Advanced Placement Credit and Chart

Students who earn scores of 3, 4, or 5 on College Board Advanced Placement Examinations taken before high school graduation will receive 2, 4, or 8 units of credit toward graduation at UCSB for each such test completed with the required scores, provided official scores are submitted to the Office of Admissions. 

Students should be advised that college courses taken before or after attending UC may duplicate AP, IB and/or A Level (GCE) examinations.  Additionally, exams may duplicate each other (for example, and AP or IB exam in the same subject area). If the student does duplicate an exam with another exam of the same subject content, and/or an exam with a college course, we will award credit only once.

Note: Advanced Placement credit earned prior to entering the university will not be counted toward maximum unit limitations either for selection of a major or for graduation.


Advanced Placement Exam with score of 3, 4, or 5

Units Awarded

General Education Credit

UCSB Course Equivalent
(You may not enroll in these courses for credit at UCSB.)

*2D Art and Design

8

None

None

*3D Art and Design

8

None

None

Art History

8

F: 1 course

Art History 1

Biology

8

**C: 1 course

EEMB 22, MCDB 20

*Calculus AB
(or AB subscore of BC exam)

4

**C: 1 course#

Mathematics 2A, 3A, 34A, or equivalent

*Calculus BC

8

**C: 2 courses#

Mathematics 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 34A, 34B, or equivalent

Chemistry

8

**C: 1 course#

None

Chinese Language and Culture

8

**B

See department for level placement

Comparative Government and Politics

4

D: 1 course

None

+Computer Science A (through S17)

2 or 8

None

None

+Computer Science A (beginning S18)



With score of 3

8

**C: 1 course#

None

With score of 4 or 5

8

**C: 1 course#

Computer Science 8

Computer Science Principles (effective S17 and S18)



With score of 3

8

**C: 1 course#

None

With score of 4 or 5

8

**C: 1 course#

Computer Science 8

Computer Science Principles (beginning S19)



With score of 3

8

**C: 1 course

None

With score of 4 or 5

8

**C: 1 course

Computer Science 4

*Drawing

8

None

Art 18

*English – Language and Composition or Literature and Composition



With score of 3

8

Entry Level Writing Requirement

Writing 1, 1E

With score of 4

8

A1

Writing 1, 1E, 2, 2E, 2LK

With score of 5

8

A1, A2

Writing 1, 1E, 2, 2E, 2LK, 50, 50E

Environmental Science

4

**C: 1 course

Environmental Studies 2

European History

8

E: 1 course

None

French Language and Culture




With score of 3

8

**B

French 1-3

With score of 4

8

**B

French 1-4

With score of 5

8

**B

French 1-5

German Language and Culture




With score of 3

8

**B

German 1-3

With score of 4

8

**B

German 1-4

With score of 5

8

**B

German 1-5

Human Geography

4

D

Geography 5

Italian Language and Culture




With score of 3

8

**B

Italian 1-3

With score of 4

8

**B

Italian 1-5

With score of 5

8

**B

Italian 1-6

Japanese Language and Culture

8

**B

See department for level placement 

Latin

8

**B

Latin 1-3

Macroeconomics

4

D: 1 course

None

Microeconomics

4

D: 1 course

None

Music Theory

8

F: 1 course

Music 11

*Physics 1 (beginning S15)

8

**C: 1 course#

None

*Physics 2 (beginning S15)

8

**C: 1 course#

None

*Physics – B (last offered S14)

8

**C: 1 course#

Physics 10

*Physics C: Mechanics

4

**C: 1 course#

Physics 6A + 6AL

*Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

4

**C: 1 course#

Physics 6B + 6BL

Psychology

4

D: 1 course

Psychology 1

Spanish Language and Culture




With score of 3

8

**B

Spanish 1-3

With score of 4

8

**B

Spanish 1-4

With score of 5

8

**B

Spanish 1-5

Spanish Literature and Culture




With score of 3

8

**B

Spanish 1-4

With score of 4

8

**B

Spanish 1-5

With score of 5

8

**B

Spanish 1-6

Statistics

4

**C: 1 course#

Communication 87, PSTAT 5AA-ZZ, Psychology 5

United States Government and Politics

4

D: 1 course

Political Science 12

United States History

8

D: 1 course

None

World History: Modern

8

E: 1 course

None


*  A maximum of 8 units EACH in art studio, English, mathematics, and physics is allowed. (The Physics B exam is no longer offered.)
#  Also satisfies the quantitative relationship requirement in Area C.
+ The change from 2 units to 8 units for AP Computer Science A was approved for students matriculating at a UC campus in fall 2018 or later. UCSB students who matriculated in fall 2018 may earn 8 units for the exam if it was taken in spring 2015 or later.
** College of Letters and Science only

While AP Research and AP Seminar do not earn units, exam scores of 3 or higher will satisfy the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) beginning Fall 2023.