The San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) grants credit for students who attain scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Exams of the College Board, and applies it towards associate degrees (AA, AS, AA-T, AS-T), certificates, and California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) certifications.

The AP Credit Equivalency Guide defines how each AP exam credit will be applied. Students can earn a minimum of 3-semester units of credit for each AP exam satisfactorily passed. Please note that CSU, UCs and other transfer four-year universities may define their credit differently than SMCCCD. Students should consult a counselor or the individual university regarding their AP credit policy.

If your SMCCCD college does not offer a course similar in content to an AP exam, the college will award credit for the General Education area shown in the SMCCCD AP Equivalency Guide below. If an AP exam does not align with a general education area, the College may award elective credit.

If only a portion of the credit applicable is deemed beneficial to the student, only that portion will be added to the student record.

If you took an AP exam and received a minimum score of 3 or higher in a subject, you can:

  1. Request your official AP scores be sent to your SMCCCD College. For information about obtaining your AP scores, contact the College Board. NOTE: If you have submitted your scores to another institution outside our district, you will need to submit your scores again to SMCCCD.

  2. Upon receipt of your official AP scores, credit will be determined according to the SMCCCD AP Credit Equivalency Guide; coursework and units will be posted on your SMCCCD transcripts.

  3. Upon notification, meet with a counselor to determine if you wish to accept, decline, or appeal the application of the AP credit to your transcript.

Please note:

  • AP credit will receive a grade of CRE, which does not affect GPA.

  • The equivalencies defined by the AP Test Policy will be applied based on when the student completed the exam.

  • If you have any questions regarding Math and English placement or AP credit, please contact your counselor.

  • While SMCCCD does not put a limit on the number of External Exams you may earn credit for, please be aware that transfer schools may have limits. Please check with your Counselor.

  • AP exams that have been discontinued are not shown on this table.

  • Active AP Exams not listed on this table will receive 3 units of elective credit.

  • If you plan to transfer to another institution, please be aware that every college/university has its own policies about Credit for Prior Learning. What was accepted at SMCCCD may not be accepted at another institution. Please consult a Counselor regarding your intended transfer institution(s).

For more information on AP regulations for the CSU and UC segments, please see:
https://www.calstate.edu/apply/transfer/pages/advanced-placement-ap.aspx
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/ap-credits/

All units listed are semester units.

SMCCCD AP Credit Equivalency Guide

Advanced Placement Test Score of 3, 4, or 5 SMCCCD Course Equivalent SMCCCD Associate Degree GE Area SMCCD Units CalGETC Breadth Area CalGETC Units
African American Studies * ETHN 105 Area 4 3 Units N/A N/A
Art History N/A Area 3A or Area 3B 3 Units Area 3A or Area 3B 3 Units
Biology N/A Area 5B and Area 5C 4 Units Area 5B and Area 5C 4 Units
Calculus AB MATH C2210 (4 or 5) Math 241 (3) Area 2 5 Units Area 2 3 Units
Calculus BC MATH C2210 and Math C2220 (4 or 5), see AB subscore for (3) Area 2 5 Units Area 2 3 Units
Calculus BC / AB Subscore (3) If BC score (1,2, or 3) then use AB subscore same as AB test Area 2 5 Units Area 2 3 Units
Chemistry CHEM 192 (Score: 3,4) CHEM 210 (Score: 5) Area 5A and Area 5C CHEM 210 (5 Units), CHEM 192 (4 Units) Area 5A and Area 5C 4 Units
Chinese Language and Culture N/A Area 3B 3 Units Area 3B 3 Units
Comparative Government and Politics N/A Area 4 3 Units Area 4 3 Units
Computer Science A CIS 254 N/A 4 Units N/A N/A
English Language and Composition ENGL C1000 Area 1A 3 Units Area 1A 3 Units
English Literature and Composition N/A Area 1A or Area 3B 6 Units Area 1A or Area 3B 3 Units
Environmental Science N/A Area 5A and Area 5C 4 Units Area 5A and Area 5C 3 Units
European History HIST 101 Area 3B or Area 4 3 Units Area 3B or Area 4 3 Units
French Language and Culture N/A Area 3B 3 Units Area 3B 3 Units
German Language and Culture N/A Area 3B 3 Units Area 3B 3 Units
Human Geography GEOG 110 Area 4 3 Units Area 4 3 Units
Italian Language and Culture N/A Area 3B 3 Units Area 3B 3 Units
Japanese Language and Culture N/A Area 3B 3 Units Area 3B 3 Units
Latin N/A Area 3B 3 Units Area 3B 3 Units
Macroeconomics ECON C2002 Area 4 3 Units Area 4 3 Units
Microeconomics ECON C2001 Area 4 3 Units Area 4 3 Units
Physics 1 PHYS 210 Area 5A and Area 5C 4 Units Area 5A and Area 5C 4 Units
Physics 2 PHYS 220 Area 5A and Area 5C 4 Units Area 5A and Area 5C 4 Units
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism PHYS 260 Area 5A and Area 5C 4 Units Area 5A and Area 5C 3 Units
Physics C: Mechanics PHYS 250 Area 5A and Area 5C 4 Units Area 5A and Area 5C 3 Units
Precalculus* MATH 225 Area 2 6 Units N/A N/A
Psychology PSYC C1000 Area 4 3 Units Area 4 3 Units
Spanish Language and Culture N/A Area 3B 3 Units Area 3B 3 Units
Spanish Literature and Culture N/A Area 3B 3 Units Area 3B 3 Units
Statistics STAT C1000 Area 2 4 Units Area 2 3 Units
U.S. Government and Politics N/A Area 4 3 Units Area 4 3 Units
U.S. History HIST C1001 Area 3B or Area 4 3 Units Area 3B or Area 4 3 Units
World History: Modern HIST 106 Area 3B or Area 4 3 Units Area 3B or Area 4 3 Units
*There are instances where an AP is exam is approved for a different General Education (GE) area than the same local course offered at SKY, CSM and CAN. Please check local course GE approvals.