Princeton Advanced Placement (AP) Credits | Albert.io (2024)

So you want to go to Princeton, eh? Well that’s really great. To get in, you’ll need to take quite a few AP® classes to prove to the admissions committee that you can handle the rigorous academics there. But once you get to Princeton, what can you do with all the AP® credits you have racked up? Will they go to waste or give you advanced standing? Fear not, because we have the answers.

In this article, we will map everything you need to know about Princeton’s AP® credits policy. We’ll cover the school’s general academic requirements, AP® score transfer policies, and how to make sure you get the credit you deserve for the classes you worked so hard in.

Let’s get started.

Fast Facts about Princeton

• Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey, which is only about an hour away from New York City on one side, and Philadelphia on the other, so you can enjoy the small town vibe without entirely giving up your big city lifestyle.

• Princeton is a private university, a member of the ultra-competitive Ivy League, and was founded way back in 1746.

• The school’s colors are dark orange and black.

• If you go to a sport’s game, you’ll be rooting for the aptly named

The Numbers

According to the CollegeBoard as of 2015, Princeton has…

• 5,402 undergraduates

• 2,736 postgraduate students

• 1,317 first-time freshmen

The school also boasts a hefty $22.723 billion dollar endowment fund (that quite a bit you guys) and an ultra elite7% admission rate.

In 2015, 27,290 students applied for 1,948 spots.

As you can tell, it’s quite hard to get into Princeton. You’ll need stellar ACT® or SAT® scores, great teacher recommendations, and a very strong academic record. To build this record, you’ll need to not only take a couple of AP® courses, but also excel in them.But once you get your scores back, what are you supposed to do with them? Keep reading to find out!

Advanced Standing at Princeton

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of Princeton’s AP® credit policy, we need to make sure everyone is on the same page about what exactly it is that these credits can do for you once you get to college.

By taking upper-level courses in high school, students can earn what is called advanced standing. Basically, at Princeton, everyone enters as a freshman, but depending on your high school course load, you might be able to transfer in enough credits to do any of the following things:

• Qualify as a junior by your second year of college.

• Take a semester off and still graduate on time.

• Graduate a semester or even an entire academic year early.

• Skip lower-level classes to take more interesting ones.

If you end up at Princeton and this applies to you, you will be notified by the dean of your residential college in November of your freshman year.

Princeton’s AP® Credits Policy

There is more than one way to earn advanced standing at Princeton. While a high score (meaning a 4 or 5, it depends on the department) on an Advanced Placement exam is the most obvious, Princeton also considers the following alternatives:

• International Baccalaureate (IB) higher level exams

• British A-Level exams

• SAT® subject tests

• placement tests offered by some academic departments

So as you can see, even if your school did not offer APs, or an AP® course in the subject you wish to test out of, you are not out of luck just yet.

Before we go into too much detail, here is a quick look at what your AP® scores will get you at Princeton:

English

Language

Math

Science

Social Studies

We pulled all of our information straight from the Princeton website, so if you are interested in looking around yourself, or are wondering how your IB or SAT® II subject test scores will serve you, feel free to check it out over there.

As you can see, if you intend to continue the study of a foreign language while at Princeton, transferring in AP® credits can really speed up the process.

Here are some other quick facts about Princeton’s Advanced Placement Credits:

According to Princeton’sadmissions website:

Students can use AP® credits to enter upper-level courses or to fulfill the foreign language requirement. In a few cases, students who have earned a large number of AP® credits use them to graduate early through advanced standing. AP® credits may not be used to fulfill the writing requirement, reduce students’ course load in a given term or fulfill thedistribution requirements.

Pretty solid information! At Princeton, you still have to follow the recommended course of study via the distribution requirements (more on those in a sec!), but you can transfer your AP® credits to take more advanced classes, or ones that or more interesting to you, instead of the run of the mill introductory courses like everyone else.

You usually only use your AP® credits to get out of courses your freshman year of college.Because of this, Princeton will give you a report at the beginning of the fall semester informing you of the AP® units you have been granted credit for. Later in the semester, you will receive a second notice that reflects any scores that were submitted or received after the first report was issued.

Undergraduate Academic Requirements

Like many schools, Princeton has a set of core classes that each student, regardless of their major, has to take.

Princeton says:

Princeton is committed to offering an academic program that allows each student to achieve a truly liberal education. Although each department and school has its own requirements, the University requirements for graduation transcend the boundaries of specialization and provide all students with a common language and common skills.

While it is against Princeton’s AP® policy to allow you to use your AP® credits in lieu of taking a required class, AP® credits do give you more options when choosing your course load.

General Education Requirements for A.B. Students

• 1 Writing Seminar

• 1- 4 Foreign Language classes (depending on your starting level)

• 1 Epistemology and Cognition class

• 1 Ethical Thought and Moral Values class

• 1 Historical Analysis class

• 2 Literature and the Arts classes

• 1 Quantitative Reasoning class

• 2 Science and Technology. 1 must have a lab.

• 2 Social Analysis classes

As you can see, Princeton requires 12-15 classes to earn your Bachelor of Arts degree, which at roughly 4 classes a semester would take you 3 semesters, so by the middle of your sophom*ore year, you are free to take whatever you like.

It’s also important to note that Princeton wants each student to be fluent in a foreign language by the time that they graduate. If you took AP® language courses in high school, you will be ahead of the curve and have a less stressful time once you arrive.

General Education Requirements for B.S.E

To earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Princeton, you must take the following courses:

• 4 math classes (including multivariable calculus and linear algebra)

• 2 Physics classes

• 1 Chemistry class

• 1 Computer Science class

• 1 writing class

• 7 humanities classes

If you are interested in studying anything in the STEM field while at Princeton (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) you need to be taking AP® math or science in high school. While you can’t get out of any requirements, the knowledge base that an AP® course gives to you would help you succeed. You also could bypass basic courses and take more interesting classes to fulfill these requirements at Princeton.

Campus Vibe

Princeton is known for its friendly and close-knit atmosphere. Its undergraduate students are divided up between six residential colleges, so it is easy to make friends. Because of this, Princeton has one of the all-time highest alumni satisfaction rates. Each year, its class reunions are packed.

Its class sizes are nice and small(upper-level seminars usually have less than 30 students), so you will be sure to receive personalized attention from world-class professors, helping you to grow academically.

All the work you did in your high school AP® classes will help you be prepared to excel in these awesome courses, even if you decide to place out of a few.

A Quick Review

Here are a few things to remember as you plan your Princeton course load with AP® results in mind:

• Princeton accepts AP® scores of 5 (and rarely 4) for course credit.

• These requirements vary by department.

• Princeton has certain classes that everyone has to take called distribution requirements.

• You can’t use AP® credits to get out of these distribution requirements.

• Princeton is academically rigorous and a fun place to be.

So now you know everything you need to about Princeton AP® Credits. Remember, there is no magic formula that will get you into Princeton, but you can only help yourself by working hard and putting your best foot forward.

What are the next steps?

Obviously, taking a few AP® courses will give you a leg up with being admitted to Princeton – but, as you now know, they will also really help you out once you get there!

If you feel stressed about the work that AP® classes require, you shouldn’t be, because we are here to help. So sit back, relax, andtake a look at our handy guides to help you on your AP® journey.

You can read about the easiest AP® classes and tests here, and the hardest ones here.

You can also find a helpful guide about when to start studying for the AP® exams here, so you can avoid a major freak out in May when the all of the tests start piling up.

We wish you the best of luck on your college admissions journey! Remember Albert.io is here for all your AP® needs, whether it is some quick information on a school’s requirements or detailed study guides – we have it all.

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