Advanced Placement (AP)
Orange Coast College grants academic credit towards an Associate Degree or Certificate for successful completion of examinations of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board with a minimum score of 3 unless otherwise indicated.
Course credit or General Education area credits granted for Advanced Placement Examinations can be used to meet OCC general education requirements for an A.A. and/or A.S. degree under General Education Options 1, 2, or 3.
Course credit earned through Advanced Placement Examination can be used to certify general education requirements for transfer to UC under Option 3 (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum). AP credit can be used to certify general education for transfer to CSU under Option 2 (CSU General Education Breadth) or Option 3 (IGETC). Students certified using Option 3 can satisfy only one course requirement per exam on the IGETC.
Posting of Advanced Placement credit on the OCC transcript does not guarantee transfer to other colleges. The respective college or university determines eligibility for AP units, according to its policies. AP scores must be submitted for evaluation to the college or university where the student requests credit. Students planning to transfer should consult the catalog of the transfer institution to determine how AP credit is granted at that school.
Students may request AP credit through Enrollment Services on the first floor of Watson Hall. Submission of official exam results is required prior to any evaluation and posting of credit.
The AP Chart is based on the most current information available. Although every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, make sure to use the following links to verify the information.
AP Courses and Exams College Board — https://apcentral.collegeboard.org
CSU Systemwide Credit for External Examinations Policy — https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/7800250/latest/
2021 IGETC Standards, Policies, and Procedures — https://icas-ca.org/igetc/standards-policies-and-procedures-manual/
| AP Examination | OCC AA/AS (Subject Credit and/or GE) Units & Area | CSU GE Area for Certification | Total CSU Semester Transfer Units | IGETC Area for Certification | Total UC Semester Transfer Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art History | ART A100 (3) & ART A101 (3) Area C1 | C1 or C2 (3) | 6 | 3A or 3B (3) | 5.3 |
| Biology | BIOL A100 (4) Area B | B2 & B3 (4) | 6 | 5B & 5C (4) | 5.3 |
| Precalculus | MATH A170 (4) Area A2 (AS) / A2 (AA) | B4 (3) | 3 | 2A (3) | 2.6 |
| Calculus AB | MATH A180 (4) Area A2 | B4 (3) | 3 | 2A (3) | 2.6* |
| Calculus BC * | MATH A180 (4) Area A2 | B4 (3) | 6 | 2A (3) | 5.3* |
| AP Calculus Exam Limitations * | *score 5 for MATH A180 (4) & MATH A185 (4) | *Max 1 exam toward transfer | *5.3 semester units for both | ||
| Chemistry | CHEM A110 (5) Area B | B1 & B3 (4) | 6 | 5A & 5C (4) | 5.3 |
| Chinese Language & Culture | CHIN A180 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS), CHIN A185 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 5.3 |
| Computer Science: A | N/A / N/A / N/A | N/A | 3* | N/A | 1.3* |
| Computer Science: AB | N/A / N/A / N/A | N/A | 6* | N/A | 2.6* |
| Computer Science Principles | N/A / N/A / N/A | B4 (3) | 6 | N/A | 5.3 |
| AP CS Exam Limitations* | *Max 1 exam toward transfer | 2.7 semester units for both; AB always supersedes A | |||
| English Language & Composition | ENGL A100 (3) Area A1 | A2 (3) | 6 | 1A (3) | 5.3* |
| English Literature & Composition | ENGL A100 (6) Area A1 & C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | A2 & C2 (6) | 6 | 1A or 3B * (3) | 5.3* |
| AP English Exam Limitations* | *Max 1 exam | *Max. 8 quart./5.3 semester units for both | |||
| Environmental Science | N/A (4) Area B | B1 & B3* (4) | 4 | 5A & 5C (4) | 2.6 |
| AP ES Limitations* | *If taken prior to Fall 2009 B1 & B3 or B2 & B3 | ||||
| European History | HIST A180 (3) & HIST A185 (3) Area C1 or D2 (AA) / C2 or D (AS) | C2 or D6 (3) | 6 | 3B or 4F (3) | 5.3 |
| French Language & Culture | FREN A180 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS), FREN A185 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (5) | 5.3 |
| French Literature & Culture | N/A (3) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2* (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (5) | 5.3 |
| AP French Literature Exam Limitations* | *If taken prior to Fall 2009 | ||||
| German Language and Culture | GRMN A180 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS), GRMN A185 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 5.3 |
| Government & Politics: Comparative | PSCI A185 (3) Area D1 (AA) / D (AS) | D8 (3) | 3 | 4H (3) | 2.6 |
| Government & Politics: United States | N/A (3) Area D1 (AA) / D (AS) | D8 + US-2* (3) | 3 | 4H (3) | 2.6 |
| AP Government Exam Limitations* | *Doesn’t fulfill CA Govt. requirement | *Doesn’t fulfill CA Govt. requirement | *Doesn’t fulfill CA Govt. requirement | ||
| Human Geography | N/A (3) Area D1 (AA) / D (AS) | D5 (3) | 3 | 4E (3) | 2.6 |
| Italian Language and Culture | ITAL A180 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS), ITAL A185 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 5.3 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | JAPN A180 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS), JAPN A185 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 5.3 |
| Latin Literature | N/A (3) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2* (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 2.6 |
| AP Latin Literature Exam Limitations* | *If taken prior to Fall 2009 | ||||
| Latin: Vergil | *If taken prior to Fall 2012 | ||||
| Latin | N/A (3) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2* (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 2.6 |
| Macro Economics | ECON A175 (3) Area D2 (AA) / D (AS) | D2 (3) | 3 | 4B (3) | 2.6 |
| Micro Economics | ECON A170 (3) Area D2 (AA) / D (AS) | D2 (3) | 3 | 4B (3) | 2.6 |
| Music Theory | MUS A115 (3) Area C1 | C1* (3) | 6 | N/A | 5.3 |
| AP Music Theory Exam Limitations* | *If taken prior to Fall 2009 | ||||
| Physics 1 | PHYS A120 (4) Area B | B1 & B3 (4) | 4 | 5A & 5C (4) | 2.7 |
| Physics 2 | PHYS A125 (4) Area B | B1 & B3 (4) | 4 | 5A & 5C (3) | 2.7 |
| Physics B | PHYS A110 (4) & PHYS A111 (4) Area B | B1 & B3* (3) prior to Fall 2013 | 6 | 5A & 5C (4) | 5.3* |
| Physics C: Mechanics | PHYS A120 (4) Area B | B1 & B3* (4) | 4 | 5A & 5C (3) | 2.6* |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | PHYS A125 (4) Area B | B1 & B3* (4) | 4 | 5A & 5C (3) | 2.6* |
| AP Physics Exam Limitations* | 5.3 semester units for all 3 | ||||
| Psychology | PSYC A100 (3) Area D3 (AA) / D (AS) | D9 (3) | 3 | 4I (3) | 2.6 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | SPAN A180 (5) & SPAN A185 (5) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3)* | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 5.3 |
| AP Spanish Language Exam Limitations* | *6 semester units if taken prior to Spring 2014 | ||||
| Spanish Literature and Culture | N/A (3) Area C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3)* | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 5.3 |
| AP Spanish Literature Exam Limitations* | *6 semester units if taken prior to Spring 2013 | ||||
| Statistics | MATH A160 (4) Area A2 (AS) | B4 (3) | 3 | 2A (3) | 2.6 |
| Studio Art: 2D Design | ART A110 (3) Area C1 | N/A | 3 | N/A | 5.3* |
| Studio Art: 3D Design | N/A / N/A / N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 5.3* |
| Studio Art: Drawing | N/A / N/A / N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 5.3* |
| AP Studio Art Exam Limitations* | *Only 5.3 UC semester units max. for all 3 exams | ||||
| United States History | HIST A170 (3) & HIST A175 (3) Area D1 (AA) / C2 or D (AS) | C2 or D6 (3) | 6 | 3B or 4F (3) | 5.3 |
| World History: Modern | HIST A161 (3) & HIST A162 (3) Area D1 (AA) / C2 or D (AS) | C2 or D6 (3) | 3 | 3B or 4F (3) | 5.3 |
Many colleges or universities may apply AP test credit toward satisfaction of subject or specific requirements (e.g., major). AP policies vary by institution. Students should see a counselor to discuss how AP is applied based on the transfer institution’s application of AP major credit.
UC AP major credit information can be found at http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/exam-credit/ap-credits/index.html
OCC Associate Degrees – Students should be aware that AP test credit is evaluated by corresponding it to an equivalent OCC course (e.g. History A170). A student who receives AP Credit and then takes the equivalent OCC course will have the unit credit for such duplication deducted prior to being awarded the A.A. or A.S. degree. Credit by Advanced Placement exam is noted and listed first on a student’s transcript, with units assigned and no grade. Course credit and units grated to the OCC Associate Degree may differ from course credit and units granted by a transfer institution. For more information, please see a counselor.
CSU GE – The Advanced Placement examinations may be incorporated into the certification of California State University General Education-Breadth requirements by any certifying institution. All CSU campuses will accept the minimum units shown and apply them toward fulfillment of the designated General Education-Breadth area if the examination is included as part of a full or subject-area certification. Please note that individual CSU campuses may choose to grant more units than those specified toward completion of General Education-Breadth requirements.
IGETC – AP Exams must be used in an area indicated regardless of where the certifying California Community College’s discipline is located. Many colleges or universities may apply AP credit toward satisfaction of subject or specific requirements (e.g. major). AP policies vary by institution. For policy information regarding individual institutions, visit apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement