AP Physics 2 credit at Illinois colleges
Every Illinois college with a published AP Physics 2 credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
65 of 79 Illinois colleges (82%) award credit for AP Physics 2 at a score of 3. 13 require a 4 and 1 requires a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (3 credit hours). 79 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | Physics 1-- | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | — | Policy | |
| 3 | 5 | PHY 109 | Policy | |
| 3 | 4 | PHYS 211 | Policy | |
 College of Lake County Grayslake | 3 | 4 | PHY 120 | Policy |
 Joliet Junior College Joliet | 3 | 5 | PHYS 102 | Policy |
 Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Edwardsville | 3 | 4 | PHYS elective | Policy |
 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale | 3 | 3 | PHYS 101 | Policy |
 Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | 3 | 4 | PHY-151 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | PHY 102 | Policy | |
 Columbia College Chicago Chicago | 3 | 4 | PHYS 220 Fundamentals of Physics I | Policy |
 Triton College River Grove | 3 | 5 | PHY 102 | Policy |
 Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | 3 | 4 | PHY 112 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | Phys Elec | Policy | |
ICC Illinois Central College East Peoria | 3 | 5 | PHYS 121 | Policy |
 Eastern Illinois University Charleston | 3 | 4 | PHY 1161 & 1162 | Policy |
 Rock Valley College Rockford | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Aurora University Aurora | 3 | 4 | PHY2220/Z | Policy |
 Lincoln Land Community College Springfield | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | PHYS 110 | Policy | |
 Bradley University Peoria | 3 | 4 | Physics Elective Credit | Policy |
 Lewis University Romeoville | 3 | 3 | PHYS 10000 OR PHYS 10600 | Policy |
 Parkland College Champaign | 3 | — | PHY 120 | Policy |
 Saint Xavier University Chicago | 3 | 4 | PHYS 202 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | PHYS 162 | Policy | |
| 3 | 7 | PHYS 151, 200 | Policy | |
| 3 | — | — | Policy | |
 Morton College Cicero | 3 | 5 | PHY 105 | Policy |
 Roosevelt University Chicago | 3 | 4 | PHYS 201 | Policy |
 Governors State University University Park | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2143 and PHYS 2144 | Policy |
 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais | 3 | 4 | PHYS 122 | Policy |
 Prairie State College Chicago Heights | 3 | — | PHYSI 130 | Policy |
 Dominican University River Forest | 3 | 4 | PHYS 212 | Policy |
 Black Hawk College Moline | 3 | 3 | PHYS 140 | Policy |
 John A Logan College Carterville | 3 | 5 | PHY 156 | Policy |
 South Suburban College South Holland | 3 | 3 | PHY 115 | Policy |
 Kankakee Community College Kankakee | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1524 | Policy |
IVCC | 3 | 3 | P1 900 (Elective Credit) | Policy |
 Kaskaskia College Centralia | 3 | 8 | PHYS 101 & PHYS 102 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | PHYS 1P (QPS) | Policy | |
 Kishwaukee College Malta | 3 | 8 | PHY 250 & 251 | Policy |
 Moody Bible Institute Chicago | 3 | 3 | Math/Science or Critical Thinking Elective | Policy |
 Millikin University Decatur | 3 | 4 | PY112/PY172 | Policy |
 Chicago State University Chicago | 3 | 4 | PH S 1100 | Policy |
 Richland Community College Decatur | 3 | — | PHYS 100 | Policy |
DACC Danville Area Community College Danville | 3 | 5 | PHYS 102 | Policy |
 Concordia University-Chicago River Forest | 3 | 4 | PHY 2122 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | PHY 1102 | Policy | |
| 3 | 4 | PHY 175 | Policy | |
 Carl Sandburg College Galesburg | 3 | 5 | PHY 152 | Policy |
 Quincy University Quincy | 3 | 4 | PHY 212 | Policy |
 Rockford University Rockford | 3 | 4 | PHYS 106 | Policy |
 Highland Community College Freeport | 3 | 4 | PHYS 140 | Policy |
 Illinois College Jacksonville | 3 | 4 | PY 182 | Policy |
 Greenville University Greenville | 3 | 4 | Laboratory Science | Policy |
 Trinity Christian College Palos Heights | 3 | — | — | Policy |
JU Judson University Elgin | 3 | 4 | PHY238 w/Lab II | Policy |
 Spoon River College Canton | 3 | 4 | PH 112 | Policy |
 Monmouth College Monmouth | 3 | 4 | General Credit | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | — | Policy | |
 Wabash Valley College Mount Carmel | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Lincoln Trail College Robinson | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Principia College Elsah | 3 | 3 | PHYS XXX | Policy |
FCC Frontier Community College Fairfield | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences Rock Island | 3 | 4 | Advanced Science | Policy |
 DePaul University Chicago | 4 | 4 | PHY 152* | Policy |
 Loyola University Chicago Chicago | 4 | 3 | PHYS 112 | Policy |
 William Rainey Harper College Palatine | 4 | 10 | PHY 121 & 122 | Policy |
 Augustana College Rock Island | 4 | 4 | PHYS-152-AP | Policy |
NCC North Central College Naperville | 4 | 4 | PHYS Elective (100-level) | Policy |
 University of Illinois Springfield Springfield | 4 | 4 | ASP 202 | Policy |
 Wheaton College Wheaton | 4 | 8 | PHYS 221 & PHYS 222 | Policy |
 Lake Forest College Lake Forest | 4 | 1.0 | PHYS111L | Policy |
 McKendree University Lebanon | 4 | 4 | PHY-212 (General Physics: Electricity, Magnetism, Optics) | Policy |
 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington | 4 | 1 | Physics 100 level elective, PSI | Policy |
 Knox College Galesburg | 4 | 1 | PHYS 130A | Policy |
| 4 | 4 | PHY 117 | Policy | |
 Eureka College Eureka | 4 | 4 | PHS110, Introduction to Physical Science | Policy |
 Northwestern University Evanston | 5 | 1 | Physics 130-2 and 13X-2 | Policy |
AP Physics 2 credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Illinois 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 Illinois colleges give credit for AP Physics 2?+
79 colleges in Illinois publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics 2. 65 of them (82%) 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 Physics 2 score that earns credit in Illinois?+
3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign awards credit at a score of 3, worth 3 credit hours, counting as Physics 1--. 65 Illinois colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Illinois?+
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 Illinois AP credit policies?+
79 of the 79 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.