Do AP Scores Matter for College Admissions?
In the NACAC survey of admission factors, AP scores were rated far below courses and grades. The survey for fall 2023 asked 185 NACAC member four-year colleges how much importance they give each part of an application.
| Factor | Considerable importance | Moderate importance | Limited importance | No importance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High school grades in college prep courses | 76.8% | 15.1% | 4.9% | 3.2% |
| Strength of high school curriculum | 63.8% | 22.7% | 10.3% | 3.2% |
| Admission test scores (ACT, SAT) | 4.9% | 25.4% | 38.9% | 30.8% |
| Subject test scores (AP, IB) | 1.1% | 22.2% | 25.9% | 50.8% |
Strength of curriculum, the factor that covers course rigor, was rated of considerable importance by 63.8% of the colleges. AP and IB exam scores were rated that highly by 1.1%, and about half of the colleges gave them no importance. The survey covers NACAC member four-year colleges in general, so it does not describe the most selective colleges alone. Yale makes a similar point about its own review: its course selection page says the high school transcript is almost always the most important document in an application.
What Do Yale, Princeton, MIT, and Harvard Say About AP Scores?
Yale and Harvard say outright that AP scores are not required. Princeton and MIT ask applicants who have taken AP Exams to report them. The wording differs from college to college.
| College | What its admission page says about AP scores |
|---|---|
| Yale | Applicants may include the AP or IB scores of their choosing. Including them is not required but is encouraged for students who have completed AP or IB coursework. |
| Princeton | Recommends that applicants who sat for AP or IB tests self-report all of their AP or IB scores on the application. |
| MIT | Students should self-report scores for exams such as AP and IB that they have taken or plan to take. Official scores are not required to apply and are verified upon enrollment. |
| Harvard | AP or other examination results are not required but may be submitted. Harvard requires the SAT or ACT, and AP exam results can meet that requirement only in exceptional cases when those tests are not accessible. |
Yale also says where AP courses fit in its review. It tells applicants that it expects them to take advantage of AP courses only if their high school provides them.
Do Students Have to Report Every AP Score?
At these four colleges, AP scores on the application are self-reported, and the instructions vary. Yale leaves the choice of which scores to include to the applicant. Princeton recommends reporting all of them, and MIT says students should self-report the exams they have taken or plan to take. Self-reported scores are checked later: Yale requires admitted students who enroll to provide official results of all self-reported scores and says discrepancies may result in the withdrawal of an offer.
The official report is different. College Board says an official AP score report includes the scores from every AP Exam a student has taken, unless the student has chosen to withhold or cancel a score. College Board says a college needs the official report to award credit or placement, and advises sending it no later than July of senior year.
At Oriel Admissions we advise reporting 4s and 5s wherever the college leaves the choice to the applicant, and following the instruction where a college asks for all scores. Every score that is reported should match the official record exactly.
Do AP Scores Matter for College Credit?
Credit is where the score itself is what counts, and how much it counts depends on the college. College Board attaches a recommendation to each score.
| AP score | College Board recommendation | College course grade equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Extremely well qualified | A+ or A |
| 4 | Very well qualified | A-, B+, or B |
| 3 | Qualified | B-, C+, or C |
| 2 | Possibly qualified | None listed |
| 1 | No recommendation | None listed |
College Board says most U.S. colleges offer credit, advanced placement, or both for qualifying AP scores. Each college sets its own policy, and three of the colleges above show how far the policies differ.
| College | What its page says about credit for AP scores |
|---|---|
| MIT | For the class entering in fall 2026, grants credit for a score of 5 on some AP exams and no partial credit for lower scores. It gives no credit for the AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, AP Environmental Science, or AP Statistics exams. |
| Princeton | AP scores in some fields can fulfill prerequisites for a major, place a student in upper-level courses, or fulfill the language requirement. Princeton says fulfilling a prerequisite this way does not confer any course credit, so the scores cannot reduce a course load or the number of courses required for graduation. |
| Harvard | Does not grant degree credit for AP examinations. They can serve as placement tools and in some cases fulfill the language requirement. |
The policy at any other college can be found through the AP Credit Policy Search from College Board. A student can send one official score report free each year AP Exams are taken, with a deadline of June 20, 2027 for that year, and later reports cost $15 each.
Which AP Scores Can an Application Show?
AP Exams are given in May. A student who applies in the fall or winter of senior year therefore has scores from the exams taken in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade, and no scores yet from senior-year courses. What the application shows for senior year is the AP courses in progress, with first-semester grades following in a midyear report at colleges that ask for one, as Harvard does.
In our view, timing adds to the pattern in the survey: the scores from junior-year exams are the most recent ones an application can show, and senior-year AP courses appear as courses in progress. The year-by-year results for each exam are in our guide to AP score distributions, and the junior-year course choices in the best AP courses for junior year.
Do AP Scores Matter When One Score Is Low?
A low score does not change the transcript. The grade in the AP course stays on the transcript that colleges receive, and in the NACAC survey 76.8% of colleges gave grades in college prep courses considerable importance.
In our experience at Oriel Admissions, one score of 3 beside an A in the course rarely decides anything, and a pattern of low scores beside high grades invites a question about how demanding the course was. Where a college leaves the choice to the applicant, a score of 3 or below can be left off the application, with two things in mind: an AP course with no score beside it is visible too, and Yale encourages students who took AP courses to include scores. College Board also lets a student withhold or cancel a score on the official report. Scores count toward the AP Scholar awards as well, which our AP Scholar guide explains, and how the whole schedule is read is covered in course rigor in college admissions.
For related decisions, see our guides to AP classes ranked by difficulty, the AP exam schedule, AP Calculus AB vs BC, dual enrollment vs AP, and the AP Capstone Diploma.
Frequently Asked Questions: Do AP Scores Matter?
In the NACAC survey for fall 2023, 1.1% of 185 four year colleges gave AP and IB exam scores considerable importance, and 63.8% gave strength of curriculum considerable importance.
Harvard says AP results are not required but may be submitted. Yale says including AP scores is not required but is encouraged for students who took AP courses. Princeton recommends reporting all AP scores, and MIT says students should report them.
At Oriel Admissions we advise reporting 4s and 5s and leaving a 3 off wherever the college leaves the choice to the applicant, and following the instruction where a college asks for all scores.
Yes, and the policy depends on the college. MIT grants credit for a 5 on some exams for the class entering in fall 2026. Harvard does not grant degree credit for AP exams and uses them for placement.
On the application, scores are reported by the applicant. An official College Board score report includes every AP score unless the student has withheld or canceled one.
Senior year exams are given in May, after applications are submitted. The application shows the senior year AP courses, not the scores.
College Board describes a 5 as extremely well qualified, a 4 as very well qualified, and a 3 as qualified. For credit, MIT requires a 5 on the exams it accepts.
A low score does not change the grade on the transcript. Where a college lets applicants choose which scores to report, a low score can be left off.
Sources: NACAC: Factors in the Admission Decision, fall 2023, Yale Undergraduate Admissions: Standardized Testing, Yale Undergraduate Admissions: What Yale Looks For, Yale Undergraduate Admissions: Course Selection, Princeton Admission: Standardized Testing, MIT Admissions: Tests and scores, Harvard College: First-Year Applicants, Harvard College: Frequently Asked Questions, MIT Office of the First Year: Advanced Placement credit, Class of 2030, Princeton Undergraduate Academic Advising: Advanced Placement, College Board: AP Score Scale Table, College Board: Getting Credit and Placement, College Board: Sending AP Scores
About Oriel Admissions
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