Do Ivy League schools care about AP scores? (2024)

FAQs

Do Ivy League schools care about AP scores? ›

While AP exam scores can certainly showcase your academic strength, they are typically not the most critical part of your application. What Ivy League schools value the most are your transcript, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendations.

Harvard only accepts AP® scores of 5 for course credit. If you have 4 scores of 5, you can opt to obtain Advanced Standing. You can use AP® credits to opt-out of lower-level classes. Harvard has general academic requirements that all students must take.

The first thing that you should do is check the AP Score credit policy for the colleges that you are applying to. If they will give you credit for the 3, then by all means report it! On the other hand, if they only give credit for a 5 on that exam (not even for a 4), you may want to hold off.

Stanford awards credit for certain AP exams, but not all of them. Check the AP Credit Chart to see whether you can get credit for your AP exam, and what score you need in order to get credit.

Nine schools give students no credit for AP work. These institutions include some of the top schools in the country: Dartmouth University, Brown University, the California Institute of Technology, Williams College, and Amherst College.

Not submitting AP scores for AP courses students take at their high school can raise red flags. But there are no hard and fast rules, such as not submitting 4s or 3s, as some suggest because, in some cases, students should submit those lower scores since admissions officers will assume even worse if they withhold them.

For students who have completed only one AP or IB exam, submitting that one score will fulfill Yale's testing requirement. There is no minimum number of subject-based exam scores required. But our advice is to use your test scores to provide as much evidence of your academic strength in your application as possible.

Sending your AP exam score to colleges is optional.

If your exam score is eligible for credit, self-report it on the college application and send the official report through the CollegeBoard. Never report or send an exam score of a 1 or 2. They are not considered “passing” scores.

An AP Score of 3 or 4 will likely not get you any college credit or respect at a top school like Stanford/Ivies/MIT. A score of 5 may not either — top colleges like to think that their courses are more rigorous than APs and thus should not be passed out of, and earning a 5 is simply expected for top admits.

While strong AP exam scores can help your application, they are not the only factor that matters. However, it's fair to note that more competitive schools, like Ivy League institutions, get many applicants who mainly took AP classes by their senior year and did well on the exams.

How many AP classes should I take for Ivy League? ›

How Many AP Classes Should You Take for Ivy Leagues and Other Top US Universities? For students aiming for the Ivy League and Top 20 schools in the United States, a good target is to take (and pass) 10-14 AP classes throughout your high school career — or 3-4 each year.

Credit from Advanced Placement (AP) Exams

UCLA awards college credit for AP exams with scores of three or higher. The specific credit you receive depends on the college/school your major belongs to: AP Credit for the The College.

As far as reporting your score to Ivy League schools, each school may have a slightly different preference, but generally, a 4 is considered a 'well-qualified' score and should not necessarily hurt your chances. In fact, many colleges and universities even offer credit or advanced placement for scores of 4.

Will a bad AP exam score impact college admission decisions? No, colleges consider many factors outside of AP scores when deciding whether to admit an applicant. Generally, students should only submit high AP scores and for subjects related to their major.

Colleges will not look at your score

You will not be required to send your AP score to your colleges unless you want to earn college credit.

It's natural to feel some pressure, but remember that your overall performance in the course matters more than the exam score itself. Now, to address your concerns: Failing an AP exam isn't ideal, but it's not necessarily a deal-breaker for college admissions.

Does Harvard accept AP credit? Harvard does not grant credit for college coursework that you have completed before you matriculate at the school. In other words, if you have credit from your AP tests, IB exams, or dual credit classes in high school, you will not be granted credit at Harvard.

Credit toward graduation is granted for Advanced Placement examinations only if the student activates Advanced Standing, but advanced placement work is acknowledged in a variety of other ways.

Harvard College will require applicants to submit standardized test scores once again, becoming the latest Ivy League school to reinstate the requirement after making the choice optional during the pandemic. The university had previously said it would remain test-optional through the 2025-2026 application cycle.

While strong AP exam scores can help your application, they are not the only factor that matters. However, it's fair to note that more competitive schools, like Ivy League institutions, get many applicants who mainly took AP classes by their senior year and did well on the exams.