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Transfer of AP / IB Credits

You may receive Northwestern credit for your Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) test scores and/or be able to skip introductory courses in some sequences.

Please follow these procedures to ensure that your AP / IB credits are properly transferred.

For Incoming First Year Students

  • Have your scores sent directly to Northwestern by the testing service. If you listed Northwestern as a recipient school when you took your AP or IB exams, that should happen automatically.
  • If you did not initially ask your testing service to send your exam scores to Northwestern, please contact them immediately and ask them to do so now. As a backup, bring a copy of your scores with you in September.
  • Credit for AP / IB scores will be posted on your transcript as quickly as the university can process it. In most cases, that will happen before the beginning of the fall term.
  • If you did not originally request that your scores be sent to Northwestern, it may take longer to post any credit you receive. As long as you know your scores, however, you should plan your schedule based on your school's AP / IB policies.

For Upper-Class Students

If your AP / IB credit does not appear on your unofficial transcript on CAESAR, check with the Office of the Registrar at 633 Clark Street, phone: 847-491-5334. Bring a copy of your AP/IB score report with you.

Northwestern Credits Granted

The matrix on this page shows what credit (if any) is granted for a particular score on a particular exam. This matrix may be altered on a yearly basis and will show the information for the current academic year. Credit is not final until it has been posted to your Northwestern transcript by the Office of the Registrar.

The next question after determining how many and which units of credit you have been awarded, is how they can be applied to McCormick degree requirements. See the section below for further specifics.

AP / IB Credit Recognition and Distribution Requirements

Exam

Score

Course Credit Authorized

Area to Allocate Course

Art History

5

1 unit (Art History 2XX)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Studio Art

5

1 unit (Art 2XX)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Biology

5

1 unit (Biol Sci 1XX)

Unrestricted Elective

Chemistry

4

1 unit (Chem 1X0)

Basic Science or Unrestricted Elective. Will depend on the degree.

Chemistry

5

3.68 units (Chem 1X0, 1X1, 1X2, and lab courses 11X, 12X)

Basic Science or Unrestricted Elective. Will depend on the degree.

Chinese Language and Culture

4

1 unit (Chinese 1LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Chinese Language and Culture

5

2 units (Chinese 1LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Computer Science A

4, 5

1 unit (Comp Sci 150)

Unrestricted Elective or Major Requirement. Dependent on degree program.

Computer Science Principles

4,5

1 unit (Comp Sci 1XX)

Unrestricted Elective

Economics-Macro

5

1 unit (Economics 201)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Economics-Micro

5

1 unit (Economics 202)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

English (Language and Composition)

5

2 units (English 1LC)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

English (Literature and Composition)

5

2 units (English 1LT)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Environmental Science

5

1 unit (Envr Sci 1XX)

Unrestricted Elective

French Language and Culture

4

1 unit (French 1LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

French Language and Culture

5

2 units (French 2LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Geography (Human)

5

1 unit (Geography 1XX)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

German Language and Culture

4

1 unit (German 1LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

German Language and Culture

5

2 units (German 2LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Government and Politics (United States)

5

1 unit (Poli Sci 2XX)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Government and Politics (Comparative)

5

1 unit (Poli Sci 2XX)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

History (European)

5

2 units (History 2EU)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

History (United States)

5

2 units (History 2US)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

History (World)

5

2 units (History 2WL)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Italian Language and Culture

4

1 unit (Italian 2LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Italian Language and Culture

5

2 units (Italian 2LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Japanese Language and Culture

4

1 unit (Japanese 1LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Japanese Language and Culture

5

2 units (Japanese 1LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Latin

4

1 unit (Latin 2LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Latin

5

2 units (Latin 2LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Mathematics (Calculus) AB, or the AB subscore of Calculus BC, for exams taken in 2019 or prior year 

4

1 unit (Math 220-1)

Math Requirement

Mathematics (Calculus) AB, or the AB subscore of Calculus BC, for exams taken in 2019 or prior year 

5

2 units (Math 220-1,2) 

Math Requirement

Mathematics (Calculus) BC, for exams taken in 2019 or prior year 

Below 4

See Mathematics AB

See Mathematics AB

Mathematics (Calculus) BC, for exams taken in 2019 or prior year 

 4

2 units (Math 220-1,2) 

Math Requirement

Mathematics (Calculus) BC, for exams taken in 2019 or prior year 

 5

3 units (Math 220-1,2 & 
Math 226-0)

Math Requirement & Unrestricted elective (Math 226)

Mathematics (Calculus) AB, for exams taken in 2020 

4

1 unit (Math 220-1)

Math Requirement

Mathematics (Calculus) AB, for exams taken in 2020 

5

2 units (Math 220-1,2) 

Math Requirement

Mathematics (Calculus) BC, for exams taken in 2020 

4

2 units (Math 220-1,2) 

Math Requirement

Mathematics (Calculus) BC, for exams taken in 2020 

5

3 units (Math 220-1,2 & 
Math 226-0)

Math Requirement & Unrestricted elective (Math 226)

Music Theory

5

1 unit (Gen Mus 252)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Physics 1

5

1.34 units (Physics 130-1 and lab course 13X-1)

Unrestricted Elective

Physics 2

5

1.34 units (Physics 130-2 and lab course 13X-2)

Unrestricted Elective

Physics B (replaced by Physics 1 and Physics 2 in 2014-2015)

5

2.68 units (Physics 130-1,2 and lab courses 13X-1,2)

Unrestricted Elective

Physics C (Mechanics)

5

1.34 units (Physics 135-1 and lab course 136-1)

Unrestricted elective

Physics C (Electricity & Magnetism), for exams taken in 2019 or prior year

5

1.34 units (Physics 135-2 and lab course 136-2)

Basic science or unrestricted elective

Physics C (Electricity & Magnetism), for exams taken in 2020

 5

1.34 units (Physics 1XX and lab 1XL)

Unrestricted elective* 

Psychology

5

1 unit ( Psychology 110)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Spanish Language and Culture

4

1 unit (Spanish 2LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Spanish Language and Culture

5

2 units (Spanish 2LN)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Spanish Literature and Culture

4

1 unit (Spanish 2LT)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Spanish Literature and Culture

5

2 units (Spanish 2LT)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Statistics

4,5

1 unit (Statistics 202)

Unrestricted Elective

*Students with Physic 1XX and 1XL credit should consider taking the Physics Equivalency Exam closer to the start of the term. Please review the following: https://www.physics.northwestern.edu/undergraduate/first-year-focus.html, and scroll down to information on Physics 135-2 Equivalency Exam Assessment.

Recognition for International Baccalaureate Testing

The following list is not exhaustive. Northwestern grants credit for sufficiently high scores on most HL (Higher Level) IB exams. Northwestern does not grant credit for any SL (Standard Level) IB exams. 

IB Higher Level Exam

Score

Northwestern Credit

Distribution Credit Authorized

Biology

6,7

1 unit (Biol Sci 1XX)

Unrestricted Elective

Chemistry

5,6

1 unit (Chem 1X0; placement in 171/181)

Basic Science or Unrestricted Elective

Chemistry

7

3.68 units (Chem 1X0, 1X1, 1X2, and lab courses 11X, 12X);
placement in Chem 210-1 or 212-1/232-1

Basic Science or Unrestricted Elective

Computer Science

5,6,7

1 unit (Comp Sci 110)

Unrestricted Elective

Economics

6,7

2 units (Econ 201, 202)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

English

6,7

1 unit (English 1XX)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Foreign Language (all languages)

6

1 unit of 1XX in the relevant language

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Foreign Language (all languages)

7

2 units of 1XX in the relevant language

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

History
(American)

6,7

2 units (History 2AM)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

History (European)

6,7

2 units (History 2EU)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

History (Asia and Oceania, or Africa and Middle East)

6,7

2 units (History 2XX)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

Mathematics

6,7

1 unit (Math 220-1)

Mathematics
Physics

6,7

2.68 units (Physics 130-1,2 and lab courses 13X-1,2)

Unrestricted Elective
Psychology

6,7

1 unit (Psych 110)

Theme or Unrestricted Elective

A student who earns a score of 6 or 7 on the IB Mathematics HL examination may be eligible for additional credit if their examination includes the Calculus Option (credit for MATH 220-2 and MATH 226-0) or the Statistics and Probability option (credit for STAT 210-0). To apply for additional credit, the student must have their high school IB Diploma Programme Coordinator submit a copy of the student's IB Registration Summary to the Office of the Registrar. 

If you have taken an exam not listed here (British A-Levels, for example) and wish to discuss earning credit, please e-mail your McCormick first year adviser for further information.

Transfer Credits

McCormick follows Northwestern’s requirements for transfer credits. Please consult Northwestern's Office of Undergraduate Admission for information on which credits you can transfer from another institution.