AP & IB Credit
Incoming first-year and transfer students may receive credit toward graduation provided their prior coursework meets Oberlin’s academic requirements.
Incoming students may receive credit toward graduation for:
- Successful completion of college-level coursework in secondary school, as measured by performance on the College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP) examination
- Work completed in International Baccalaureate (IB) programs
- Successful completion of approved liberal arts courses taken at a college while enrolled in high school; credits for such courses must appear on a transcript from an accredited college or university
Work transferred to Oberlin may be counted (within the overall limit of five full academic courses or the equivalent prior to matriculation and three full academic courses after matriculation) toward the degree. However, it will not count toward the general degree requirements, such as the curriculum exploration requirement or the cultural diversity requirement.
For complete information on the general degree requirements, view the Catalog.
Credit is only awarded for AP, IB, or international entrance exams taken prior to matriculation.
AP and IB credit is granted on the assumption that the student does not enroll in an equivalent course at Oberlin; a student must relinquish credit if the student enrolls in the equivalent course.
Oberlin accepts only higher-level scores for International Baccalaureate credit.
Departmental policies are subject to change.
Please note: the comments column references the home department's application of the AP/IB equivalency for their major. If you would like to apply the AP/IB equivalency to a different major, review the catalog for information on how the AP/IB equivalency would be applied.
| Home Department | Score of AP or IB Exam | Awarded | Advanced Placement in Oberlin Courses | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art History | 5 - AP | 1 Full Course | ART 600 | Not for major credit Will count toward total credit for graduation |
| Biology | 4 or 5 - AP | 1 Full Course | BIOL 604 | Not for major credit Will count toward total credit for graduation |
| Biology | 6 or 7 - HL IB | 1 Full Course | BIOL 604 | Not for major credit Will count toward total credit for graduation |
| Chemistry | 4, 5 - AP | 1 Full Course | CHEM 101 | Counts toward major |
| Chemistry | 6 or 7 - HL IB | 1 Full Course | CHEM 101 | Counts toward major |
| Chemistry | A - Level Scores A*, A, or B | - | - | *May petition Dept. Chair to begin Chemistry with 102 |
| Computer Science | 4, 5 - AP (A) | 1 Full Course | CSCI 150 | Counts toward major |
| Computer Science | 5, 6 or 7 - HL IB prior to Spring 2020* | 1 Full Course | CSCI 150 |
Counts toward major* *prior to Spring 2020 Please contact department for how to proceed if HL IB taken Spring 2020 or beyond. |
| English | 5 - AP (Lit and Comp) | 1 Full Course | ENGL 600 | Not for major credit Will count toward total credit for graduation |
| English | 5, 6, 7 - HL IB | 1 Full Course | ENGL 600 | Not for major credit Will count toward total credit for graduation |
| Environmental Studies | 5 - AP | 1 Full Course | ENVS 600 |
Not for major credit |
| French | 4, 5 - AP (Liti or Lang) | 1 Full Course | FREN 300 | Counts toward major |
| French | 6-7 - HL IB | 1 Full Course | FREN 300 | Counts toward major |
| German | 4, 5 - AP | 1 Full Course | GERM 300 | Counts toward major |
| Hispanic | 5 - AP (Lit or Lang) | 1 Full Course | HISP 300 | Counts toward major |
| Hispanic | 6 - 7 HL IB | 1 Full Course | HISP 300 | Counts toward major |
| History | 4, 5 - AP (World) | 1 Full Course | HIST 097 | Not for major credit |
| History | 4, 5 - AP (Europe) | 1 Full Course | HIST 098 | Not for major credit |
| History | 4, 5 - AP (US) | 1 Full Course | HIST 099 | Not for major credit |
| History | 6 - 7 HL IB | 1 Full Course | - | Not for major credit |
| Latin | 4, 5 - AP | 1 Full Course | LATN 600 | Not for major credit Will need Chair approval - a syllabus & samples of work required. |
| Latin | 6 - 7 HL IB | 1 Full Course | LATN 600 | Not for major credit Will need Chair approval - a syllabus & samples of work required. |
| Mathematics | 4, 5 - AP (BC) | 2 Full Courses | MATH 133, 134 | Students receiving credit in one or more courses do not need to take the Calculus Readiness or Statistics Readiness Exam Counts toward total credit for graduation |
| Mathematics | 3 - AP (BC with AB Sub Score 4 or 5) | 1 Full Course | MATH 133 | Counts toward total credit for graduation |
| Mathematics | Spring 2020: 3 - AP (BC, no AB Sub Score required) | 1 Full Course | MATH 133 | Counts toward total credit for graduation |
| Mathematics | 4, 5 - AP (AB) | 1 Full Course | MATH 133 | Counts toward total credit for graduation |
| Mathematics |
6 or 7 - HL IB AA |
2 Full Courses | MATH 133 & 134 | Counts toward total credit for graduation |
| Mathematics |
5 - HL IB AA |
1 Full Course | MATH 133 | Counts toward total credit for graduation |
| Mathematics |
6 or 7 - HL IB AI |
1 Full Course | MATH 133 | Counts toward total credit for graduation |
| Music Theory | 4, 5 - AP |
1 Full Course / 4 credits* *dependent on division of student AS, CN or DD |
MUTH 001 if score received by Registrar's Office prior to or on April 6, 2021 OR MUTH 600 if score received by Registrar's Office after or on April 7, 2021 |
Not for major credit nor for placement within the MUTH sequence. Will count toward total credit for graduation |
| Physics | 4, 5 - AP (1) | 1 Full Course | PHYS 103 | Counts toward major |
| Physics | 4, 5 - AP (2) | 1 Full Course | PHYS 104 | Counts toward major |
| Physics | 4, 5 - AP (C Mech) | 1 Full Course | PHYS 110 | Counts toward major |
| Physics | 5 - AP (C E&M) | 1 Full Course | PHYS 111 | Counts toward major |
| Physics | 5, 6, 7 HL IB | 1 Full Courses | PHYS 600 | Not for major credit Will count toward total credit for graduation |
| Politics | 5 - AP (Amer) | 1 Full Course | POLT 099 | Only one of these three areas counts toward major and graduation |
| Politics | 5 - AP (Comp) | 1 Full Course | POLT 099 | Only one of these three areas counts toward major and graduation |
| Politics |
5 - AP (Gen. Polt) |
1 Full Course | POLT 099 | Only one of these three areas counts toward major and graduation |
| Psychology | 4 or 5 - AP | 1 Full Course | PSYC 100 | Counts toward major |
| Psychology | 6 or 7 HL IB | 1 Full Course | PSYC 100 | Counts toward major |
For information on how to send International Baccalaureate results to Oberlin, visit the International Baccalaureate® website.
View International Baccalaureate: Getting Results
The basic guidelines for requesting that an AP Grade Report be sent to Oberlin College is available on the College Board website.
View College Board: AP Score Reporting Services
Oberlin degree credit is possible, depending on departmental and registrar approval, for widely recognized International Entrance Exams, such as the:
- British System A-Levels
- French Baccalaureate
To receive credit for any of these exams, follow these general instructions:
- Obtain the official, original document showing your official results and bring it to the registrar’s office. The document needed is the one which lists in detail the subjects you studied and the exam marks you earned for each of these subjects studied. The official, original document is required.
- A photocopy of the original will be made and the original document will be returned to you. We recommend you save this document in a highly secure place.
- You will be given copies of your document for you to bring to the Oberlin departments where the courses would have been taught, if they had been taught at Oberlin. You would go to those departments and present the official document showing your scores and any other documentation they request to understand what you studied. Such things can include syllabi, textbooks, notes, papers, exams, etc. You may need to explain which of these items are still available and which are not. You need to be prepared to validate your work.
- In awarding credit, departments usually follow practices similar to the ones they have established for AP/IB credit.