The University of Wisconsin–Madison grants advanced credit for the successful completion of college-level course work while in high school and for high achievement on Advanced Placement (AP), GCE Advanced Level (A-Level), Cambridge Pre-U, International Baccalaureate (IB), and College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams.
Credits earned may be awarded toward general education requirements, degree requirements, or elective credit. The purpose of awarding advanced credit is to recognize advanced high-quality work, to preclude the duplication of courses, and to provide increased flexibility for students who wish to complete two majors, earn a certificate, or graduate early.
Students will not receive credit for multiple exams that award credit for the same or similar content. It is possible to earn credit more than once for transfer elective courses, such as GEN ELCT X12. Transfer electives can be identified by the X in front of the course number. These policies are subject to changes and updates pending review by academic departments and approval by the University Curriculum Committee.
The College Board has announced modifications to the AP examinations offered for the 2019-20 academic year: examinations in the spring of 2020 will be administered as 45-minute online exams to be taken at home, in lieu of the traditional face-to-face format.
The University of Wisconsin- Madison is aware of these changes to the AP examination. The university remains committed to granting students academic credit for the successful completion of their examinations and will continue to accept subject area scores as before. We appreciate students’ efforts to do their best under the circumstances and look forward to welcoming new Badgers next year.
What Credit Is Awarded?
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Advanced Placement (AP)
We award course exemptions and college credit to students with exam scores of 3, 4, or 5. To earn AP credit, students must have their official AP grade report sent directly to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment from the College Board. Our AP code is 1846. Review the chart below to see how AP credit will be awarded.
| AP Exam | Score | Credits | Course | Gen Ed | Breadth | Level |
| Art Studio -2-D Design | 3-5 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| Art Studio – 3-D Design | 3-5 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| Art Studio – Drawing Portfolio | 3-5 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| Art History | 3 | 3 | HUMNTIES X11 | H | E | |
| 4-5 | 4 | ART HIST X14 | H | E | ||
| Biology | 3 | 3 | BIO SCI X01 | B | E | |
| 4-5 | 5 | ZOOLOGY 151 | B | E | ||
| Calculus AB or AB sub score* | 3 | 3 | MATH X03 | QR-A | N | I |
| 4-5 | 5 | MATH 221 | QR-B | N | I | |
| Calculus BC* | 3 | 3 | MATH X03 | QR-A | N | I |
| 4-5 | 9 | MATH 221 and 222 | QR-B | N | I | |
| Chemistry | 3 | 3 | CHEM X15 | P | E | |
| 4-5 | 3 | CHEM 103 | P | E | ||
| Chinese | 3 | 2 | ASIALANG X10 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 4 | ASIALANG X10 | E | |||
| Comp Sci A | 3-5 | 3 | COMP SCI 200 | QR-B | N | E |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | COMP SCI 202 | QR-A | N | E | |
| Econ Macro | 3 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | ECON 102 | S | E | ||
| Econ Micro | 3 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | ECON 101 | QR-B | S | E | |
| English Lang & Comp | 3 | 3 | ENGL X02 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | ENGL X04 | COMM A | E | ||
| English Literature & Comp | 3 | 3 | LIT X10 | L | E | |
| 4-5 | 3 | ENGL X25 | COMM A | L | E | |
| Environmental Science | 3-5 | 3 | BIO SCI X12 | B | E | |
| French Language | 3 | 4 | FRENCH 204 | I | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | FRENCH 227 | I | |||
| French Literature | 3 | 3 | FRENCH X13 | I | ||
| 4-5 | 4 | FRENCH 271 | L | I | ||
| German Language | 3 | 3 | GERMAN X13 | I | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | GERMAN 249 | I | |||
| Comparative Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | POLI SCI X20 | S | E | |
| 4-5 | 4 | POLI SCI 120 | S | E | ||
| US Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | POLI SCI X20 | S | E | |
| 4-5 | 4 | POLI SCI 104 | S | E | ||
| European History | 3 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | HISTORY X13 | E | |||
| US History | 3 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | HISTORY X13 | E | |||
| World History | 3 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | HISTORY X13 | E | |||
| Human Geography | 3 | 3 | GEOG X12 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | GEOG X22 | S | E | ||
| Italian Language | 3-4 | 4 | ITALIAN 204 | I | ||
| 5 | 4 | ITALIAN 452 | I | |||
| Japanese | 3 | 2 | ASIALANG X10 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 4 | ASIALANG X10 | E | |||
| Latin Literature | 3-5 | 8 | LATIN 103 and 104 | E | ||
| Latin Vergil | 3-5 | 8 | LATIN 103 and 104 | E | ||
| Music Theory | 3-5 | 3 | MUSIC 151 | H | E | |
| Physics 1+ | 3 | 3 | PHYSICS X15 | P | E | |
| 4-5 | 4 | PHYSICS 103 | QR-B | P | E | |
| Physics 2+ | 3 | 3 | PHYSICS X15 | P | E | |
| 4-5 | 4 | PHYSICS 104 | P | E | ||
| Physics B | 3 | 3 | PHYSICS X15 | P | E | |
| 4-5 | 8 | PHYSICS 103 and 104 | QR-B | P | I | |
| Physics C Electric and Magnetism + | 3 | 3 | PHYSICS X15 | P | E | |
| 4-5 | 5 | PHYSICS 208 | P | I | ||
| Physics C Mechanics + | 3 | 3 | PHYSICS X15 | P | E | |
| 4-5 | 5 | PHYSICS 207 | QR-B | P | I | |
| Psychology | 3 | 3 | PSYCH X19 | S | E | |
| 4-5 | 3 | PSYCH 202 | S | E | ||
| Research | 3-5 | 3 | GEN ELCT X10 | |||
| Seminar | 3-5 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| Spanish Language | 3-4 | 4 | SPANISH 204 | I | ||
| 5 | 3 | SPANISH 226 | A | |||
| Spanish Literature | 3 | 4 | SPANISH 204 | I | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | SPANISH 224 | L | I | ||
| Statistics | 3 | 3 | STAT X10 | E | ||
| 4-5 | 3 | STAT 301 | QR-B | N | I |
* A maximum of 9 credits will be awarded between AP Calculus AB, AB Subscore, and BC.
+ Students may earn credit for either AP Physics 1 & 2 or AP Physics EM & M, but not both.
Advanced Level (A-Level)
NOTE: The university will grant academic credit for students’ final A-Level results in 2020 as we have in previous years.
In many cases, students may receive advanced standing credit for some A-Level exams. After a student has been admitted, Credit Evaluation Services will perform an official evaluation of credit for A-Level exam results. In order to grant the credit, we require an official copy of the Statement of Provisional Results from the examination board. Credits will not be posted from internal school transcripts. Review the chart below to see how A-Level credit will be awarded. Examinations not listed in this chart will be evaluated by Credit Evaluation Services for appropriate advanced standing credit.
| A-LEVEL EXAMINING BOARD | UW-MADISON CREDIT/COURSE EQUIVALENT |
|---|---|
| University of Cambridge/OCR | |
| Accounting | 3 credits, Accounting 100 |
| English Literature | 10 credits, English electives |
| Mathematics | 5 credits, Math 221 |
| Further Mathematics | 5 credits, Math elective |
| Biology | 5 credits, Botany 130 |
| 3 credits, Zoo 101 & 2 credits, Zoo 102 | |
| Chemistry (Grades A-D only) | 4 credits, Chemistry 103 & 5 credits Chemistry 104 |
| Chemistry (Grade E only) | 4 credits, Chemistry 103 |
| Economics | 4 credits, Economics 101 & 4 credits Economics 102 |
| Media Studies | 6 credits, journalism electives |
| Physical Science | 5 credits, physical science elective |
| Physics | 3 credits Physics 103 & 3 credits Physics 104 |
| Psychology | 4 credits Psychology 202 & 4 credits, Psychology electives |
| Religious Studies | 3 credits, Religious Studies electives |
| Sociology | 4 credits, Sociology 210 |
| Associated Examining Board (AQA) | |
| Drama & Theatre Studies | 4 credits, theatre electives |
| English Literature | 10 credits, English electives |
| Statistics | 3 credits, Statistics 301 |
| Chemistry (grades A-D only) | 4 credits, Chemistry 103 & 5 credits Chemistry 104 |
| Chemistry (Grade E only) | 4 credits, Chemistry 103 |
| Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) | |
| Computer Science | 1 credit, Computer Science 368 |
| 3 credits, computer science electives | |
| Pure Mathematics | 5 credits Math 114 |
| 5 credits, Math 221 | |
| 4 credits, Math 222 | |
| University of London/Edexcel | |
| Accounting | 3 credits, Accounting 100 |
| Biology | 5 credits, Botany 130 |
| 3 credits Zoo 101 & 2 credits, Zoo 102 | |
| Chemistry (Grades A-D only) | 4 credits, Chemistry 103 & 5 credits, Chemistry 104 |
| Chemistry (Grade E only) | 4 credits, Chemistry 103 |
| Computer Science | NO CREDIT |
| Economics | 4 credits, Economics 101 & 4 credits, Economics 102 |
| English Literature | 10 credits, English literature elective |
| Further Mathematics | 5 credits, math electives |
| Geography | 10 credits, geography electives |
| Government & Politics | 4 credits, Political Science 101 |
| 3 credits, Political Science 120 | |
| History | 10 credit, history electives |
| Mathematics | 5 credits, Math 221 |
| Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM) | |
| Accounting | NO CREDIT |
| Malay | 6 credits, LCA Language electives |
| Mathematics T | 5 credits, Math 114 |
| 5 credits, Math 221 | |
| Biology | 5 credits, Zoology 151 |
| 5 credits, Zoology 152 | |
| Singapore Cambridge GCE Advanced Level | |
| Computer Sciences (Grades A-B) | 3 credits Comp Sci 132, 3 credits Comp Sci 302, & 3 credits Comp Sci 367 |
| Computer Science (Grades C-E) | 3 credits Comp Sci 132 & 3 credits Comp Sci 302 |
| English Literature | 10 credits, English electives |
| English | 6 credits, English electives |
| Math | 5 credits, Math 221 |
| Math C | 5 credits, Math 221 |
| Further Math | 5 credits, Math 222 |
| Biology | 5 credits, Botany 130 |
| 3 credits, Zoo 101 & 2 credits, Zoo 102 | |
| Chemistry (Grades A-D only) | 4 credits, Chemistry 103 & 5 credits Chemistry 104 |
| Chemistry (Grade E only) | 4 credits, Chemistry 103 |
| Physics | 5 credits, Physics electives |
| Chinese History | 8 credits, History electives |
| Economics | 4 credits, Economics 101 & 4 credits, Economics 102 |
| European & Asian History | 3 credits, History 119, 3 credits, History 120 & 3 credits, History 115 |
| Geography | 10 credits, Geography electives |
* No credit granted for grades of “F.”
* No credit granted for AS-levels.
* No credit granted for Singapore-Cambridge H1 and H3 levels.
* No credit granted for Sri Lankan A-Levels.
Cambridge Pre-U
Cambridge Pre-U may be considered for possible advanced standing credit. Certificates with subject grades of D1 – M3 and P1 (Distinction 1,2,3 , Merit 1,2,3 and Pass 1) would be required for advanced standing credit consideration in appropriate Principal Subjects. These standards are tentative and are subject to change. Note: No advanced standing credit is granted for Cambridge Pre-U GPR. Principal Subject examinations are optional and not required for entrance.
| Cambridge Pre-U Subject | Credits | Course | Gen Ed | Breadth | Level |
| Art & Design | 3-4 | ART 448 | |||
| Art History | 4 | ART HIST 201 | H | E | |
| 4 | ART HIST 202 | H | E | ||
| Business & Management | 3 | M H R 300 | |||
| Chemistry (Grades P2 & P3 only) | 4 | CHEM 103 | P | E | |
| Chemistry (Grades D1-M3) | 4 | CHEM 103 | P | E | |
| 5 | CHEM 104 | P | E | ||
| Mathematics | 5 | ||||
| Further Mathematics | 5 | MATH 221 | QR-B | N | I |
| Psychology | 3 | PSYCH 202 | S | E |
International Baccalaureate (IB)
NOTE: The university will grant academic credit for students’ final IB results in 2020 as we have in previous years.
Results of IB examinations are evaluated for academic credit. Advanced standing credit is awarded for scores of 4–7 on the higher level (HL) exams. Students who receive an IB Diploma with a minimum score of 28 are eligible for 3 additional elective credits. IB transcripts must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment from the International Baccalaureate Organization. Review the chart below to see how IB credit will be awarded.
| IB Higher Level Exam | Score | Credits | Course | Gen Ed | Breadth | Level |
| Biology | 4 | 5 | ZOOLOGY 151 | B | E | |
| Business Management | 4 | 3 | GEN BUS X10 | |||
| Calculus B | 4 | 9 | MATH 221 and 222 | QR-B | N | I |
| Chemistry | 4 | 9 | CHEM 103 and CHEM 104 | P | E | |
| Computer Studies | 4 | 3 | COMP SCI 200 | QR-B | N | E |
| Design Technology | 4 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E | ||
| Economics | 4 | 8 | ECON 101 and ECON 102 | QR-B | S | E |
| English A: Language and Literature | 5 | 6 | ENGL X19 and ENGL X25 | COMM A | L | E |
| 4 | 3 | ENGL X25 | COMM A | L | E | |
| English B | 4 | 6 | ENGL X02 | E | ||
| Foreign Language A: Literature | 4 | 6 | *Subject elective varies by language studied | L | A | |
| Foreign Language A: Language and Literature | 4 | 6 | *Subject elective varies by language studied | L | A | |
| Foreign Language B | 4 | 6 | *Subject elective varies by language studied | A | ||
| Geography | 4 | 8 | GEOG 104 and GEOG 127 | S, P | E | |
| Global Politics | 4 | 4 | POLI SCI 120 | S | E | |
| History | 4 | 6 | HISTORY X24 | S | E | |
| IT in a Global Society | 4 | 3 | COMP SCI X12 | E | ||
| Math | 4 | 5 | MATH 221 | QR-B | N | I |
| Math with Further Math | 4 | 9 | MATH 221 and MATH 222 | QR-B | N | I |
| Music | 4 | 3 | MUSIC X14 | E | ||
| Philosophy | 4 | 4 | PHILOS 101 | Z | E | |
| Physics | 4 | 8 | PHYSICS 103 and PHYSICS 104 | QR-B | P | E |
| Psychology | 4 | 4 | PSYCH 202 | S | E | |
| Social Anthropology | 4 | 3 | ANTHRO 104 | e | S | E |
| Theatre Arts | 4 | 3 | THEATRE X11 | E | ||
| Visual Arts | 4 | 3 | GEN ELCT X12 | E |
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
CLEP allows students who have gained knowledge through independent study, advanced high school courses, noncredit adult courses, or professional development to take examinations for possible college credit. Students must earn a minimum score of 65 and take CLEP exams before completing 16 semester hours of college credit in order to receive credit. Review the chart below to see how CLEP credit will be awarded.
| CLEP Exam | Min. Score | Credits | Course | Gen Ed | Breadth | Level |
| American Government | 65 | 3 | POLI SCI X20 | S | E | |
| American Literature | 65 | 3 | ENGL X19 | L | E | |
| Analyzing and Interpreting Literature | 65 | 3 | ENGL X19 | L | E | |
| Biology | 65 | 3 | BIO SCI X12 | B | E | |
| Calculus | 65 | 3 | MATH X12 | E | ||
| English Literature | 65 | 3 | ENGL X19 | L | E | |
| Humanities | 65 | 3 | HUMNTIES X11 | H | E | |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 65 | 3 | ECON X16 | S | E | |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 65 | 3 | ECON X16 | S | E | |
| Natural Sciences | 65 | 3 | NATSCI X11 | N | E | |
| Introduction to Psychology | 65 | 3 | PSYCH X19 | S | E | |
| Social Sciences and History | 65 | 3 | SOC ST X11 | S | E | |
| Introduction to Sociology | 65 | 3 | SOC X17 | S | E |
Key
| Gen Ed | Breadth | Level | |||
| COMM A | Communications A | B | Biological Sciences | E | Elementary |
| COMM B | Communications B | H | Humanities | I | Intermediate |
| e | Ethnic Studies | L | Literature | A | Advanced |
| QR-A | Quantitative Reasoning A | N | Natural Sciences | ||
| QR-B | Quantitative Reasoning B | P | Physical Sciences | ||
| S | Social Sciences | ||||
| W | Social or Natural Sciences | ||||
| X | Humanities or Natural Sciences | ||||
| Y | Biological or Social Sciences | ||||
| Z | Humanities or Social Sciences | ||||