AP Physics 1 credit at Ohio colleges

Every Ohio college with a published AP Physics 1 credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.

Quick answer

74 of 90 Ohio colleges (82%) award credit for AP Physics 1 at a score of 3. 13 require a 4 and 3 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at Ohio State University-Main Campus (5 credit hours). 89 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.

Colleges that award credit for AP Physics 1, with the minimum qualifying score, credit hours awarded and the equivalent course.
College	Min score	Credits	Counts as	Source
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus	3	5	Physics 1200	Policy
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati	3	5	PHYS 1051 & PHYS 1051L	Policy
Kent State University at Kent Kent	3	5	PHY 13001 & 13021	Policy
Ohio University-Main Campus Athens	3	4	PHYS 2001	Policy
Columbus State Community College Columbus	3	5	PHYS 1200	Policy
Miami University-Oxford Oxford	3	4	PHY 161	Policy
Cuyahoga Community College District Cleveland	3	4	PHYS 1210	Policy
Sinclair Community College Dayton	3	4	PHY 1141	Policy
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green	3	5	PHYS 2010	Policy
University of Toledo Toledo	3	5	PHYS 2070 PHYS 2075	Policy
University of Akron Main Campus Akron	3	4	PHYS:160, Technical Physics: Mechanics	Policy
Cleveland State University Cleveland	3	5	PHY 221	Policy
University of Dayton Dayton	3	3	PHY 201	Policy
Youngstown State University Youngstown	3	5	PHYS 1501, PHYS 1501L	Policy
Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton	3	5	PHY 1110 (Principles of Physics I) and PHY 1100L (Principles of Physics I Lab)	Policy
Stark State College North Canton	3	4	PHY121	Policy
Lorain County Community College Elyria	3	4	PHYC 150	Policy
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati	3	4	PHY 151	Policy
Owens Community College Perrysburg	3	5	PHY 201	Policy
University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College Blue Ash	3	5	PHYS1051 (4), PHYS1051L (1)	Policy
Cedarville University Cedarville	3	3.5	GSCI-1020 Principles of Physical Science	Policy
Central State University Wilberforce	3	4	PHY 1181	Policy
Lakeland Community College Kirtland	3	5	PHYS1610	Policy
Kent State University at Stark North Canton	3	5	PHY 13001, PHY 13021	Policy
University of Cincinnati-Clermont College Batavia	3	5	PHYS1051, PHYS1051L	Policy
Ohio Northern University Ada	3	3	PHYS 1001	Policy
Ohio State University-Newark Campus Newark	3	5	Physics 1200	Policy
Shawnee State University Portsmouth	3	4	PHYS 2201	Policy
The University of Findlay Findlay	3	—	PHYS 250/250L GE	Policy
John Carroll University University Heights	3	4	PH 1250, PH 1251	Policy
Miami University-Hamilton Hamilton	3	4	PHY 161	Policy
Tiffin University Tiffin	3	4	PHY211	Policy
Capital University Columbus	3	4	UC 249	Policy
Kent State University at Trumbull Warren	3	5	PHY 13001, PHY 13021	Policy
Central Ohio Technical College Newark	3	5	PHYS-112	Policy
Kent State University at Geauga Burton	3	5	PHY 13001, PHY 13021	Policy
James A. Rhodes State College Lima	3	4	OSC014	—
Edison State Community College Piqua	3	5	PHY 121S	Policy
Kent State University at Tuscarawas New Philadelphia	3	5	PHY 13001 and PHY 13021	Policy
Muskingum University New Concord	3	4	PHEN 115	Policy
Marion Technical College Marion	3	5	PHY1200/PHY1210	Policy
Mount Vernon Nazarene University Mount Vernon	3	4	PHY-2014G	Policy
Kent State University at Ashtabula Ashtabula	3	5	PHY 13001 & 13021	Policy
Bowling Green State University-Firelands Huron	3	5	PHYS 2010	Policy
Kent State University at Salem Salem	3	5	PHY 13001, PHY 13021	Policy
Terra State Community College Fremont	3	5	PHY 1310 & PHY 1315	Policy
Marietta College Marietta	3	4	PHYS 211	Policy
WSCC Washington State Community College Marietta	3	4	—	Policy
Wright State University-Lake Campus Celina	3	5	PHY 1110 & 1100L	Policy
Mercy College of Ohio Toledo	3	3	Natural Sciences, Technology, and Innovation GE	Policy
Columbus College of Art & Design Columbus	3	—	LIBA2456	Policy
Heidelberg University Tiffin	3	4	PHY 101	Policy
Miami University-Middletown Middletown	3	4	PHY 161	Policy
Ohio State University-Marion Campus Marion	3	5	Physics 1200	Policy
University of Rio Grande Rio Grande	3	4	PHYS 1401	Policy
Ohio Dominican University Columbus	3	4	PHY 119	Policy
Malone University Canton	3	4	PHYS 213	Policy
Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe	3	4	PHYS 2001	Policy
SSCC Southern State Community College Hillsboro	3	—	—	Policy
Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus Mansfield	3	5	Physics 1200	Policy
Zane State College Zanesville	3	4	PHYS 2010	Policy
Kent State University at East Liverpool East Liverpool	3	5	PHY 13001, PHY 13021	Policy
Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster	3	4	PHYS 2001	Policy
Ohio State University-Lima Campus Lima	3	5	Physics 1200	Policy
Ursuline College Pepper Pike	3	4	PY 201 and Lab	Policy
CIA Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland	3	3	—	Policy
Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville	3	4	PHYS 2001	Policy
University of Akron Wayne College Orrville	3	4	3650:160, Technical Physics: Mechanics	Policy
BC Belmont College St Clairsville	3	5	PHY1110	Policy
Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton	3	4	PHYS 2001	Policy
Defiance College Defiance	3	4	PHYS 210	Policy
Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute Wooster	3	5	Physics 1200	Policy
Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville	3	4	PHYS 2001	Policy
Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences Canton	3	4	PHY 105/L	Policy
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland	4	4	PHYS 115	Policy
Xavier University Cincinnati	4	4	PHYS 160 & 161 (Lecture & Lab)	Policy
Oberlin College Oberlin	4	—	PHYS 103	Policy
Denison University Granville	4	4	PHYS 098	Policy
Otterbein University Westerville	4	4	PHYS 1100	Policy
The College of Wooster Wooster	4	1	PHYS-10700	Policy
Kenyon College Gambier	4	2	—	Policy
Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware	4	1.25	PHYS 115	Policy
Walsh University North Canton	4	—	—	Policy
Mount St. Joseph University Cincinnati	4	4	PHY 201 + 201A	Policy
Hiram College Hiram	4	3	Physics elec (non-lab) or PHYS 113 (proof of lab)	Policy
Bluffton University Bluffton	4	3	—	Policy
Antioch College Yellow Springs	4	4	PHYS 160	Policy
Baldwin Wallace University Berea	5	4	PHY 131	Policy
Franciscan University of Steubenville Steubenville	5	4	PHY 111/112 General Physics I/Lab	Policy
University of Mount Union Alliance	5	4	PHY 101	Policy

AP Physics 1 credit in other states

California 163 New York 98 Pennsylvania 88 Illinois 80 Texas 79 Florida 58 North Carolina 57 Massachusetts 50 Michigan 46 Virginia 45 Georgia 45 Washington 45

How we ranked this

One row per Ohio 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 Ohio colleges give credit for AP Physics 1?+

90 colleges in Ohio publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics 1. 74 of them (82%) award credit at a score of 3, 13 require a 4, and 3 require 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 Physics 1 score that earns credit in Ohio?+

3. Ohio State University-Main Campus in Columbus awards credit at a score of 3, worth 5 credit hours, counting as Physics 1200. 74 Ohio colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.

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

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 Ohio AP credit policies?+

89 of the 90 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 Physics 1 nationwide 📚 All AP exams 🎓 All Ohio 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.