AP Music Theory credit at Washington colleges
Every Washington college with a published AP Music Theory credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
41 of 45 Washington colleges (91%) award credit for AP Music Theory at a score of 3. 3 require a 4 and 1 requires a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Washington-Seattle Campus (2 credit hours). 44 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | MUSIC 116 | Policy | |
 Washington State University Pullman | 3 | 2 | — | Policy |
 Western Washington University Bellingham | 3 | 3 | Music electives | Policy |
 Central Washington University Ellensburg | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
 Bellevue College Bellevue | 3 | 5 | MUSC 110 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | General Elective | Policy | |
| 3 | 2 | MUSIC 116 | Policy | |
 Clark College Vancouver | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 141 | Policy |
 Green River College Auburn | 3 | 3 | MUSC& 131 | Policy |
 Pierce College District Lakewood | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 141 (5) | Policy |
 Everett Community College Everett | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 141 | Policy |
 Tacoma Community College Tacoma | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 141 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | MUSC& 141 | Policy | |
 Seattle University Seattle | 3 | 5 | MUSC 1000 | Policy |
 Spokane Community College Spokane | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 2 | MUSIC 116 | Policy | |
 Seattle Central College Seattle | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 131 | Policy |
 Highline College Des Moines | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 131 | Policy |
EC Edmonds College Lynnwood | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
 Olympic College Bremerton | 3 | 5 | MUSC&141 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | MUSC& 141 | Policy | |
 North Seattle College Seattle | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 131 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | MUSC& 121,MUSC&131,MUSC&141 | Policy | |
 Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 131 | Policy |
 Clover Park Technical College Lakewood | 3 | — | MUSC 131 | — |
WWCC Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla | 3 | 5 | Humanities Distribution | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | MUSI 100TR | Policy | |
 Whatcom Community College Bellingham | 3 | 5 | MUS& 141 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | MUSC& 131 | Policy | |
 Seattle Pacific University Seattle | 3 | 5 | MUS 1050 | Policy |
 The Evergreen State College Olympia | 3 | 8 | — | Policy |
 Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 121 + MUSC& 131 | Policy |
 Lower Columbia College Longview | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
RTC Renton Technical College Renton | 3 | 5 | MUSC 900 humanities credits | Policy |
 South Seattle College Seattle | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 131 , MUSC& 141, MUSC& 121 | Policy |
 Big Bend Community College Moses Lake | 3 | 5 | Music - Humanities Distribution | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | MUS 108 | Policy | |
PC Peninsula College Port Angeles | 3 | 5 | MUSC& 121, 131, 141 | Policy |
GHC Grays Harbor College Aberdeen | 3 | 3 | MUSC& 131 | Policy |
 Cascadia College Bothell | 3 | — | — | Policy |
 Northwest University Kirkland | 3 | 7 | MUSI 1113, 1131, and elective | Policy |
GU Gonzaga University Spokane | 4 | 3 | Music 161 | Policy |
 Whitworth University Spokane | 4 | 3 | MU 110 | Policy |
| 4 | — | MUS 120 & MUS 120L | Policy | |
 Whitman College Walla Walla | 5 | 3 | Music 101 | Policy |
AP Music Theory credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Washington 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 Washington colleges give credit for AP Music Theory?+
45 colleges in Washington publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Music Theory. 41 of them (91%) award credit at a score of 3, 3 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 Music Theory score that earns credit in Washington?+
3. University of Washington-Seattle Campus in Seattle awards credit at a score of 3, worth 2 credit hours, counting as MUSIC 116. 41 Washington colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Washington?+
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 Washington AP credit policies?+
44 of the 45 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
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.