AP and IB Exams
In late summer, Northwestern posts AP and IB credit to the academic records of entering students. You may view your AP and IB credit by accessing your academic records using CAESAR. For more information on the credit process, including how to submit your scores, see the Registrar's test credit webpage.
Credit transfer rules
Credits earned through AP and IB testing count in different ways toward different requirements.
Foundational disciplines
Consult the AP/IB credit table to see what credit is granted for different scores on these tests and whether that credit can be applied toward your Weinberg foundational discipline requirements. You can satisfy up to two of the twelve foundational requirements through AP or IB credits, and these credits must be in two different areas.
You may have credits eligible to count towards more than two different foundational areas and can indicate which two credits you prefer to apply using a form found on the Degree Progress Report in CAESAR. Updated instructions will be posted in Fall 2023. For current students following distribution requirements:
- Log in and click on the Degree Progress tile.
- Review if/how your AP or IB test credits are already being applied on your Degree Progress Report to determine whether you need to submit a request.
- If you do need to make a request, under Distribution Requirements (sub-heading "Attention Students with AP or IB Test Credit") click the button that says "AP/IB Distro Request Form."
Total credits/quarters needed for graduation
AP and IB credits generally count toward the 45 units of credit needed for a Weinberg degree, even if they are not being counted toward general education requirements, requirements for majors or minors, etc. There is no cap on the number of credits a student may earn via AP and IB tests, but there are a few stipulations:
- AP and IB credits do not count toward Northwestern’s Undergraduate Registration Requirement (URR), which specifies how many quarters must be spent at Northwestern and how many units of credit must be earned through NU courses. No matter how many AP or IB credits you have on your transcript, you must still be registered at Northwestern for 9 quarters and earn at least 32 units at the University. (Some students in special programs will have different requirements.)
- If you earn AP or IB credit for a specific course (e.g., ECON 201) and then subsequently take that course at Northwestern, you will lose the AP or IB credit; it will no longer count toward the required 45 units of credit. The AP notation will remain on your transcript, but it will be listed as bearing 0 units of credit. (The same is true for certain science and math courses seen as substantially equivalent. For example, you can't earn both AP and NU credit for an introductory calculus course, even if the course numbers differ. Details are in the relevant department sections in the Undergraduate Catalog.)
English credits
AP credit in English will not exempt students who matriculated Spring 2023 or earlier from any part of your First-Year Seminars, Distribution Requirements, or Writing Proficiency Requirement. Likewise for students starting in after Spring 2023, AP credit in English will not exempt you from any part of your College Seminar, Foundational Discipline, or Written and Spoken Expression requirements.
Placement in language and other sequences
Scores earned through AP and IB can provide you with credits in various course sequences, but you may need to take a placement exam in order to verify where you should continue language study. Consult the information at Language Placement to find out whether you need a placement exam.
AP credit in a language other than English can also be used to satisfy the Weinberg Language Proficiency Requirement in some cases. In most cases, a language placement exam is required to satisfy the requirement. Consult the information at AP and IB Language Credit.
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