AP Physics C: Mechanics credit at Washington colleges
Every Washington college with a published AP Physics C: Mechanics credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
42 of 49 Washington colleges (86%) award credit for AP Physics C: Mechanics at a score of 3. 6 require a 4 and 1 requires a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Washington-Seattle Campus (5 credit hours). 48 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5 | PHYS 101 | Policy | |
 Washington State University Pullman | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Western Washington University Bellingham | 3 | 5 | Physics 161 | Policy |
 Central Washington University Ellensburg | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
 Bellevue College Bellevue | 3 | 6 | PHYS& 114 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | General Elective | Policy | |
| 3 | 5 | PHYS 101 | Policy | |
 Clark College Vancouver | 3 | 5 | Natural Sciences | Policy |
 Green River College Auburn | 3 | 5 | PHYS 900 | Policy |
 Pierce College District Lakewood | 3 | 5 | PHYS& 114 (5) | Policy |
 Everett Community College Everett | 3 | 5 | PHYS& 114 | Policy |
 Tacoma Community College Tacoma | 3 | 5 | PHYS& 114 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | — | Policy | |
 Spokane Community College Spokane | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | PHYS 101 | Policy | |
 Seattle Central College Seattle | 3 | 5 | Science Distribution | Policy |
 Highline College Des Moines | 3 | 5 | PHYS 900 | Policy |
EC Edmonds College Lynnwood | 3 | — | — | Policy |
 Olympic College Bremerton | 3 | 6 | PHYS 114 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | SCIENCE DISTRIBUTION | Policy | |
 North Seattle College Seattle | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | PHYS& 114 or other algebra-based physics class (mechanics) | Policy | |
 Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
 Yakima Valley College Yakima | 3 | 5 | PHYS 115/125 | Policy |
 Clover Park Technical College Lakewood | 3 | — | — | — |
WWCC Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla | 3 | 5 | PHYS& 114 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | PHYS 100TR | Policy | |
 Whatcom Community College Bellingham | 3 | 5 | PHYS&114 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | — | Policy | |
 Seattle Pacific University Seattle | 3 | 5 | General Elective | Policy |
 The Evergreen State College Olympia | 3 | 8 | — | Policy |
 Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee | 3 | 5 | PHYS& 114 | Policy |
 Lower Columbia College Longview | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
BTC Bates Technical College Tacoma | 3 | 5 | PHYS& 114 | Policy |
RTC Renton Technical College Renton | 3 | — | PHYS 900 natural science credits | Policy |
 Bellingham Technical College Bellingham | 3 | 5 | Elective - Science Distribution | Policy |
 South Seattle College Seattle | 3 | 5 | PHYS& 114 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | PHY 171 | Policy | |
PC Peninsula College Port Angeles | 3 | 5 | PHYS& 114 | Policy |
GHC Grays Harbor College Aberdeen | 3 | 5 | PHYS& 221 | Policy |
 Cascadia College Bothell | 3 | 5 | — | Policy |
 Northwest University Kirkland | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
GU Gonzaga University Spokane | 4 | 3 | Physics 106 | Policy |
 Seattle University Seattle | 4 | 5 | PHYS 1210 & 1211 | Policy |
 Whitworth University Spokane | 4 | 3 | PS 151 | Policy |
| 4 | 1 | PHYS 121 | Policy | |
 Big Bend Community College Moses Lake | 4 | 5 | PHYS& 221 | Policy |
| 4 | — | PHY 200/L | Policy | |
 Whitman College Walla Walla | 5 | 4 | Physics 155 | Policy |
AP Physics C: Mechanics 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 Physics C: Mechanics?+
49 colleges in Washington publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics C: Mechanics. 42 of them (86%) award credit at a score of 3, 6 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 C: Mechanics score that earns credit in Washington?+
3. University of Washington-Seattle Campus in Seattle awards credit at a score of 3, worth 5 credit hours, counting as PHYS 101. 42 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?+
48 of the 49 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.