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Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement Policy

A maximum of 45 quarter units of Advanced Placement (AP), transfer credit, and/or other external credit (such as International Baccalaureate) may be applied toward the undergraduate degree. Note the following points regarding College Board AP credit:

  • Scores of 4 or 5 in a foreign language AP exam satisfy the Foreign Language requirement
  • AP examinations do not satisfy the General Education Requirements, with the exception of the University Foreign Language requirement.
  • AP credit may be removed from your record if subsequent Stanford course work duplicates AP credit course content.
  • AP credit may be applied as elective units toward graduation and toward the major if allowed by the major departmen
  • Up to 10 units of credit per discipline is allowed for some of the AP exams

To request AP credit at Stanford, contact the College Board to request that your scores are sent to Stanford. The eligible AP credit will be updated to your student record through an electronic process. If your AP credit does not appear within a month, please bring a hard copy of your AP score report to the Student Services Center, 2nd Floor, Tresidder Union. For incoming freshman, AP credit will be posted to your student record in mid- September.

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AP Chart Downloads (pdf format)

If a subject does not appear on the AP Chart, it does not receive credit.

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International Baccalaureate Examination Credits

In order to be eligible to receive credit for the International Baccalaureate Examination all of the following must apply:

  • Only subjects that receive College Board AP credit are eligible to receive IB credit
  • Minimum score of 5
  • Must be Higher Level exam (Standard Level exams, Theory of Knowledge, or General Paper are not eligible for credit)
  • Maximum of 10 units awarded per subject

To request IB credit at Stanford, contact the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to request that your IB scores be sent to Stanford. For incoming freshman, the credit will be posted to your student record in mid- September.

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General Certificate of Education "A" Levels, French Baccalaureate, and German Abitur

International advanced placement examinations such as General Certificate of Education "A" levels, French Baccalaureate, and German Abitur may be awarded a maximum of 12 units per discipline for some of the subjects which receive College Board AP credit. To request this test credit evaluation, please bring your original certificate to the Student Services Center, 2nd Floor, Tresidder Union. If you have already submitted your original certificate to Stanford, please submit a HelpSU at https://remedyweb.stanford.edu/helpsu/helpsu to request the test credit evaluation.
In order to be eligible to receive credit for the A-Level GCE exams, all of the following must apply:

  • Only Advanced Level (A-Level) exams are eligible to receive credit
  • Must have received a grade of A, B, C, or D
  • The official "General Certificate of Education" must be submitted. Stanford does not accept the "Candidate's Statement of Results."
  • Only subjects that receive College Board AP credit are eligible to receive credit.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Advanced Placement:

Q: How do I get AP credit at Stanford?
A: Contact the College Board and request that they send your AP scores to Stanford. See above for additional information.
Q: Which AP chart applies to me if I matriculated as a freshman in a previous year?
A: Stanford students are subject to the AP policies in the year they matriculated. Refer to the Stanford Bulletin or see above.
Q: My AP credit is not appearing on my transcript. What should I do?
A: The College Board sends AP scores to Stanford electronically. The electronic system screens out records that might have an error (e.g., same name as another student, invalid social security number, or other invalid information). If your AP credits do not appear on your Stanford record by mid-September, bring your paper AP score report to the Registrar's Office. The score report will be reviewed and your record will be updated. AP credit will not be removed once it is added to a student's record.
Q: My AP credit is not reflected correctly on my transcript. What should I do?
A: Bring your paper AP score report to the Student Services Center, 2nd Floor, Tresidder Union. The score report will be reviewed and your record updated.
Q: What will happen to my AP credit if I complete a corresponding course at Stanford or elsewhere?
A: The duplicated AP credit will be removed from your Stanford record.
Q: I took the GCE Higher Level Examinations. Which subjects receive advanced placement credit at Stanford? What course placement will I receive?

A: In order to be eligible to receive credit for the GCE exams, all of the following must apply:

  1. Only A level exams are eligible to receive credit, not A-S level.
  2. Must have received a grade of A, B, C, or D
  3. Grades must appear on an official "General Certificate of Education." Stanford does not accept the "Candidate's Statement of Results" document. You must present your Certificate to the Registrar’s Office to receive credit.
  4. Only subjects that receive College Board AP credit are eligible to receive credit.
  5. The GCE Higher Level Examination Chart is subject to review annually.

The 2009-10 Chart:

Subject

Units

Math

10

Chemistry

8

French

12

Physics (A or B)

8

Physics (C or D)

4

Computing

5

Q: I completed the GCE Higher Level Examinations. What course placement will I receive?
A: Consult the academic department that corresponds to the GCE subject for course placement information.
Q: I have completed the French Baccalaureate or German Abitur. Can I receive advanced placement credit?
A: Advanced placement examinations such as General Certificate of Education "A" levels, French Baccalaureate, and German Abitur may be awarded a maximum of 12 units per discipline for some of the subjects. Bring your official certificate of test results to Student Services Center, 2nd Floor, Tresidder Union.
Q: I have taken the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. Can I receive advanced placement credit?
A: The International Baccalaureate Examination may be awarded a maximum of 10 units of credit per discipline for some scores of 5, 6, or 7 in the Higher Level for subjects that receive AP credit. See the IB chart downloadable at http://registrar.stanford.edu/pdf/IBO_2007-08.pdf.

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