Iowa offers credit for more than 30 Advanced Placement (AP) Program exams. You can earn 3 to 8 semester hours of credit per test, depending on the subject and your score. Have your scores sent to the university. The university’s code number for score reporting is 6681.
Some AP policies are the same for the Tippie College of Business and the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Education, Engineering, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health; see the first chart below. Policies that differ by college are shown in the additional charts.
Colleges of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health
March 2024 to February 2025
| AP Exam Title | Score | Credit Awarded | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
| Art and Design (2-D) EXCEPT ENGINEERING, PHARMACY AND PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
| Art and Design (3-D) EXCEPT ENGINEERING, PHARMACY AND PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
| Art and Design (Drawing) EXCEPT ENGINEERING, PHARMACY AND PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
| Art History EXCEPT ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
| Biology EXCEPT ENGINEERING, NURSING AND PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates BIOL:1140 Human Biology: Nonmajors. May be applied to General Education Program: Natural Sciences (nonlab) hours; or used as elective hours. NOTE: If you score 5, consult the department for possible equivalency credit for BIOL:1141 Human Biology: Health Professions. |
| Calculus AB EXCEPT PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates MATH:1380 Calculus & Matrix Algebra; MATH:1460 Calculus for the Biological Sciences; MATH:1550 Engineering Mathematics I; MATH:1850 Calculus I. Duplicates CLEP Subject Test: Calculus. May be applied to General Education Program: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning hours; or used to satisfy the calculus competency for some majors; or used as elective hours. NOTE: A maximum of 8 s.h. of credit may be earned through any combination of Calculus and Precalculus exams. |
| Calculus BC | 4-5 | 8 s.h. | Duplicates MATH:1380 Calculus & Matrix Algebra; MATH:1460 Calculus for the Biological Sciences; MATH:1550 Engineering Mathematics I; MATH:1850-1860 Calculus I-II. Duplicates CLEP Subject Test: Calculus. The remaining 4 s.h. may be applied to General Education Program: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning hours; or used to satisfy the calculus competency for many majors; or used as elective hours. NOTE: This test partially duplicates the Calculus AB test. If you score 1, 2, or 3 on the BC exam and 4 or 5 on the AB subscore of the BC exam, you will receive credit for the Calculus AB exam (see above). A maximum of 8 s.h. of credit may be earned through any combination of Calculus and Precalculus exams. |
| Chemistry EXCEPT ENGINEERING AND NURSING-SEE BELOW | 4 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates CHEM:1070 General Chemistry I. May be applied to General Education Program: Natural Sciences (nonlab) hours; or used as elective hours. |
| Chemistry EXCEPT ENGINEERING AND NURSING-SEE BELOW | 5 | 7 s.h. | Duplicates CHEM:1110 Principles of Chemistry I. Four (4) s.h. may be applied to General Education Program: Natural Sciences (as a lab course). The remaining three (3) s.h. may be applied toward General Education Program: Natural Sciences (nonlab), or may be used as elective hours. |
Chinese Language and Culture EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used to complete the General Education Program: World Languages component, or used as elective hours. |
Comparative Government and Politics EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates POLI:1400 Introduction to Comparative Politics. May be applied to General Education Program: Social Sciences hours; or General Education Program: International and Global Issues hours; or to requirements for the Political Science major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Computer Science A EXCEPT ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates CS:1210 Computer Science I: Fundamentals. May be applied toward General Education Program: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning hours; or to requirements for the Computer Science major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Computer Science Principles | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates CS:1110 Introduction to Computer Science. May be applied toward General Education Program: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning hours; or to requirements for the Informatics major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| English Language and Composition EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
| English Literature and Composition EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates ENGL:1200 Interpretation of Literature. Duplicates CLEP Subject Test: Analyzing & Interpreting Literature. Duplicates the higher-level IB Test: English A: literature. Duplicates Cambridge International Examination: English Literature. May be applied to the General Education Program: Interpretation of Literature requirement; or used as elective hours. |
| Environmental Science | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates EES:1080/ENVS:1080 Introduction to Environmental Science. May be applied to General Education Program: Natural Sciences (nonlab) hours and General Education Program: Sustainability hours; or to requirements for the Geoscience major or minor; or to requirements for the Environmental Sciences major; or used as elective hours. |
| European History EXCEPT ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
| French Language and Culture EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates FREN:3000 Third-Year French. May be used to complete the General Education Program: World Languages requirement; or applied to requirements for the French major or minor; or used as elective hours. NOTE: If you’re interested in earning Furthering Language Incentive Program (FLIP) credit or continuing language study, consult your advisor or the department to avoid duplication. |
| German Language and Culture EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used to complete the General Education Program: World Languages requirement; or applied to requirements for the German major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Human Geography EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
| Italian Language and Culture EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used to complete the General Education Program: World Languages requirement and applied to requirements for the Italian major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Japanese Language and Culture EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used to complete the General Education Program: World Languages component; or used as elective hours. |
| Latin EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used to complete the General Education Program: World Languages requirement; or used as elective hours. |
| Macroeconomics EXCEPT BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates ECON:1200 Principles of Macroeconomics. Duplicates CLEP Subject Test: Principles of Macroeconomics. May be applied to General Education Program: Social Sciences hours; or used as elective hours. |
Microeconomics EXCEPT BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates ECON:1100 Principles of Microeconomics. Duplicates CLEP Subject Test: Principles of Microeconomics. May be applied to General Education Program: Social Sciences hours; or used as elective hours. |
| Music Theory EXCEPT PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 3 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates MUS:1100 Fundamentals of Music; and MUS:1200 Fundamentals of Music for Majors. May be used as elective hours. NOTE: Credit will no longer be awarded for a score of 3 on this exam for students entering summer 2025 or later. |
| Music Theory EXCEPT PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates MUS:1201 Musicianship & Theory I. May be applied to requirements for the Music major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Music Theory EXCEPT PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 5 | 8 s.h. | Duplicates MUS:1201-1202 Musicianship & Theory I-II. May be applied to requirements for the Music major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Physics 1: Algebra-Based EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates PHYS:1511 College Physics I. May be applied to General Education Program: Natural Sciences hours (as a lab course); or used as elective hours. NOTE: A maximum of 8 s.h. of credit may be earned through any combination of Physics exams. |
| Physics 2: Algebra-Based EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates PHYS:1512 College Physics II. May be applied to General Education Program: Natural Sciences hours (as a lab course); or used as elective hours. NOTE: A maximum of 8 s.h. of credit may be earned through any combination of Physics exams. |
| Physics C (ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM) | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates PHYS:1612 Introductory Physics II. May be applied to General Education Program: Natural Sciences hours (as a lab course); or used as elective hours. NOTE: A maximum of 8 s.h. of credit may be earned through any combination of Physics exams. |
| Physics C (MECHANICS) | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates PHYS:1611 Introductory Physics I. May be applied to General Education Program: Natural Sciences hours (as a lab course); or used as elective hours. NOTE: A maximum of 8 s.h. of credit may be earned through any combination of Physics exams. |
| Precalculus | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates MATH:1020 Elementary Functions. May be applied to General Education Program: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning hours; or used as elective hours. NOTE: A maximum of 8 s.h. of credit may be earned through any combination of Calculus and Precalculus exams. |
| Psychology EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates PSY:1001 Elementary Psychology. Duplicates CLEP Subject Test: Introductory Psychology. May be applied to General Education Program: Social Sciences hours; or to requirements for the Psychology major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Research | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. NOTE: A score of 4 or higher on both AP Seminar and AP Research duplicates RHET:1040 Writing and Reading. Students who earn credit for RHET:1040 must complete RHET:1060 Speaking and Reading, or equivalent, to satisfy the Rhetoric requirement. |
| Seminar | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. NOTE: A score of 4 or higher on both AP Seminar and AP Research duplicates RHET:1040 Writing and Reading. Students who earn credit for RHET:1040 must complete RHET:1060 Speaking and Reading, or equivalent, to satisfy the Rhetoric requirement. |
| Spanish Language and Culture EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h | May be used to complete the General Education Program: World Languages requirement; or applied to requirements for the Spanish major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Spanish Literature and Culture EXCEPT ENGINERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h | May be used to complete the General Education Program: World Languages requirement; or applied to requirements for the Spanish major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Statistics EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates STAT:1010 Statistics & Society; STAT:1020 Elementary Statistics & Inference; STAT:1030 Statistics for Business. May be applied to General Education Program: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning hours, or used to satisfy the statistics competency requirement for several majors, or used as elective hours. NOTE: If you have a score of 5, contact the Department of Statistics & Actuarial Science for placement. |
| United States Government and Politics EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates POLI:1100 Introduction to American Politics. Duplicates the CLEP Subject Test: American Government. May be applied to General Education Program: Social Sciences hours; or to requirements for the Political Science major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| United States History EXCEPT ENGINEERING-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
| World History: Modern EXCEPT ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC HEALTH-SEE BELOW | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be used as elective hours. |
College of Business
(See table 1 for complete AP credit; this table includes exceptions for the College of Business only.)
| AP Exam Title | Score | Credit Awarded | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macroeconomics | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates ECON:1200 Principles of Macroeconomics. Duplicates CLEP Subject Test: Macroeconomics. |
| Microeconomics | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates ECON:1100 Principles of Microeconomics. Duplicates CLEP Subject Test: Microeconomics. |
College of Engineering
(See table 1 for complete AP credit; this table includes exceptions for the College of Engineering only.)
| AP Exam Title | Score | Credit Awarded | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art and Design (2-D) | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Art and Design (3-D) | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Art and Design (Drawing) | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Art History | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Biology | 3-5 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Chemistry | 5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates CHEM:1110 Principles of Chemistry I. NOTE: If you are Pre-Med, contact your Pre-Med advisor. |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Computer Science A | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates ENGR:1300 Introduction to Engineering Computing. Computer Science and Engineering majors should consult with their advisor. |
| English Language and Composition | 4-5 | 4 s.h. | No credit awarded. |
| English Literature and Composition | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects |
| European History | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| French Language and Culture | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| German Language and Culture | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Government and Politics-Comparative | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Government and Politics-United States | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Human Geography | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Latin | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Macroeconomics | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Microeconomics | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Music Theory | 3 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Music Theory | 4 | 4 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Music Theory | 5 | 8 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Physics I: Algebra Based | 4-5 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Physics 2: Algebra Based | 4-5 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Physics B | 4-5 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Psychology | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| Statistics | 4-5 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| United States History | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
| World History: Modern | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to Engineering General Education Program: Approved Subjects. |
College of Nursing
(See table 1 for complete AP credit; this table includes exceptions for the College of Nursing only.)
| AP Exam Title | Score | Credit Awarded | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 3-4 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Biology | 5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates BIOL:1141 Human Biology: Health Professions. |
| Chemistry | 3-4 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Chemistry | 5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates CHEM:1070 General Chemistry I. |
College of Pharmacy
(See table 1 for complete AP credit; this table includes exceptions for the College of Pharmacy only.)
| AP Exam Title | Score | Credit Awarded | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art and Design (2-D) | 3-5 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Art and Design (3-D) | 3-5 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Art and Design (Drawing) | 3-5 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
College of Public Health
(See table 1 for complete AP credit; this table includes exceptions for the College of Public Health only.)
| AP Exam Title | Score | Credit Awarded | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art and Design (2-D) | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to General Education Program: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts hours; or used as elective hours. |
| Art and Design (3-D) | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to General Education Program: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts hours; or used as elective hours. |
| Art and Design (Drawing) | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to General Education Program: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts hours; or used as elective hours. |
| Art History | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to General Education Program: Historical Perspectives hours; or General Education Program: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts hours; or used as elective hours. |
| Biology | 3-4 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Biology | 5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates BIOL:1140 Human Biology: Nonmajors. May be applied to General Education Program: Natural Sciences (nonlab) hours; or used as elective hours. Note: If you score 5, consult the college for possible equivalency credit for BIOL:1141 Human Biology: Health Professions. |
| Calculus AB | 4 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Calculus AB | 5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates MATH:1380 Calculus & Matrix Algebra; MATH:1460 Calculus for the Biological Sciences; MATH:1550 Engineering Mathematics I; MATH:1850 Calculus I. Duplicates CLEP Subject Test: Calculus. May be applied to General Education Program: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning hours; or used to satisfy the calculus competency for some majors; or used as elective hours. |
| Computer Science A | 4 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Computer Science A | 5 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates CS:1210 Computer Science I: Fundamentals. May be applied toward General Education Program: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning hours; or to requirements for the Computer Science major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| European History | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | Duplicates HIST:2402-2403 Western Civilization II-III. May be applied to General Education Program: Historical Perspectives hours; or General Education Program: International and Global Issues hours; or used as elective hours. |
| Music Theory | 3 | N/A | No credit awarded. |
| Music Theory | 4 | 4 s.h. | Duplicates MUS:1201 Musicianship & Theory I. May be applied to requirements for the Music major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| Music Theory | 5 | 8 s.h. | Duplicates MUS:1201-1202 Musicianship & Theory I-II. May be applied to requirements for the Music major or minor; or used as elective hours. |
| World History: Modern | 4-5 | 3 s.h. | May be applied to General Education Program: Historical Perspectives hours; or used as elective hours. |