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 Subject Credit | OCC AA/AS Local GE Area | CSU GE Area & Units for Certification | CSU Semester Transfer Units | IGETC Area & Units for Certification | UC Semester Transfer Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art History | ART A100 (3) & ART A101 (3) | C1 | C1 or C2 (3) | 6 | 3A or 3B (3) | 5.3 |
| Biology | BIOL A100 (4) | B | B2 & B3 (4) | 6 | 5B & 5C (4) | 5.3 |
| Calculus AB* | MATH A180 (4) | A2 | B4 (3) | 3 | 2A (3) | 2.6* |
| Calculus BC* | MATH A180 (4) | A2 | B4 (3) | 6 | 2A (3) | 5.3* |
| Calculus BC/ AB Subscore* | MATH A180 (4) | A2 | B4 (3) | 3 | 2A (3) | 2.6 |
| *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) | B | B1 & B3 (4); B1 & B3 (6*) *If taken prior to Fall 2009 | 6 | 5A & 5C (4) | 5.3 |
| Chinese Language & Culture | CHIN A180 (5) & CHIN A185 (5) | 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* |
| *AP CS Exam Limitations | *Max 1 exam toward transfer | *2.7 semester units for both; AB always supersedes A | ||||
| Computer Science Principles | N/A / N/A | N/A | B4 (3) | 6 | N/A | 5.3 |
| English Language & Composition | ENGL A100 (3) | A1 | A2 (3) | 6 | 1A (3) | 5.3* |
| English Literature & Composition | ENGL A100 (6) | 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) | 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) | 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) & FREN A185 (5) | C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (5) | 5.3 |
| French Literature & Culture | N/A (3) | 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) & GRMN A185 (5) | C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 5.3 |
| Government & Politics: Comparative | PSCI A185 (3) | D1 (AA) / D (AS) | D8 (3) | 3 | 4H (3) | 2.6 |
| Government & Politics: United States | N/A (3) | 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) | D1 (AA) / D (AS) | D5 (3) | 3 | 4E (3) | 2.6 |
| Italian Language and Culture | ITAL A180 (5) & ITAL A185 (5) | C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 5.3 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | JAPN A180 (5) & JAPN A185 (5) | C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 5.3 |
| Latin Literature | N/A (3) | C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2* (3) *If taken prior to Fall 2009 | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 2.6 |
| Latin | N/A (3) | C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2 (3) | 6 | 3B & 6A (3) | 2.6 |
| Latin: Vergil | N/A (3) | C1 (AA) / C2 (AS) | C2* (3) *If taken prior to Fall 2012 | 3* | ||
| Macro Economics | ECON A175 (3) | D2 (AA) / D (AS) | D2 (3) | 3 | 4B (3) | 2.6 |
| Micro Economics | ECON A170 (3) | D2 (AA) / D (AS) | D2 (3) | 3 | 4B (3) | 2.6 |
| Music Theory | MUS A115 (3) | C1 | C1* (3) | 6 | N/A | 5.3 |
| *AP Music Theory Exam Limitations | *If taken prior to Fall 2009 | |||||
| Physics 1 | PHYS A120 (4) | B | B1 & B3 (4) | 4 | 5A & 5C (4) | 2.7 |
| Physics 2 | PHYS A125 (4) | B | B1 & B3 (4) | 4 | 5A & 5C (3) | 2.7 |
| Physics B | PHYS A110 (4) & PHYS A111 (4) | B | B1 & B3* (3) prior to Fall 2013 | 6 | 5A & 5C (4) | 5.3* |
| Physics C: Mechanics | PHYS A120 (4) | B | B1 & B3* (4) | 4 | 5A & 5C (3) | 2.6* |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | PHYS A125 (4) | B | B1 & B3* (4) | 4 | 5A & 5C (3) | 2.6* |
| *AP Physics Exam Limitations | *5.3 semester units for all 3 | |||||
| Precalculus | MATH A170 (4) | A2 (AS) / A2 (AA) | B4 (3) | 3 | 2A (3) | 2.6 |
| Psychology | PSYC A100 (3) | D3 (AA) / D (AS) | D9 (3) | 3 | 4I (3) | 2.6 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | SPAN A180 (5) & SPAN A185 (5) | 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) | 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) | A2 (AS) | B4 (3) | 3 | 2A (3) | 2.6 |
| Studio Art: 2D Design | ART A110 (3) | C1 | N/A | 3 | N/A | 5.3* |
| Studio Art: 3D Design | N/A / N/A | N/A | N/A | 3 | N/A | 5.3* |
| Studio Art: Drawing | N/A / N/A | N/A | N/A | 3 | 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) | D1 (AA) / C2 or D (AS) | C2 or D6 (3) +US-1 | 6 | 3B or 4F (3) | 5.3 |
| World History | HIST A161 (3) & HIST A162 (3) | D1 (AA) / C2 or D (AS) | C2 or D6 (3); D6 (3) *If taken prior to Fall 2009 | 6 | 3B or 4F (3) | 5.3 |
| World History: Modern | HIST A161 (3) & HIST A162 (3) | D1 (AA) / C2 or D (AS) | C2 or D (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