Advanced Placement
Departmental criteria are established each year to determine how credit or placement can be granted to students who take the Advanced Placement (AP) tests, which are usually given during the student’s senior year in high school.
Such course credit can be used toward meeting degree requirements when permitted by the major or minor department. AP credit cannot be used toward fulfillment of the primary writing requirement or toward any of the College’s clusters. Additionally, AP credit cannot be used to accelerate graduation beyond what is permitted by the College’s enrollment policy.
Transfer students cannot use AP credit to modify their Rochester Curriculum (cluster) requirements.
Students with AP examination scores are subject to the credit limits (16 credits) outlined in the policy described credit and placement by examination page.
Students are notified of Advanced Placement credit by the College Center for Advising Services (CCAS). Those wishing to discuss AP credit should contact CCAS. Students can also request reports online.
| Course | Score | Credit and/or Placement |
|---|---|---|
| African and African-American Studies | ||
| African American Studies (exam offered beginning 2025) | 4 or 5 | Four credits in African and African-American Studies awarded. Students who choose to major or minor in African and African-American Studies can use this credit to fulfill a 100-level elective course. This credit will not substitute for a required 100-level introductory course. |
| Art and Art History | ||
| Art History | 4 or 5 | Credit awarded after consultation with department. |
| Studio Arts | 4 or 5 | A maximum of four credits in studio arts awarded upon completion of 100-level course with "B" or better. |
| Biology | ||
| Biology | 4 or 5 | Four credits of elective biology awarded. Not for major. Students are eligible for placement in BIOL 112/113. |
| Chemistry | ||
| Chemistry | 4 or 5 | Four credits for CHEM 131. Eligible to apply for CHEM 171. Placement in CHEM 132 in the spring. Students taking 131 will forfeit AP credit. |
| Computer Science | ||
| Computer Science Principles | 4 or 5 | Placement in CSC 172. Four credits granted for CSC 171. Note that CSC 171 uses the Java programming language. CSC 172 and later CSC courses assume familiarity with Java. Students who did not learn Java in AP Computer Science Principles will be expected to acquire this knowledge if they do not take CSC 171. |
| Computer Science A | 4 or 5 | Placement in CSC 172. Four credits of advanced placement credit granted for CSC 171. |
| Earth and Environmental Science | ||
| Earth and Environmental Science | 4 or 5 | Credit for EESC 103. |
| Economics | ||
| Microeconomics | 4 or 5 | Credit for ECON 108 for 4 or 5 in Microeconomics plus 3, 4, 5 in Macroeconomics. |
| Macroeconomics | 3, 4, or 5 | See above. |
| English | ||
| Language and Composition | 4 or 5 | No credit. See primary writing requirement. |
| English Literature | 4 or 5 | Upon completion of a literature course offered by the English department with a grade of “B” or better, four hours of elective English credit will be awarded (not for major). Students with questions should consult the director of undergraduate studies in English. |
| History | ||
| American, European, or World History | 5 | Elective credit granted for score of 5 on the American History, European History, or World History exams. A maximum of four credits in History will be awarded. Credit cannot be used to satisfy the geographical, chronological, or area of focus requirements in major/minor. |
| Human Geography | ||
| Human Geography | 4 or 5 | Four credits in Anthropology awarded. Students who choose to major or minor in Anthropology can use this credit to fulfill a 100-level elective course. This credit will not substitute for ANTH 101. |
| Mathematics | ||
| Calculus AB | 3 4 or 5 | No AP credit awarded. Student will be placed in MATH 161. AP credit for MATH 161. Student will be placed in MATH 162 or 171. |
| Calculus BC | 3 4 or 5 | AP credit for MATH 161. Student will be placed in MATH 162 or 171. AP credit for MATH 161 and 162. Student will be placed in MATH 164, 165, or, in exceptional cases, in MATH 173. A student who chooses to register for MATH 171 will receive 4 AP credits for MATH 162. Otherwise, the student will receive two semesters of advanced placement credit. |
NOTE: Students who receive AP credit for MATH 161 can register for MATH 162 or 171. MATH 171 is particularly recommended for students interested in mathematics, physics, or theoretical engineering who would like to gain a deeper knowledge of how and why calculus works so effectively. For more information on math placement policies, visit the Department of Mathematics website. | ||
| Modern Languages And Cultures | ||
| Chinese | 4 5 | Potential placement by department into CHIN 151, with credit granted for CHIN 102 upon completion of CHIN 151 with grade of B+ or better. Potential placement by department into CHIN 152, with credit granted for CHIN 151 upon completion of CHIN 152 with grade of B+ or better. |
| French (Literature and Languages) | 5 | Placement by department in FREN 200. Credit granted for FREN 153 upon completion of FREN 200 with grade of “A-” or better. |
| German (Literature and Languages) | 4 or 5 | Placement by department in 152 or 200. Credit granted for 151 upon completion of 152 with grade of “B+” or better. Credit granted for 151 and 152 upon completion of 200 with “B+” or better. |
| Japanese | 4 5 | Potential placement into JPNS 152, credit granted for 151 upon completion of 152 with grade of B+ or higher. Potential placement into JPNS 201, Credit for 151 and 152 with completion of 201 with grade B+ or higher. |
| NOTE: The actual placement is subject to the result of the placement test. All students are required to take our placement test, and the credit granted will be adjusted according to the actual placement. No credit will be granted if the student does not place into JPNS 152 or higher. | ||
| Spanish (Literature and Languages) | 4 5 | Placement by department in SPAN 152. Credit granted for SPAN 151 upon completion of SPAN 152 with grade of “B+” or better. Placement by department in SPAN 200. Credit granted for SPAN 151 and SPAN 152 upon completion of SPAN 200 with grade of “B+” or better. |
| Music | ||
| Music Theory | 4 or 5 | Credit for MUSC 110. See department for placement. |
| Physics | ||
| C (Mechanics) | 4 5 | Conditional credit granted for PHYS 113 or PHYS 121. Can be placed into PHYS 114, PHYS 122, or PHYS 1421. Credit granted for PHYS 113 or PHYS 121, and students can be placed into PHYS 114, PHYS 122 or PHYS 1421. |
| C (Electromagnetism) | 4 5 | Conditional credit2 granted for PHYS 122. Can be placed into PHYS 123 or PHYS 1431. Credit for PHYS 114, conditional credit for PHYS 122, and students can be placed into PHYS 123 or PHYS 1431. |
| Test B (General) | 5 | Four general college hour credits; these credits cannot be used to satisfy any of the requirements for the PHYS/ASTR major or minor. |
| Physics 1 (Mechanics) | 5 | Four general college hour credits; these credits cannot be used to satisfy any of the requirements for the PHYS/ASTR major or minor. |
| Physics 2 (Electromagnetism) | 5 | Four general college hour credits; these credits cannot be used to satisfy any of the requirements for the PHYS/ASTR major or minor. |
1 Placement into honors sequence courses PHYS 141, PHYS 142, and PHYS 143 requires permission of the instructor. | ||
| Political Science | ||
| Comparative Government and Politics or US Government and Politics | 4 or 5 | Four credits in political science for either exam. No additional credit if both exams are taken. For details, see the international relations and political science major pages. |
| Psychology | ||
| Psychology | 3 4 or 5 | PSYC 101 no longer waived for a score of 3. Credit for PSYC 101. |
| Religion and Classics | ||
| Latin | 4 or 5 | Credit for LATN 102. |
| NOTE: Students who complete a second Latin exam with a score of 4 or 5 earn credit for LATN 208 upon completion of a Latin course numbered 103 or above with a “B” or better grade. | ||
| Statistics | ||
| Statistics | 4 or 5 | Credit awarded for STAT 212. |
NOTE: Students can earn credit for only one of the following courses: STAT 211, STAT 212, STAT 213, and BIOL/STAT 214. Students wishing to receive credit for STAT 213 should arrange to take the statistics equivalency exam by making arrangements with Program in Statistics. Students intending to pursue an economics major are advised to enroll in ECON 230 or MATH 203 to fulfill the statistics requirement for the major. | ||