AP, IB, and College Credit

Many applicants take courses while in high school (listed below) that may count for credit here. All course credit is reviewed after a student has deposited at the university.

For entering first-year students, a combined total of 18 credit hours of the following types may be granted:

• AP and IB test credits (maximum of 12 hours)
• A-Level, French Baccalaureate, and other international exams (maximum of 12 hours)
• College course credit, except where the credit has already counted toward the high school diploma

Beyond this 18-hour credit limit, we may allow additional exams or courses to fulfill prerequisites for placement into higher-level courses. Students should only request this after consulting with an academic adviser. No additional credit or waivers for Emory’s General Education Requirements (GERs) will be given. Please note that online coursework (regardless of institution) will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Students who bring in AP/IB or International test scores may ONLY use them for:

• General academic credit
• Pre-requisites for more advanced courses (see equivalencies chart)
• First-Year Communication requirement
• One Intercultural Communications course requirement
• Major/Minor (subject to departmental rules)

AP/IB/International test scores may not be used for any other General Education Requirements (GERs).

Students who bring in approved previous college credits may be used for:

• General academic credit
• Pre-requisites for more advanced courses
• General Education Requirements (except for Continuing Communication and Race and Ethnicity)
• Major/Minor (subject to departmental rules)

For enrolling students, official AP and IB or International test scores and/or college transcripts should be submitted to the Office of Admission no later than August 1 in order to be evaluated for credit before first-year orientation. Scores and transcripts must be received no later than the end of the first semester of your first year at the university to be applied to your overall record.

We typically award three semester hours of college credit for each score of four or five on AP exams. A maximum of 12 credit hours can be accrued through AP and IB exams.

To be reviewed for credit, entering first-year and transfer students must have AP results sent directly from the College Board and IB to the Office of Admission.

Click below to view the full AP/IB credit chart, and note that all policies are subject to change.

AP/IB Credit Chart

It is possible to receive credit for advanced coursework taken in international educational programs such as the GCE Advanced Levels (A Levels), the French Baccalaureate, the German Abitur, etc. A maximum of 12 credit hours is allowed from these exams.

Exam results must be submitted directly to the Office of Admission by a school official. Score results should be sent as soon as possible and must arrive no later than the end of the entering student’s first semester. Exam results must be final (not predictive) and verifiable. Exam results that correspond to coursework available at the university will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for credit (see rules above).

Only courses taken at an accredited college or university are considered for credit, and each program is reviewed individually. For courses to be considered, they must meet the following requirements:

• Taught at the credit-granting college/university (not a course taught at a high school or taken at a college strictly for high school students).
• Taught by a faculty member of the credit-granting college/university.
• Open to currently-enrolled college students and not only high school students.
• Not counting towards credit for a high school diploma. (This includes courses such as those in Georgia’s Dual Enrollment program. These courses typically count for high school diploma credit and do not count for credit here.)
• A course grade of C or better. No credit is given for classes taken pass/fail, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, credit/no credit.
• Comparable to a course taught at Emory University (refer to our catalog to compare).

Note that online courses are subject to additional review and may not receive credit, even if all the above criteria have been met.

We typically convert quarter hours to semester hours by multiplying by 2/3. For example, a 5.0 quarter-hour course is worth 3.3 semester hours. Note that this can vary by some international education systems. Semester hours transfer unchanged. 

• The same course or exam twice. 
  • In other words, a student can only receive credit for only one of the following: a college English composition course, an AP English examination, or the IB higher-level English examination.
• Physical education, health, or remedial courses.
• The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).
• Correspondence courses or distance learning programs.