Advanced Placement (AP) Credits
Students are eligible to receive University of Michigan credits for Advanced Placement exams they have completed in high school. The score necessary to receive University of Michigan credit varies by subject and will be reviewed by your academic advisor during summer orientation. You can also check the Admissions AP Guidelines website: www.admissions.umich.edu/academics/apguidelines.html

AP credits cannot be used toward LSA distribution or to meet LSA requirements other than the language requirement.

Retroactive Credits in a Language*
(via UM Placement Test—for French, German, Hebrew, Latin and Spanish only)
You may be eligible to receive up to eight retroactive credits for study in a foreign language if you score well on a UM-administered placement test. There are three ways you can get retroactive language credit:

• If you take the UM language placement exam and place into a fourth-term language course (FRENCH 232, GERMAN 232,HJCS 202, LATIN 232, SPANISH 232), you then can enroll in that fourth-term course. If you receive a grade of “B” or better in the course, you will be awarded four retroactive credits for the third-term course (in addition to the four or five credits you receive for the fourth-term course).
• If you take the UM placement exam and meet the Language Requirement by placing out of the fourth-term course, it may be recommended that you take the fourth-term course. If you receive a grade of “B” or better in the course, you will be awarded four retroactive credits for the third-term course (in addition to the four or five credits you receive for the fourth-term course).
• If you take the University of Michigan placement exam and meet the Language Requirement by placing out of the fourth-term course, you then can enroll in an appropriate upper-level language course. If you receive a grade of “B” or better in the course, you will be awarded eight retroactive credits for the third- and fourth-term courses (in addition to the three credits you receive for the upper-level course).

Retroactive Credits in a Language in combination with AP Credits
You may receive a maximum total of eight credits through the retroactive language credit program (described above) and an Advanced Placement language exam. For example, if you get a score of four or better on the AP Spanish Language exam you will receive three credits for SPANISH 275. If you then enroll in SPANISH 276 and receive a grade of “B” or better in the course, you will receive five retroactive credits for the third- and fourth-term courses (in addition to the three credits you received from the AP test and the three credits for taking the SPANISH 276 course).

* Policy details, qualifying scores, and number of credits awarded vary slightly from department to department. You should check with your academic advisor if you have questions about whether you are eligible to receive retroactive credits.

FAQ: ap credit

Q: May I use my AP credits to meet the Distribution Requirement?
A: Advanced Placement credits may not be included as part of your Area Distribution. They may, however, be used as electives or as concentration prerequisites.

Q: How do I know if I received AP credits?
A: Because scores often are not reported until late summer, you may not know your Advanced Placement test scores when you come to Orientation. Your advisor can tell you what score you will need in order to receive degree credit, and together you should make your “best guess” about what related course (if any) to enroll in. Your AP credits should appear on your transcript by the middle of your first term.

Q: Will I receive credit for a course I take at UM if I already have AP credits for it?
A: Yes, but you will lose the AP credit.

Q: May I use my AP credits toward the 120 credits I need to graduate?
A: Yes. AP credits can be counted toward graduation.

Q: May I use my AP credits to meet course and concentration prerequisites?
A: In general, yes. For example, if you are planning on majoring in economics, you can use your AP credits in micro- and macroeconomics to meet the prerequisites for an economics concentration.

* It is important to note that each department has a different policy on Advanced Placement credits. Some departments do not allow students to use their AP credits to meet prerequisites. For a complete list of departments that accept AP credits, consult with your academic advisor or faculty concentration advisor.