AP United States Government and Politics credit at Massachusetts colleges
Every Massachusetts college with a published AP United States Government and Politics credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
40 of 66 Massachusetts colleges (61%) award credit for AP United States Government and Politics at a score of 3. 23 require a 4 and 3 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Massachusetts-Boston (3 credit hours). 65 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | POLSCI 102 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | POLI.1010 | Policy | |
 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater | 3 | 3 | POLI 172 | Policy |
 Berklee College of Music Boston | 3 | 3 | LSOC 335 | Policy |
 Quinsigamond Community College Worcester | 3 | 3 | PSC 201 | Policy |
 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth | 3 | 3 | PSC 101 | Policy |
 Bristol Community College Fall River | 3 | 3 | GVT 111 | Policy |
 Middlesex Community College Bedford | 3 | 3 | GOV 120 | Policy |
 Suffolk University Boston | 3 | 4 | POLS 110 | Policy |
| 3 | — | POL201 | Policy | |
 Merrimack College North Andover | 3 | 4 | HIS 0001 | Policy |
 Springfield Technical Community College Springfield | 3 | 3 | PSC 101 | Policy |
 Worcester State University Worcester | 3 | 3 | PO-110 | Policy |
 Massasoit Community College Brockton | 3 | — | GOVT 105 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | POLS4102 | Policy | |
 Westfield State University Westfield | 3 | 3 | POLS 0101 | Policy |
 Northern Essex Community College Haverhill | 3 | 3 | GOV101 | Policy |
 Holyoke Community College Holyoke | 3 | 3 | POL 110 | Policy |
 Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Hills | 3 | 3 | GV 201 | Policy |
 Endicott College Beverly | 3 | 3 | POL113 | Policy |
 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg | 3 | 3 | POLS 1000 | Policy |
 Framingham State University Framingham | 3 | 4 | POSC 110 | Policy |
 Western New England University Springfield | 3 | 3 | POSC 102 | Policy |
 Stonehill College Easton | 3 | 3 | POL 123 American Government & Politics | Policy |
 Cape Cod Community College West Barnstable | 3 | 3 | GOV111 | Policy |
 Springfield College Springfield | 3 | 3 | POSC 110 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | — | Policy | |
 Roxbury Community College Roxbury Crossing | 3 | 3 | SSI 119 | — |
 Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay | 3 | 3 | SS-2121 | Policy |
 Gordon College Wenham | 3 | 4 | Free elective | Policy |
 Greenfield Community College Greenfield | 3 | 3 | POL 101 | Policy |
 Bay Path University Longmeadow | 3 | 3 | GOV 100 | Policy |
 Lasell University Newton | 3 | 3 | POLS101 | Policy |
 Nichols College Dudley | 3 | 3 | PSCI 270 Special Topics in Political Science (3 cr) | Policy |
 Dean College Franklin | 3 | 3 | POL-211 | Policy |
 Berkshire Community College Pittsfield | 3 | 3 | GOV-105 | Policy |
AIC American International College Springfield | 3 | 3 | POL1400- Intro to American Politics | Policy |
 Regis College Weston | 3 | — | LG - 201 | Policy |
 Anna Maria College Paxton | 3 | 3 | PSC 201 | Policy |
 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams | 3 | 3 | POSC 201 U.S. Government and Public Policy | Policy |
| 4 | 4 | PolSci 101 | Policy | |
 Boston University Boston | 4 | 4 | CAS PO 111 | Policy |
 Northeastern University Boston | 4 | 4 | POLS1150 | Policy |
 Boston College Chestnut Hill | 4 | 3 | 1 Social Science Core | Policy |
BHCC | 4 | 3 | PSC-101 | Policy |
 Tufts University Medford | 4 | 3 | PS AP (A max of 3 credits and one course equivalent can be awarded for political science AP Exams. Cannot be used towards the major.) | Policy |
 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester | 4 | 3 | GOV 1000 | Policy |
 Bentley University Waltham | 4 | 3 | GLS 100 | Policy |
 Emerson College Boston | 4 | 4 | History & Politics Perspective | Policy |
| 4 | 3 | GOV 102 | Policy | |
 MCPHS University Boston | 4 | — | — | Policy |
 College of the Holy Cross Worcester | 4 | 1 | — | Policy |
 Babson College Wellesley | 4 | 4 | HSS 2050 | Policy |
MWCC | 4 | 3 | POL 211 | Policy |
 Smith College Northampton | 4 | 4 | GOV 200 | Policy |
 Clark University Worcester | 4 | 4 | PSCI 050 - Introduction to American Government | Policy |
 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley | 4 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Emmanuel College Boston | 4 | 4 | POLSC 1201 (SS)(SJ) | Policy |
| 4 | 4 | POLS 101 | Policy | |
 Assumption University Worcester | 4 | 3 | POL ELEC | Policy |
 Lesley University Cambridge | 4 | 3 | CPOLS 2121 | Policy |
NECM | 4 | 2 | — | Policy |
 Montserrat College of Art Beverly | 4 | 3 | — | Policy |
| 5 | 9 | — | Policy | |
 Brandeis University Waltham | 5 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Wellesley College Wellesley | 5 | 1 | — | Policy |
AP United States Government and Politics credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts colleges give credit for AP United States Government and Politics?+
66 colleges in Massachusetts publish a credit-bearing policy for AP United States Government and Politics. 40 of them (61%) award credit at a score of 3, 23 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 United States Government and Politics score that earns credit in Massachusetts?+
3. University of Massachusetts-Boston in Boston awards credit at a score of 3, worth 3 credit hours, counting as POLSCI 102. 40 Massachusetts colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Massachusetts?+
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 Massachusetts AP credit policies?+
65 of the 66 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.