How many AP classes should I take for UC Berkeley? (2024)

FAQs

How many AP classes should I take for UC Berkeley? ›

That being said, a strong applicant to UC Berkeley will typically take around 6-8 AP classes throughout their high school career, including a mix of courses in different subjects. However, the number of AP classes you should take may vary depending on your individual strengths and academic goals.

UC schools consider the academic rigor of your course load, so it's important to challenge yourself within reason to demonstrate your intellectual capability. Typically, successful applicants have completed around 4-10 AP courses throughout their high school careers.

AP, IB & A-level exams

The University of California awards unit credits for the following exams and scores: Advanced Placement (AP) – score of 3, 4 or 5. International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level – score of 5, 6 or 7. GCE, Singapore-Cambridge and Hong Kong Advanced Level (A-levels) – score of A, B or C.

6–7 AP classes is plenty. Many people get admitted to UC with fewer than that. Instead of adding another AP course, look to make sure you have extracurriculars showing leadership and at least a couple teachers who know you well who can write you strong recommendations.

Your AP course load should be dictated by the answers to these questions: -If your school over 20+ APs , then taking 1/2 of them is not too much. If your school only offers 6, then take 6. -If the best students at your school typically take 10-12, then you are in the right zone.

Students looking to earn admission to highly selective colleges should take multiple AP classes to bolster their applications and demonstrate they can handle challenging coursework. Some college admissions experts recommend taking as many as 7-12 AP courses before applying to the most elite universities.

Junior Year

Depending on what kind of school you want to go to, you should be taking between 3 and 5 AP® classes this year. You will need to manage your time well, however, as you also need to study for the SAT® or ACT® during this time.

Please submit your official scores for all Advanced Placement exams for which you have earned a score of 3 or higher. ALL final, official exam results must be received by July 15th.

Credit granted for all Advanced Placement Exams on which a student scores 3 or higher. The credit may be subject credit, graduation credit, or credit toward general education or breadth requirements.

Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or A-Level exams can satisfy no more than two of the required six courses for the Humanities/Social Sciences requirement. There is no limit to the number of exams that can be used to satisfy technical requirements.

Is 4 AP classes too much junior year? ›

College counselors recommend that students strive to take 5-8 AP classes throughout their high school career, especially if they are interested in attending a highly-selective institution such as an Ivy League college. That said, you shouldn't feel pressured to take more AP classes than you can comfortably manage.

To be competitive at some of the most highly selective colleges in the country, 8-12 AP courses may be the sweet spot amount, assuming the student can handle that level of rigor. There are no colleges out there that require you to take 14, 17, or some other obscene number of Advanced Placement offerings.

I recommend taking only 2 APs sophom*ore year, 4-5 Junior year, and 3 to 4 Senior year. That puts you in the 9-11 range which more than enough. Also keep in mind that if you apply to Brown with 12 APs, you've wasted your time since they give you ZERO AP credit.

For competitive Ivy League schools, admission officers also want to see AP courses for core subject areas and additional courses. If possible, aim to pass about seven to 12 AP exams if applying to these highly selective schools.

Applicants aiming for highly selective colleges usually take 5-6 AP classes this year, but keep your limits and schedule in mind. At this point, adding one more AP class might not have a huge impact on your college chances, but it could reduce the time spent on applications to a great extent.

Take as many as you can handle without spreading yourself thin, and make sure you will have time to study for the ACT or SAT this year. An Ivy League hopeful might take 3 to 5 AP classes, while if you're aiming for less-selective schools, 2 to 4 would be enough.

I recommend taking 12 AP (if you want to further increase your chance i recommend 18 but make sure that you get a 5 on all the AP exams before blindly taking AP courses just for the sake of it). You should aim for a GPA of 3.9/4.0 unweighted.

UCs do look at courses you take in freshman and senior years; the grades and rigor of your coursework are considered in context of your overall curriculum. But freshman and senior year grades are NOT included in the GPA calculation. UC-approved Honors, AP, IB and community college courses are weighted.

Advanced Placement Credit - The College

In these cases, we will award credit for only one. AP units may be applied toward graduation. They won't count against the allowable unit maximum for the Bachelor's degree. AP credit does not satisfy General Education requirements.

GPA is important for any UC, but if you look at how to calculate your 10–11 A-G GPA, you'll find that they don't distinguish between honors, AP, and DE. They're all worth 1 pt extra, for up to 8 classes.