AP / IB / College Credit
Get ahead with College Credit
We award credit from Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or other college-level courses. It’s a great way to fulfill some college degree requirements right off the bat.
Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations
USF awards credit for Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Please have your official results sent directly from the College Board to the University of San Francisco.
Advanced Placement (AP) Credit
| Advanced Placement Exam | Minimum Score | Total Credits | USF Course |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | 3 | 4 | General Elective |
| Art History | 3 | 8 | Visual and Performing Arts Core |
| Art: Studio Drawing | 3 | 8 | General Elective |
| Art: Studio General | 3 | 8 | General Elective |
| Art: 2D Design | 3 | 8 | General Elective |
| Art: 3D Design | 3 | 8 | General Elective |
| Biology* | 4 | 8 | BIOL 100 and 103 |
| Chemistry | 4 | 8 | CHEM 111 and 113 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 3 | 8 | Level to be determined by department |
| Computer Science A | 3 | 4 | CS 110 |
| Computer Science AB | 3 | 8 | CS 110 and 112 |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 4 | CS 107 |
| Economics, Micro | 3 | 4 | ECON 111 |
| Economics, Macro | 3 | 4 | ECON 112 |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | 8 | General Elective |
| English Literature and Composition | 3 | 8 | Literature Core |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 4 | Science Core |
| European History** | 4 | 4 | HIST 110 |
| French Language | 3 | 8 | Level to be determined by department |
| Government & Politics, U.S. | 3 | 4 | Level to be determined by department |
| Government & Politics, Comparative | 3 | 4 | Level to be determined by department |
| German Language | 3 | 8 | Level to be determined by department |
| Human Geography | 3 | 4 | General Elective |
| Italian Language and Culture | 3 | 8 | Level to be determined by department |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 3 | 8 | Level to be determined by department |
| Latin | 3 | 8 | Level to be determined by department |
| Math: Calculus AB | 4 | 4 | MATH 109 |
| Math: Calculus BC | 4 | 8 | MATH 109 and 110 |
| Math: Calculus AB Subgrade | 4 | 4 | MATH 109 |
| Music: Listening and Literature | 3 | 8 | General Elective |
| Music: Theory | 3 | 8 | General Elective |
| Physics B | 3 | 8 | PHYS 100 and 101 |
| Physics C - Mech | 3 | 4 | PHYS 110 |
| Physics C - E&M | 3 | 4 | PHYS 210 |
| Physics 1 | 3 | 4 | PHYS 100 |
| Physics 2 | 3 | 4 | PHYS 101 |
| Psychology | 4 | 4 | PSYC 101 |
| Spanish Language | 3 | 8 | Level to be determined by department |
| Spanish Literature | 3 | 8 | Core Literature |
| Statistics | 3 | 4 | MATH 101 |
| US History** | 4 | 4 | US History Core and HIST 120 |
| World History** | 4 | 4 | General Elective |
*Students who score 5 on the Advancement Placement Test in Biology can petition the Biology Chair to receive credit for BIOL 105-General Biology I (4 credits) and BIOL 106-General Biology II (4 credits) in place of credit for BIOL 100 and BIOL 103.
**The History Department accepts up to 8 units of AP History credits to count toward the major.
International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations (IBHL)
USF awards 10 semester credits for each IB Higher Level examination result of 4 or higher. Please note that we do not award credit for IBHL English B. You are not required to complete the IB Diploma in order to receive IB credit.
USF does not award credits for IB Standard Level examination results.
International Baccalaureate Higher Level Credits
| International Baccalaureate Exam | Minimum Score Required | Total Credits | USF Course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic A Lang and Lit | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Art Design | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Art History | 4 | 10 | Visual and Performing Arts Core |
| Biology | 4 | 10 | Applied or Laboratory Science Core |
| Business Management | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Chemistry | 4 | 10 | Applied or Laboratory Science Core |
| Computer Science A | 4 | 10 | Math or Quantitative Science Core |
| Computer Science AB | 4 | 10 | Math or Quantitative Science Core |
| Dance | 4 | 10 | Visual and Performing Arts Core |
| Design Technology | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Economics | 4 | 10 | Social Sciences Core |
| English A: Literature | 4 | 10 | Literature Core |
| English A: Lang and Literature | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Film | 4 | 10 | Visual and Performing Arts |
| Geography | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| History/African | 4 | 10 | History Core |
| History/American | 4 | 10 | History Core |
| History/European | 4 | 10 | History Core |
| History-Asia/Middle East | 4 | 10 | History Core |
| Language: Arabic A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Arabic B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Chinese A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Chinese B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Dutch A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Dutch B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Mandarin A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Mandarin B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: French A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: French B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: German A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: German B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Italian A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Italian B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Japanese A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Japanese B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Korean A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Korean B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Russian A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Russian B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Spanish A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Spanish B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Thai A | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Language: Thai B | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Math Analysis & Approaches | 5 | 10 | MATH 109 |
| Math Analysis & Approaches | 6 | 10 | MATH 109 and 110 |
| Math Applications & Interpretations | 5 | 10 | MATH 109 |
| Music | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Philosophy | 4 | 10 | Philosophy Core |
| Physics | 4 | 10 | Applied or Laboratory Science Core |
| Psychology | 5 | 10 | PSYC 101 |
| Social and Cultural Anthropology | 4 | 10 | Social Sciences Core |
| Sports, Exercise and Health | 4 | 10 | General Elective |
| Theatre | 4 | 10 | Visual and Performing Arts Core |
| Visual Arts | 4 | 10 | Visual and Performing Arts Core |
College Credit Earned During High School
If you have completed college courses while in high school, we generally grant credit if you receive a grade of "C-" or better in the course(s), the courses were taken at a regionally accredited college or university, and the credit is reflected on the college or university’s transcript. The college or university must email the transcript to appservices@usfca.edu or mail the transcript to:
Office of Undergraduate Admission
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
USF awards credit for scores of 50 or higher on College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams. If you’ve already been awarded credit for a course from a different exam, you will not receive additional credit from the CLEP exam.
The chart below shows either the equivalent USF Core Curriculum Area or general elective that a CLEP exam fulfills. Credits awarded are subject to review and change.
CLEP Examinations
| CLEP Examination | Minimum Score | USF Credits | Core Curriculum Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Government | 50 | 3 | Social Science |
| American Literature | 50 | 3 | Literature |
| Biology | 50 | 6 | Science |
| Introductory Business Law | 50 | 3 | General Elective |
| Calculus | 50 | 4 | Math |
| Chemistry | 50 | 6 | Science |
| College Composition Modular (no essay) | 50 | 3 | General Elective |
| College Composition (w/ essay) | 50 | 6 | General Elective |
| College Mathematics | 50 | 6 | General Elective |
| Introduction to Education Psychology | 50 | 3 | Social Science |
| English Literature (w/ or without essay) | 50 | 3 | Literature |
| Financial Accounting | 50 | 3 | General Elective |
| French Language Level 1 | 50 | 6 | 2nd Semester Foreign Language |
| French Language Level 2 | 63 | 12 | 4th Semester Foreign Language |
| German Language Level 1 | 50 | 6 | 2nd Semester Foreign Language |
| German Language Level 2 | 63 | 12 | 4th Semester Foreign Language |
| History of the United States I (Early Colonization to 1877) | 50 | 3 | History |
| History of the United States II (1865 to the Present) | 50 | 3 | History |
| Human Growth and Development | 50 | 3 | Social Science |
| Humanities | 50 | 3 | Literature or Visual/Performing Arts |
| Information Systems and Computer Applications | 50 | 3 | General Elective |
| Analyzing and Interpreting Literature | 50 | 3 | Literature |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 50 | 3 | Social Science |
| Principles of Management | 50 | 3 | General Elective |
| Principles of Marketing | 50 | 3 | General Elective |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 50 | 3 | Social Science |
| Natural Sciences | 50 | 6 | Science |
| Pre-Calculus | 50 | 3 | General Elective |
| Introductory Psychology | 50 | 3 | Social Science |
| Social Sciences & History | 50 | 6 | History & Social Science |
| Introductory Sociology | 50 | 3 | Social Science |
| Spanish Language Level 1 | 50 | 6 | 2nd Semester Foreign Language |
| Spanish Language Level 2 | 63 | 12 | 4th Semester Foreign Language |
| Western Civilization I (Ancient Near East to 1648) | 50 | 3 | History |
| Western Civilization II (1648 to the Present) | 50 | 3 | History |
Office of Undergraduate Admission
2800 Turk Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94118
Monday - Friday:
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Fax (415) 422-2217