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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.
Incoming Fall students do not have access to their Student Center until late May for undergraduates, and late June for graduate students.
What Credit is Earned?
The following credit awarded is based on the current academic year. If any of the tests below were taken in previous years, they may be subject to receive different credit.
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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. Please note that if you have taken an AP exam 3 or more years ago, you will need to contact College Board directly for a physical copy of your results to be sent to the UW-Madison Office of Admissions. Review the chart below to see how AP credit will be awarded.
* 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. To grant credit, an official copy of the Statement of Provisional Results from the examination board must be submitted to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment. 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.
- No credit granted for grades of “F.”
- No credit granted for AS-Levels.
- No credit granted for CAPE single unit/Unit 1.
- No credit granted for Singapore-Cambridge H1 and H3 Levels.
- No credit granted for Sri Lankan A-Levels.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
Results of IB examinations are evaluated for academic credit. Advanced standing credit is awarded for higher level (HL) exams only. 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.
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. In order to receive credit, students must earn a minimum score of 65 and take CLEP exams before completing 16 semester hours of college credit. Test credits or college course work taken in high school does not count toward the 16 semester hour requirement. Review the chart below to see how CLEP credit will be awarded.
The 16 college credit limit starts after a student graduates high school and enrolls as a full degree seeking student. Therefore, dual enrollment and test credit (e.g. AP) are not included in the 16 credit limit.
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 | ||||
FAQs
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All my exam credits only count as elective credits, so they don't count for anything. What can I do?
Transfer courses with descriptions that closely match the descriptions of courses taught at UW–Madison will generally transfer as direct course equivalent credits. For example, an introductory macroeconomics course at your previous institution will likely transfer as our Econ 102 Principles of Macroeconomics. Transfer courses that don’t have direct course equivalents at UW–Madison will transfer as elective credits within the appropriate academic department. For example, a course on the geography of Hawaii would transfer as geography elective credits because UW–Madison does not offer a course with that particular content. Elective credits can satisfy some degree/major requirements similar to how a direct course equivalent does.
In what instances will I not be awarded credit for A-levels?
- No credit granted for grades of “F.”
- No credit granted for AS-Levels.
- No credit granted for CAPE single unit/Unit 1 subjects.
- No credit granted for Singapore-Cambridge H1 and H3 Levels.
- No credit granted for Sri Lankan A-Levels.
I have earned 19 college credits through dual enrollment. Can I still get credit for CLEP?
The 16 college credit limit starts after a student graduates high school and enrolls as post-secondary student. Therefore, dual enrollment and test credit (e.g. AP) are not included in the 16 credit limit.