College Credit for AP and Dual Enrollment (DE) Classes

By Karen Treon, Senior Editor & College Parent

Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE) classes are commonplace in high schools.  Many students, as well as their parents, are excited that by taking these challenging classes they might start college with credits under their belts, and better yet might be able to skip over some typical freshman level college classes. Some have heard about how much tuition money they can save by taking advantage of AP and DE credits. These things are all partially true . . . but there are some nuances to consider.

Around here, we make a point of not telling people what to do. Every student and every family and every situation is different. We do try to give some guidance though, and below we are sharing some things to think about before deciding to use AP and/or DE credits in college.

• There are three distinct benefits of taking AP/DE classes in high school:

• AP/DE classes help prepare students for college from an academic standpoint and from a self-confidence standpoint.

• Many colleges want to see success in rigorous courses, and taking these classes helps applicants.

• AP/DE classes MIGHT lead to college credit.

• Most, if not all, students will enjoy the first benefit, and many will enjoy the other two to some extent. Some may enjoy all three, but that’s rare.

• So, if your student took AP/DE classes they are off to a good start, whether or not they use the AP/DE credit in college! 

• Every college has their own policy on AP credits. Some colleges only give credit for AP test scores of 4 or 5, and others give credit for all AP test scores of 3 or higher. Some colleges don’t give any credit for AP classes, no matter the score. And some give credit for some classes and not others, depending on the student’s major. For example, it is more and more common for colleges to give credit for AP classes taken OUTSIDE of the student’s major, but not for AP classes within the student’s major. This is because if a student is majoring in engineering, the school wants to ensure that the student has a very solid calculus foundation, and therefore wants the student to take calculus again in college . . . but will give credit for AP classes outside of the engineering major. If a student is interested in getting credit for an AP class or classes, they need to check with their advisor early on and make sure they understand the policy. 

• Similarly, every college has its own policy on DE credits. It is common for schools to give credit for DE classes taken at a community college only when those classes were taken in the same state as the college is located in. This is because the university is likely more familiar with the curriculum - both content and level.  Again, if a student is interested in getting credit for a DE class or classes, they need to check with their college advisor early on and make sure they understand the policy.

• Getting college credit for a few AP or DE classes is unlikely to lead to early graduation, and this surprises some parents. The path to college graduation is full of specific general studies and major requirements, and in many cases the AP/DE credits might not align with those requirements. Additionally, most college courses have prerequisites or must be taken in a specific order, and the student isn’t able to speed up that sequence. In some cases the stars align and students can graduate early, but this is rare.

• Getting college credit for a few AP or DE classes is unlikely to lead to tuition savings. This also surprises parents.  At the vast majority of universities, full-time students pay full-time tuition for 12-18 credits. Taking a few fewer credits does not decrease the full-time tuition rate. Of course, if a student manages to graduate early, that may reduce overall tuition costs (but summer school might negate that savings!).

• College credit for an AP or DE class might count as an elective credit. That’s not a bad thing, but it might mean that a student misses out on the opportunity to take an interesting class as an elective because they don’t have space in their schedule for it. Here’s an example:  An engineering major student received DE credit for Pre-Calculus. But Pre-Calculus was below the base level math class for engineers, which is Calculus. So the DE credit is applied as an elective, and not as a credit toward the student’s major.  Students only have a certain number of electives they can take to stay on a four year plan, so that art class that the student might have wanted to take for fun is not an option, and is replaced by an engineering or General Studies required class. While some students would not be disappointed by this, others might be.

• IMPORTANTLY, if an AP or DE credit is for a prerequisite or foundational class, a student may end up at an academic disadvantage. We can use a different example here. Let’s say a journalism major student received AP credit for AP Language and AP Literature, and is considering applying the credits to fulfill their freshman English requirement. Freshman college English focuses a lot on college level writing, and the student might decide that their college experience and future career would be better served by the extra writing instruction and knowledge they would gain in freshman English. Different students might make different decisions, but it is a good discussion to have with their college academic advisor. 

• Finally, a lot changes between junior year of high school and freshman year of college. A student who took APUSH as a high school junior might decide that they would like to take the college level class rather than apply the AP credit. Maturity and broader perspective will likely make the college experience very different from the high school experience. Again, this is an individual decision.

Summing this up, there are many benefits to taking AP/ DE classes even if a student doesn’t receive college credit for them. Before deciding to pursue the credit(s), students should take the time to talk it through with their college advisor before registering for classes.  There is not a one-size-fits-all answer. 

If your student does decide to apply AP/DE credits, they will need to follow the university procedures to obtain that credit. This usually involves providing a community college transcript for DE credits and/or an official College Board report for AP credit.