arrive no later than the end of the entering student's first semester in Emory College of Arts and Sciences.
No credit is granted in Emory College of Arts and Sciences for AP examination scores of one, two, or three.
International Baccalaureate Credit
We will award four semester hours of college credit for scores of five, six, or seven on the higher-level International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations in the subject areas offered in Emory College of Arts and Sciences (use the Emory catalog as a reference).
Entering first-year and transfer students must have IB results sent directly from the International Baccalaureate Organization to the Emory Office of Admission. Score results must arrive by no later than the end of the entering student's first semester in Emory College.
No credit is granted in Emory College of Arts and Sciences for IB examination scores below five on the higher-level examinations.
No credit is granted for the standard-level examinations regardless of the scores achieved.
College/Joint Enrollment Credit
We will award college credit to entering first-year or transfer students, if the courses taken meet all of the following criteria:
- The course work was taken at an accredited institution.
- The course was taken on a college campus in a class with college students (not a course taught at the high school or a course taken at the college that is strictly for high school students).
- The course grade was C or better (no credit is given for classes taken pass/fail, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, credit/no credit).
- The course is comparable to a course taught at Emory College (reference our catalog to compare).
- The course taken does not count toward a high school graduation requirement.
For courses that meet the stipulations above, you will receive the appropriate credit hours, will be exempt from the equivalent course in Emory College of Arts and Sciences and will have satisfied, partially or fully, whatever General Education Requirements the Emory course satisfies.
While credit hours may transfer, grades will not.
Physical education, health, or remedial courses will not transfer.
We will convert quarter hours to semester hours by multiplying by 2/3. For example, a 5.0 quarter hour course is worth 3.3 semester hours. Semester hours transfer unchanged.
If you would like to have college credit taken while in high school evaluated, you must complete and return a Request for Approval of Transfer Credit/Exemption form. The form will be emailed to all new students or can be downloaded here. The form must be returned by July 15.
The issuing institution must submit transcripts to the Emory Office of Admission for the student to receive credit.
All transcripts must arrive at Emory no later than the end of the entering student's first semester in Emory College of Arts and Sciences.
We compare course descriptions to determine similarity of classes. If we do not have a catalog from the school you attended, or if we cannot find course descriptions on your school's website, you will need to have one sent to us to ensure all of your class work is evaluated properly.
The Office of Admission does not determine which courses might apply toward major requirements. You should contact the appropriate department to determine what classes could count toward a major.
Additional Information
The maximum number of hours that can be awarded to an incoming first year student is 24 semester hours.
We do not award duplicate credit for the same course or exam. For example, a student can receive credit for only one of the following: a college English composition course, an AP English examination, or the IB higher-level English examination.
Beginning fall 2009, AP or IB History exam credits will not count towards the history major or General Education Requirements (GER). Instead, scores of 4 or 5 on the AP History exam or 5, 6, or 7 on the IB History higher-level exam will count only as general elective credit toward graduation.
It is possible to receive Emory College of Arts and Sciences credit for advanced course work taken in international educational programs such as the GCE Advanced Levels (A Levels), the French Baccalaureate, the German Abitur, etc. Examination results must be submitted directly to the Emory Office of Admission. Score results should be sent as soon as possible and must arrive no later than the end of the entering student's first semester in Emory College. Exam results that correspond to course work available in Emory College will be evaluated for credit. Emory College of Arts and Sciences credit is awarded based on a case-by-case review.
No credit is awarded for the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).
Neither credit nor placement is awarded for online courses, correspondence courses, or distance-learning courses.
College credit for entering students will be evaluated and awarded by members of the admission staff under the joint supervision of the dean of admission and the student academic affairs dean in the college.
For further questions concerning these policies, please contact the Office of Admission at admiss@emory.edu or call 800.727.6036.
