Advanced Credit Guide (2022–2023)
About Advanced Credit
As a new student at Boston University, you may be eligible for advanced credit based upon:
- college courses completed during high school or during the summer
- Advanced Placement (AP) examinations
- International Baccalaureate examinations
- GCE Advanced-Level examinations
- French Baccalaureate examinations
- German Abitur examinations
- Italian Maturitá examinations
- Swiss Maturité examinations
For specific information about credit awarded for IB, GCE, French Baccalaureate, German Abitur, and Italian Maturitá examinations, please see www.bu.edu/admissions/apply/forms.
Credit that you receive may be awarded toward:
- BU Hub (general education) requirements
- requirements for majors and minors
- elective credit
While advanced credit may offer flexibility in educational program planning, please note that students accepted into the Accelerated Medical Program cannot receive advanced credit.
Advanced Placement Credit
Advanced Placement (AP) credit is college credit students earn before they matriculate (the first day of the first semester) at Boston University and may be applied toward the degree requirements as specified by the individual programs, schools, and colleges of Boston University. To be eligible to receive AP credit, first-year students who applied from high school or a high school equivalent program must take the AP exam prior to matriculation at Boston University. To ensure accurate degree planning and effective advising, students should submit all scores before the first day of their first semester at Boston University. For transfer students, AP credit awarded by a prior institution will be reevaluated as part of the transfer credit evaluation process. All students must submit official examination scores via the College Board. Please use BU’s College Entrance Examination Board code, 3087.
AP credit is awarded as outlined in the chart below.
Credit for College Coursework
Credit for professional courses will be transferred at the discretion of the school or college of admission. Note: Students will not receive duplicate credit for exams equated to the same Boston University course. Courses taken through other universities do not meet BU Hub requirements, even if they are equated to a BU course that carries one or more Hub unit(s).
Transfer credit is not granted for physical education, health, dance, or ROTC courses, or for nonacademic activities.
The basic unit of credit at BU is the semester hour. Coursework completed under a quarter-hour system is converted by awarding two-thirds of the total number of quarter hours.
Transferable coursework completed under a semester credit-hour system is transferred with an equal number of credit hours as awarded by the school from which you are transferring.
Credit for courses completed outside the United States will be evaluated by Boston University International Admissions staff. Credit for international curricula may vary; please contact International Admissions at intadmis@bu.edu if you have questions or concerns.
High School/Dual Enrollment Credits: Any college courses used to fulfill high school graduation requirements are not eligible for credit at Boston University. The Dual Enrollment Verification Form must be signed and submitted by your high school counselor to verify that the coursework did not count toward your high school graduation requirements. The coursework must also be completed at an accredited college or university in classes open to all students at the college or university. For more information on Dual Enrollment Credits, see our credit policies at the Transfer of Undergraduate Credit from US Institutions policy.
Advanced Credit for International Baccalaureate Exams
Boston University also recognizes IB Higher Level exams may be applied to degree requirements. For more information, see the IB course equivalence chart.
Credit for Additional International Exams
Boston University awards credit for other international external exams. See our policies here.
Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Credit
New students will be awarded AP credit as outlined below. Please note: credit will be accepted at the discretion of each school or college. All course equivalents are in the College of Arts & Sciences and are numbered CAS plus the course equivalent unless otherwise noted.
| Examination | Schools/Colleges | Score | Credits | Course Equivalents (all are CAS unless otherwise noted) | BU Hub* |
| Art History | all | 4, 5 | 4 | AH 100 | N/A |
| Biology | all | 4 | 4 | BI 105 or BI 107 or BI 108
Or CGS NS 201 |
SI I |
| all | 5 | 8 | BI 107 & 108 or BI 105 & BI 107 or BI 1XX and BI 108
or CGS NS 201 & CGS NS 202 |
SI I & SI II | |
| Calculus AB | all | 4, 5 | 4 | CAS MA 123 | QR II |
| Calculus BC | all | 4, 5 | 8 | CAS MA 123 & MA 124 | QR II & QR II |
| Chemistry | all | 4, 5 | 4 | CH 131 | SI I |
| Chinese Language & Culture | all | 4 | 4 | LC 212 | GCI |
| all | 5 | 4 | LC 311 | GCI | |
| Computer Science A | all | 4, 5 | 4 | CS 111 | QR II |
| Computer Science Principles | all | 4, 5 | 4 | CS 101 or CDS DS 100 | QR I |
| Economics: Macro | all | 4, 5 | 4 | EC 102 | SO I |
| Economics: Micro | all | 4, 5 | 4 | EC 101 | SO I |
| English Language & Composition | all | 4, 5 | 4 | elective credit granted; no specific course equivalent | N/A |
| English Literature & Composition | all | 4, 5 | 4 | EN 100 or CGS HU 1XX | N/A |
| Environmental Science | all | 4, 5 | 4 | EE 100 | SO I |
| European History | all | 4, 5 | 4 | equivalent credit granted; no specific course equivalent | N/A |
| French Language & Culture | all | 4 | 4 | LF 212 | GCI |
| all | 5 | 4 | LF 3XX If your advisor approves a course equivalent, the course number will be in the range of LF 300–349. |
GCI | |
| German Language & Culture | all | 4 | 4 | LG 212 | GCI |
| all | 5 | 4 | LG 3XX If your advisor approves a course equivalent, the course number will be in the range of LG 300–349. |
GCI | |
| Government & Politics: Comparative | all | 4, 5 | 4 | PO 151 | SO I |
| Government & Politics: United States | all | 4, 5 | 4 | PO 111 | SO I |
| Human Geography | all | 4, 5 | 4 | EE 100 | SO I |
| Italian Language & Culture | all | 4 | 4 | LI 212 | GCI |
| all | 5 | 4 | LI 3XX If your advisor approves a course equivalent, the course number will be in the range of LI 300–349. |
GCI | |
| Japanese Language & Culture | all | 4 | 4 | LJ 212 | GCI |
| all | 5 | 4 | LJ 303 | GCI | |
| Latin | all | 4 | 4 | CL 212 | N/A |
| all | 5 | 8 | CL 212 & CL 3XX | N/A | |
| Music Theory | all | 4, 5 | 4 | MT 105 | AEX |
| Physics 1 | all, except ENG | 4, 5 | 4 | PY 105 | SI I |
| Physics 2 | all, except ENG | 4, 5 | 4 | PY 106 | SI II |
| Physics C: Mechanics | all | 4, 5 | 4 | PY 211 or PY 251 | SI I |
| Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism | all | 4, 5 | 4 | PY 212 or PY 252 | SI II |
| Psychology | all | 4, 5 | 4 | PS 101 | SO I |
| Spanish Language & Culture | all | 4 | 4 | LS 212 | GCI |
| all | 5 | 4 | LS 3XX If your advisor approves a course equivalent, the course number will be in the range of LS 300–349. |
GCI | |
| Spanish Literature & Culture | all | 4 | 4 | LS 212 | GCI |
| all | 5 | 4 | LS 307 | GCI | |
| Statistics | all, except ENG | 4, 5 | 4 | MA 115 or QST QM 221 | QR II |
| United States History | all | 4, 5 | 4 | elective credit granted; no specific course equivalent | N/A |
| *BU Hub | |
| AEX | Aesthetic Exploration |
| GCI | Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy |
| QR I & II | Quantitative Reasoning I & II |
| SI I & II | Scientific Inquiry I & II |
| SO I & II | Social Inquiry I & II |
