Benefits of the AP Capstone Diploma Program – AP Central (2024)

FAQs

Benefits of the AP Capstone Diploma Program – AP Central? ›

Find Colleges and Universities That Grant Credit for AP Seminar and AP Research. The AP Capstone Diploma is increasingly recognized in admissions by higher education institutions around the world. Many colleges and universities offer credit and/or placement for a qualifying score in AP Seminar, AP Research, or both.

Find Colleges and Universities That Grant Credit for AP Seminar and AP Research. The AP Capstone Diploma is increasingly recognized in admissions by higher education institutions around the world. Many colleges and universities offer credit and/or placement for a qualifying score in AP Seminar, AP Research, or both.

Four AP courses are required for the Capstone diploma, but a student can take more with a guidance counselor's approval.

The AP Capstone Diploma is granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on 4 additional AP Exams of their choosing. The AP Seminar and Research Certificate is granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research.

Even if you don't go on to earn the AP Capstone Diploma, you will learn highly valuable critical—thinking and research skills in AP Seminar. Students who take it might place out of introductory college courses or earn college credits. AP Seminar can also help you avoid academic shock when you get to college.

AP Capstone is a powerful indicator of college readiness on a student's transcript and helps students stand out to colleges in the application process.

The Benefits of AP Capstone

Participating in AP Capstone can help students stand out to colleges, become independent thinkers, develop key academic skills, and more.

The program has reached a milestone of over 100,000 students participating during the 2022-23 academic year, representing over 2,500 schools worldwide. Approximately 15,800 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma, and 9,600 students earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.

Students who score a 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing earn the AP Capstone Diploma™. This signifies outstanding academic achievement and attainment of college-level academic and research skills.

What level of recognition is AP Capstone diploma? ›

The award is also acknowledged on any AP score report that is sent to colleges after the award has been conferred. Note: the AP Capstone Diploma and AP Seminar and Research Certificate are reported to colleges and universities as AP Scholar Awards and appear in Scholar Roster reports.

There are three AP Capstone difficulty levels: easy, medium, and hard. Easy AP Capstone tasks are those that don't require a lot of effort. Medium AP Capstone tasks may require more insight but still don't require a great deal of knowledge. Hard AP Capstone tasks may require some serious thinking and concentration.

If you want to take the class, take the class. But Harvard, and colleges at that level, will not care if you take the class or not. Again, this is in the context of Ivy League Admissions- what would you recommend dropping?

Capstone projects are often a highlight of a student's academic career and can provide valuable experience and skills for their future endeavors.

An AP Capstone award signifies to college admission officers that the applicant has the skills, experience, and passion for sustained success in higher education. Colleges recognize AP Capstone students can masterfully: Build evidence-based arguments. Apply research methods.

Students who complete the two-year program can earn one of two different AP Capstone awards, which are valued by colleges across the United States and around the world.