AP Chemistry credit at Tennessee colleges

Every Tennessee college with a published AP Chemistry credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.

Quick answer

26 of 40 Tennessee colleges (65%) award credit for AP Chemistry at a score of 3. 13 require a 4 and 1 requires a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at Middle Tennessee State University (4 credit hours). 40 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.

Colleges that award credit for AP Chemistry, with the minimum qualifying score, credit hours awarded and the equivalent course.
College	Min score	Credits	Counts as	Source
Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro	3	4	CHEM 1110/ CHEM 1111 OR CHEM 1010/ CHEM 1011	Policy
University of Memphis Memphis	3	4	Chem 1010/1011	Policy
East Tennessee State University Johnson City	3	4	CHEM 1110/1111	Policy
Austin Peay State University Clarksville	3	4	CHEM 1010/1011 or CHEM 1110/1111	Policy
Belmont University Nashville	3	—	PHY 1010	Policy
Tennessee State University Nashville	3	3	CHEM 1010 w/lab	Policy
Pellissippi State Community College Knoxville	3	4	CHEM 1110	Policy
Volunteer State Community College Gallatin	3	4	CHEM 1110	Policy
CSCC Chattanooga State Community College Chattanooga	3	4	CHEM 1110	Policy
MSCC Motlow State Community College Tullahoma	3	4	CHEM1110	Policy
Walters State Community College Morristown	3	4	CHEM 1110/1111	Policy
Columbia State Community College Columbia	3	4	CHEM 1110	Policy
Roane State Community College Harriman	3	4	CHEM 1110	Policy
Lipscomb University Nashville	3	4	CM 1113, 1211	Policy
Lee University Cleveland	3	4	CHYS-161	Policy
Jackson State Community College Jackson	3	4	CHEM 1110	Policy
CSCC Cleveland State Community College Cleveland	3	4	CHEM 1110	Policy
Dyersburg State Community College Dyersburg	3	4	CHEM 1110 General Chemistry I	Policy
Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville	3	8	CHE-1040 General Chemistry I and CHE-1050 General Chemistry II	Policy
Union University Jackson	3	4	CHE 105	Policy
Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate	3	—	CHEM 111	Policy
Freed-Hardeman University Henderson	3	4	CHE121	Policy
Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens	3	4	CHE 110	Policy
Bryan College-Dayton Dayton	3	8	CHEM 131, 132	Policy
MU Milligan University Milligan	3	4	Gen Ed Lab Science (CHEM 150, 4 credits)	Policy
Johnson University Knoxville	3	4	“L” competency course or CHEM 1114 General Chemistry (also CHEM 1124 General Chemistry II if score is a 5) A minimum score of 4 is required to apply to a student's professional major.	Policy
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville	4	8	CHEM 122-123 & CHEM 132-133	Policy
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga	4	4	CHEM 1110/1110L	Policy
The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin	4	—	CHEM 121-122	Policy
Southern Adventist University Collegedale	4	—	CHEM 119	Policy
Cumberland University Lebanon	4	4	CHEM 111	Policy
Rhodes College Memphis	4	4	Chemistry 105	Policy
The University of the South Sewanee	4	4	—	Policy
Carson-Newman University Jefferson City	4	6	Chemistry 103 and 104 * Must serve as lab assistant for CHEM 103L & 104L	Policy
Maryville College Maryville	4	4	CHM111	Policy
King University Bristol	4	4	CHEM 1110	Policy
Christian Brothers University Memphis	4	4	CHEM 113, 113L	Policy
Fisk University Nashville	4	4	CHEM 103 & CHEM 103L	Policy
Tusculum University Greeneville	4	4	CHEM 101, CHEM 101L	Policy
Vanderbilt University Nashville	5	8	CHEM 1601, CHEM 1601L and CHEM 1602, CHEM 1602L	Policy

AP Chemistry credit in other states

California 179 New York 114 Texas 103 Pennsylvania 101 Ohio 96 Illinois 88 North Carolina 82 Florida 67 Massachusetts 64 Michigan 59 Virginia 56 Georgia 53

How we ranked this

One row per Tennessee 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 — permission to skip a course without earning credit hours — are excluded. Credit hours and course equivalents are reproduced exactly as the college published them; “—” means no value was published and we do not estimate one. A page is published for a state only when at least 8 colleges back it.

Frequently asked questions

Which Tennessee colleges give credit for AP Chemistry?+

40 colleges in Tennessee publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Chemistry. 26 of them (65%) award credit at a score of 3, 13 require a 4, and 1 requires a 5. The full list, with credit hours and the course each exam replaces, is in the table on this page.

What is the lowest AP Chemistry score that earns credit in Tennessee?+

3. Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro awards credit at a score of 3, worth 4 credit hours, counting as CHEM 1110/ CHEM 1111 OR CHEM 1010/ CHEM 1011. 26 Tennessee colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.

Does in-state residency change AP credit in Tennessee?+

No. AP credit policy is set per institution and applies to admitted students regardless of residency — residency affects tuition rate, not credit awards. What does vary is the school within a university: engineering and nursing colleges commonly set higher bars than arts and sciences. The rules shown here are the ones that apply to all students at each college.

How do I verify these Tennessee AP credit policies?+

40 of the 40 colleges on this page link to their own published AP credit page in the Source column; our snapshot was taken July 30, 2026. The college's page is authoritative and can change between admission cycles, so confirm there before building a graduation plan around the credit.

Keep exploring

📚 AP Chemistry nationwide 📚 All AP exams 🎓 All Tennessee colleges 🔁 Transfer credit policies 🧭 Counselor toolkit

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.