AP or IB Credit
Guide to AP and IB Limited Placement and/or Credit
Note: Swarthmore's AP and IB policies remain unchanged in the pandemic, in spite of the various changes that took place in the various exams.
- How to get AP Results Sent to Swarthmore
- How to get IB Results Sent to Swarthmore
- Norm of no credit for college courses done during high school
The table below lists the credit and/or placement which can be expected for exam scores earned prior to Swarthmore matriculation, subject to the limitations and conditions listed. Credit and placement are distinct and do not always go together. As the guide indicates, credit and/or placement is sometimes available for high scores on some American College Board Advanced Placement Exams, some International Baccalaureate Exams, and one British System Advanced Level Exam.
Each department sets its own policy about awarding credit or advanced standing, and some departments require a placement examination or a course taken at Swarthmore to validate a student's previous work. The timing of credit awards varies from department to department. Most decisions are made after the first semester. Students not hearing a decision by the end of the second semester should contact the relevant department.
Departmental credit awards are provisional pending receipt of official scores by the College Registrar. Swarthmore credit will be recorded by the Registrar only on receipt of (1) official scores from the College Board, etc., and (2) credit validation from the relevant department.
Swarthmore's CEEB number (our College Board number) is 2821.
There is no College-wide maximum limit to the amount of AP or IB credit that can be received.
Credit awarded for work done elsewhere appears on the student transcript.
Swarthmore NSEP credit is not awarded for AP tests, International Baccalaureate examinations, or other advanced placement work.
Departmental policies are subject to change. Web page last revised October 31, 2018. The policies for English Literature, and Mathematics and Statistics were recently updated for students who matriculate in 2019. The policies for previous matriculants are available in previous catalogs available on the Course Catalog archive webpage.
| Program/Test | Score | Credit | Placement | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Art History
Studio Art: 2-D Design Portfolio Studio Art: 3-D Design Portfolio Studio Art: Drawing Portfolio |
AP- 5, -- |
1 | -- | Students who receive a 5 on the AP exam in art history will be granted one unit of credit upon completion of an art history course in the department. |
| Biology | AP- 5, Higher IB- 6 or 7, British A levels- 'A' |
1 | -- | Credit awarded after completion of one Swarthmore Biology course with lab (e.g. BIOL 001 or 002). If both Biology 001 and 002 are taken, however, the AP credit is dropped from the transcript. |
|
Capstone: Seminar Capstone: Research |
--
-- |
|||
| Chemistry | AP - 5; Higher IB - 6 or 7; Students must indicate they have achieved these scores using the "Chemistry Preparedness" process accessed through the Deans Office online Orientation forms. | none | These scores allow a student to have direct access to the CHEM 010.HN Placement exam. | In the absence of AP/IB credit, first year students can use the Chemistry Readiness Exam to access the CHEM 010.HN Placement exam for possible placement into the course. |
| Classics | AP- 5 Latin (Vergil), Higher IB- 6 or 7 |
1 | Advanced placement for listed score; possible adv placement with lower score. | |
|
Computer Science A Computer Science Principles |
AP- 4 or 5
-- |
1(max)
-- |
--
-- |
Credit awarded after completion of one Swarthmore CPSC course. Students are encouraged to discuss placement with any CPSC faculty member. |
| Dance | Higher IB-6 or 7 | 1 | -- | One unit of credit awarded after the completion of a composition, history or theory course in the Dance program. |
| Economics | AP- 5 (Macro AND Micro), Higher IB- 6 or 7 |
none | Option to place out of ECON 001 | If option is used, must take another Econ course before taking ECON 011 or 021. |
| Educational Studies | -- | -- | -- | |
| Engineering | -- | -- | -- | Prior college-level work may be awarded credit by individual application, not as matter of policy |
| English Language & Composition | -- | -- | -- | |
| English Literature & Composition |
AP- 5 |
1 | Credit awarded after completion of one course in the English Literature department. Counts toward the major. | |
| Environmental Studies | Environmental Science AP- 5 |
1 | Credit does not satisfy college divisional distribution requirements (see catalog 7.2) | Must complete one course counting for Tri-Co ENVS credit (not a cognate course). |
| History (US, European, World) | AP- 4 or 5, Higher IB- 6 or 7 |
1 for each exam (2 max) |
Possible placement in advanced courses, with instructor's permission. | Must pass with straight C or better one HIST course (001-011) for first AP/IB credit; must pass with straight C or better any other HIST course for 2nd credit. Only one AP/IB credit will count towards completion of a History major. |
| Human Geography | -- | |||
| Linguistics | -- | -- | -- | |
| Mathematics | AP- 4 or 5 (Calculus BC exam) | 2 | Equals MATH 015, 025 | |
| " | AP- 4 or 5 (Calculus AB, or AB- subscore), Higher IB- 6 or 7 |
1 | Equals MATH 015 | |
| " | Dept. Calculus placement exam | -- | Possible adv. placement up to two semesters | |
| Modern Languages and Literatures | AP- 4 or 5, Higher IB- 6 or 7 in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, *Spanish- see below |
1 (max 1 per lang.) |
Placement tests are required for all languages except Russian; which needs the instructor's approval. | After completing a 1.0 credit course in that language at the College |
| Music Theory | -- | -- | Possible adv. placement | |
| Philosophy | -- | -- | -- | |
| Physics | AP- 5 (Mechan C) | 1 | Possible adv. placement | Equals Physics 003 credit if you pass a representative Physics 003 test administered by the department; anyone who does not have an AP score but who wants *credit* for PHYS 003 must take a longer, in-person exam. |
| " | AP- 5 (Electr/ Mag C) | 1 | Possible adv. placement | Equals Physics 004 credit if you pass a representative Physics 004 test administered by the department; anyone who does not have an AP score but who wants *credit* for PHYS 004 must take a longer, in-person exam. |
| " | Higher IB- 6 or 7 | 2 | Possible adv. placement | Equals Physics 003 credit & 004 credit if you pass representative Physics 003 and 004 tests administered by the department; anyone who does not have an IB score but who wants *credit* for PHYS 003 & PHYS 004 must take a longer, in-person exam. |
| Physics 1 | -- | |||
| Physics 2 | -- | |||
| Political Science | AP- 5 (either US Govt & Pols or Comp Govt & Pols, but not both) | 1 (max) |
-- | |
| Psychology | AP- 5, Higher IB- 6 or 7 |
No credit | Possible placement out of Intro Psychology | For exemption from PSYC 001, consult Dept. for guidance and admission to suitable first PSYC course. |
| Religion | -- | -- | -- | |
| Soc / Anth | Higher IB- 6 or 7 | -- | -- | Considered on a case by case basis. |
| Spanish Language and Culture |
AP- 4 or 5 |
1 (max 1 Spanish credit per student) | Spanish placement test is required for all students. | After successful completion of a Spanish course at the College. Neither AP nor IB credits will be counted toward the Spanish major or minor. |
| Spanish Literature and Culture |
AP- 4 or 5 |
1 (max 1 Spanish credit per student) | Spanish placement test is required for all students. | After successful completion of a Spanish course at the College. Neither AP nor IB credits will be counted toward the Spanish major or minor. |
| Statistics | AP- 4 or 5 | 1 | Equals STAT 011 | |
| Studio Art | -- |
-- | ||
| Theater | -- | -- | -- |
