AP Biology credit: what score you need
The minimum qualifying score, credit hours and course equivalent at 1,932 colleges that publish an AP Biology policy.
Quick answer
1,506 of 1,932 colleges (78%) award credit for AP Biology at a score of 3. 402 require a 4 and 24 require a 5. The most commonly awarded amount is 4 credit hours. Each row below links to the college’s own published policy page. Data captured July 30, 2026.
Placement is not credit
A further 11 colleges publish an AP Biology policy that grants placement only — you may skip the introductory course, but you earn no credit hours toward the degree and the cost of those hours does not go away. Those colleges are deliberately excluded from the counts above.
Colleges that award credit for AP Biology
Showing 120 of 1,932 colleges, lowest qualifying score first. Narrow by state below for the full list in your state.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SUNY College of Technology at Canton Canton, New York | 2 | 3 | BIOL 101: Intro to Biology | Policy |
 Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, New Hampshire | 3 | 4 | BIO-120, BIO-120L | Policy |
 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona | 3 | 8 | — | Policy |
 Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, Arizona | 3 | 4 | BIO 100 | Policy |
 Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, Texas | 3 | 3 | BIOL 113 | Policy |
 University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida | 3 | — | BSC 1005/1005L | Policy |
 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, Indiana | 3 | 3 | BIOL 101 | Policy |
 Liberty University Lynchburg, Virginia | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101 Principles of Biology BIOL 103 Principles of Biology Lab | Policy |
 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, Maryland | 3 | 4 | BIOL 103 | Policy |
 Lone Star College System The Woodlands, Texas | 3 | 8 | BIOL 1406 and1407 | Policy |
 Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, Ohio | 3 | 4 | Biology 1101 | Policy |
 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas | 3 | 3 | BIO 311C | Policy |
 Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, Idaho | 3 | 3 | IPLAN0443S/046S | Policy |
 University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona | 3 | 4 | MCB department elective credit | Policy |
 Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, Texas | 3 | 8 | BIOL 1406 & 1407 | Policy |
 Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, Indiana | 3 | — | BIO 1XXXX | Policy |
 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, Georgia | 3 | 4 | SCI 1101 | Policy |
 Florida International University Miami, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC UCC1/ UCC1L | Policy |
 Houston Community College Houston, Texas | 3 | 8 | BIOL 1406-7 General Biology I-II | Policy |
 University of Houston Houston, Texas | 3 | 8 | BIOL 1106, 1107, 1306, 1307 | Policy |
 California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, California | 3 | 6 | BIOL 101 (3), BIOL 101L (1), Electives (2) | Policy |
 Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana | 3 | 3 | BIOL-L 104 | Policy |
 University of South Florida Tampa, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC X005Ccore or BSC X005/X005Lcore | Policy |
 University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin | 3 | 3 | BIO SCI X01 | Policy |
 Valencia College Orlando, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC 1005C | Policy |
 Miami Dade College Miami, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC 1005 & BSC1005L | Policy |
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois | 3 | 3 | Integrative Biology 100 | Policy |
 Texas State University San Marcos, Texas | 3 | 4 | BIO 1130 & 1330 | Policy |
 California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, California | 3 | 6 | BIOL 200 & BIOL electives | Policy |
 University of Florida Gainesville, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC 2005/L | Policy |
 University of California-San Diego La Jolla, California | 3 | 8 | BILD 10 | Policy |
 University of North Texas Denton, Texas | 3 | 6 | BIOL 1112, BIOL 1142 | Policy |
 San Diego State University San Diego, California | 3 | 6 | BIOL 100, BIOL 100L, and 2 units of BIOL 299 | Policy |
 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, Michigan | 3 | 4 | Biology 100 | Policy |
 University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, California | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
 University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, California | 3 | 8 | — | Policy |
 Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1402 | Policy |
 California State University-Northridge Northridge, California | 3 | 6 | BIOL 101/L or Consult Biology Dept. if another course is required in major | Policy |
 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama | 3 | 8 | BSC 108, BSC 109 | Policy |
 Brigham Young University Provo, Utah | 3 | 3 | BIOL 100 | Policy |
 Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC 1005, BSC 1005L | Policy |
 University of California-Davis Davis, California | 3 | 8 | BIS 010 | Policy |
 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, Washington | 3 | 5 | BIOL 161 | Policy |
 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, Colorado | 3 | 4 | 4 lower-division Arts & Science credits that fulfill the lab portion of and count toward the A&S Gen. Ed. Natural Science requirement and the CMCI Core Natural World requirement | Policy |
 University of Georgia Athens, Georgia | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1103 + BIOL 1103L | Policy |
 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, Texas | 3 | 6 | BIOL 1333 & 1334 or BIOL 1441 | Policy |
 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, Minnesota | 3 | 4 | Biology 1009 | Policy |
 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia | 3 | 3 | BIOL 1014 | Policy |
 University of Maryland-College Park College Park, Maryland | 3 | 4 | Lab Science (DSNL) | Policy |
 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, Texas | 3 | 6 | BIO 1233, BIO 1243 | Policy |
 Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon | 3 | 12 | BI 101, 102 103 | Policy |
 University of California-Irvine Irvine, California | 3 | 8 | Non-Bio. Sci. majors earn one Biological Sciences course toward Category II of the UCI GE requirement. Bio. Sci. majors earn elective credit only | Policy |
 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 3 | 3 | BIOL 1001 | Policy |
 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, Ohio | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1021 & BIOL 1021L | Policy |
 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, Tennessee | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101 | Policy |
 University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, South Carolina | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101 and 101L | Policy |
 California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, California | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada | 3 | — | BIOL 189 (lab pending -BIOL 190) | Policy |
 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas | 3 | 3 | BIOL 10004 | Policy |
 Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1103K | Policy |
 George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia | 3 | 3 | BIOL 103 | Policy |
 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, Texas | 3 | 8 | BIOL 1406, BIOL 1407 | Policy |
 San Jose State University San Jose, California | 3 | 6 | BIOL 010 | Policy |
 North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, North Carolina | 3 | 4 | BIO 105/106 | Policy |
 University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah | 3 | 3 | BIOL 1010 | Policy |
 Austin Community College District Austin, Texas | 3 | — | BIOL 1406 | Policy |
 Collin County Community College District McKinney, Texas | 3 | 8 | BIOL 1406 & 1407 | Policy |
 American River College Sacramento, California | 3 | 3 | BIOL 300 | Policy |
 Auburn University Auburn, Alabama | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1020 & 1021 | Policy |
 Mt San Antonio College Walnut, California | 3 | 6 | BIOL 1 | Policy |
 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, Colorado | 3 | 4 | LIFE 1++3L | Policy |
 East Los Angeles College Monterey Park, California | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, California | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada | 3 | 3 | General Education Science without Lab | Policy |
 Broward College Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC 1005/1005L | Policy |
 Ashford University San Diego, California | 3 | 4 | SCIENTIFIC REASONING COMPETENCY | Policy |
 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1110 + labs | Policy |
 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC 1005/1005L | Policy |
 University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California | 3 | 8 | EEMB 22, MCDB 20 | Policy |
 University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky | 3 | 6 | BIO 102 & 103 | Policy |
 University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, Missouri | 3 | 5 | Biology 1030 | Policy |
 San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, Texas | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1306/1106 | Policy |
 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona | 3 | 4 | BIO 100/L | Policy |
 El Paso Community College El Paso, Texas | 3 | — | BIOL 1306, 1106, 1307, and 1107 | Policy |
 Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1230, BIOL 1200 | Policy |
 Santa Ana College Santa Ana, California | 3 | 4 | BIOL 109 + 109L or 190 + 190L | Policy |
 Long Beach City College Long Beach, California | 3 | 6 | BIO 41P (3), BIO 41LP (1) and BIO 99P | — |
 University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, Illinois | 3 | 8 | BIOS 110, BIOS 120 | Policy |
 Washington State University Pullman, Washington | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, California | 3 | 9 | (BIO 111 or BIO 213) and (BMED 213 or BRAE 213) and GE B3 and Elective Unit | Policy |
 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, Oklahoma | 3 | 3 | BIOL 1013 | Policy |
 California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, Texas | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 3 | 8 | Biology 1001 & Biology 1002 | Policy |
 Santa Monica College Santa Monica, California | 3 | 4 | BIOL 3 | Policy |
 California State University-Fresno Fresno, California | 3 | 6 | BIOL 1A and BIOL Elective | Policy |
 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1103/1103L OR 1110L | Policy |
 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, Oklahoma | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1111, 1113 | Policy |
 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101, BIOZ 101 | Policy |
 Pasadena City College Pasadena, California | 3 | 4 | BIOL 011 | Policy |
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101, BIOL 101L | Policy |
 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas | 3 | 6 | BIOL 1305 & 1306 | Policy |
 Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC1005/1005L | Policy |
 James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia | 3 | 4 | BIO 140/BIO 140L | Policy |
 Utah State University Logan, Utah | 3 | 3 | BIOL 1010 (BLS) | Policy |
 University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York | 3 | 8 | APC999TR | Policy |
 San Francisco State University San Francisco, California | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina | 3 | 4 | BIOL 1100/01 | Policy |
 University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas | 3 | 3 | BIOL 100 | Policy |
 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon | 3 | 8 | Biology elective (2 Science Area courses) | Policy |
 Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina | 3 | 8 | BIO 1201, 1202 & 1203 | Policy |
 Kent State University at Kent Kent, Ohio | 3 | 4 | BSCI 10110 | Policy |
 Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3 | 4 | BIO 120 | Policy |
 University of Mississippi University, Mississippi | 3 | 4 | Bisc 160, Bisc 161 | Policy |
 El Camino Community College District Torrance, California | 3 | 4 | Biology 10 | Policy |
 University of Delaware Newark, Delaware | 3 | 4 | BISC 104 | Policy |
FCC Fresno City College Fresno, California | 3 | 4 | BIOL 3 | — |
 St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, Florida | 3 | 4 | BSC X005Ccore or BSC X005/X005Lcore | Policy |
 Cerritos College Norwalk, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, North Carolina | 3 | 4 | BIO 111 | Policy |
AP Biology credit by state
How we ranked this
One row per college: the lowest score that earns actual credit under the policy that applies to all students, and the largest credit award published at that score. Placement-only policies are excluded and counted separately above. Where a college publishes only a major-specific rule, we do not promote it to a school-wide minimum. Credit hours and course equivalents are reproduced as the college published them; “—” means the college published no value for that field. Colleges are ordered by minimum score, then by enrolment, so the easiest routes to credit appear first — this is not a quality ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What AP Biology score do you need for college credit?+
Of the 1,932 colleges with a published AP Biology credit policy, 1,506 (78%) award credit at a score of 3, 402 require a 4, and 24 require a 5. There is no single national threshold — the requirement is set by each college, so check the table on this page for the schools on your list.
How many college credits is AP Biology worth?+
The most commonly published award is 4 credit hours, but it varies by college and by the score earned — several colleges award more hours for a 4 or 5 than for a 3. The Credits column in the table shows each college's own published figure; a dash means the college publishes a policy but no credit-hour number, and we do not estimate one.
Do all colleges accept AP Biology?+
No. This page covers the 1,932 colleges that publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Biology, plus 11 more whose policy for this exam grants placement only — permission to skip a course without earning credit hours. Colleges absent from this list either publish no policy for this exam or grant nothing for it. Absence here is not proof a college rejects the exam; it means we have no published rule to cite.
Where can I verify a college's AP Biology policy?+
Every row links to the college's own advanced-standing or AP credit page in the Source column. That page is authoritative and current; our copy is a snapshot taken July 30, 2026. Policies change between admission cycles, so verify at the source before counting on credit in a graduation plan.
Keep exploring
Data sources: Each college's own published AP / advanced-standing credit page (captured July 30, 2026) · IPEDS institution directory (names, control, location). Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.