External Exam Credit

A passing score on an AP exam, CLEP exam, or IB exam may allow a student to receive subject credit for various requirements. The college utilizes external exam scores for placing students in appropriate course work in some cases as well as waiving students from specified occupational degree and/or certificate major course work or college graduation requirements. Please see a counselor for more information. Information regarding which subjects can receive local external exam (AP, CLEP, IB) credit can be obtained from A&R and Counseling Offices.

NOTE: Students should not take classes for which they have earned external exam credit unless a specific university requires a higher score and/or their university major requires it. Duplicative credit will not be awarded by the college or transfer university. Students should talk to their counselor if they are uncertain whether or not their university major requires a course that they have already received AP, CLEP, or IB credit to determine if they have earned the appropriate score, or need to take the course. Students must file a petition in the Office of Admissions and Records (A&R) to have external exam credit reflected on the college transcript. It is strongly recommended that students discuss the applicability of external exam credit with a Cypress College Counselor before submitting the Petition form to A&R.

Petition

The petition form may be obtained from the A&R Office or via link to downloadable forms on the college website:
https://www.cypresscollege.edu/admissions-records/admissions-records-forms/

In order for the external exam credit to be applied via petition, the official AP, CLEP, or IB scores must be on file in the A&R Office or submitted at the time of petition. Students must have the College Board send exam results to A&R (or hand carried copies are also accepted as long as they are in a sealed envelope).

Receiving Institution Credit

External exam credit (AP, CLEP, IB) awarded for transfer admission and major requirements is determined by the receiving institution.

University of California (UC)

The UC policy for external exam credit as it applies toward a student’s major is located in the Quick Reference for Counselors guide, available for reference in Counseling Offices and the Transfer Center and is also online at https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/).

California State University (CSU)

Individual CSU campuses’ admissions websites list the external exam credit for major-specific requirements. Click on the link for each campus at www.calstate.edu/search_find/campus.shtml?source=homepage.

NOTE: Students may earn credit for AP, or IB exams to satisfy Cal-GETC (for CSU or UC transfer), and A.A/A.S.. general education (GE). Information on scores that are accepted for the different exams toward specific categories of these general education patterns and the number of units awarded for each category is listed in the following policy section.

NOTE: Course credit and units granted by Cypress College for general education may differ from course credit and units granted by a transfer institution toward a student’s admission or transfer major program requirements. Students should visit each transfer institution’s catalog for their external exam policy for admission or major.

Students must have the College Board send AP exam results to the Admissions Office (hand carried copies will not be accepted).  Students may earn credit for Advanced Placement (AP) Tests with scores of 3, 4, or 5.  AP credit can be used to meet Cal-GETC, Cypress College AA/AS GE and/or Cypress College course credit as indicated in the chart above. 

1. Cypress College (CC) Majors: Students should be aware that AP test credit is evaluated by corresponding it to an equivalent CC course. 
   1. Example: Econ 100C for Macro AP Exam.  A student who receives AP credit and then takes the equivalent CC course will have the unit credit for such duplication deducted prior to being awarded the AA degree.
2. AA GE: The AP exams will be applied in the respective GE area as noted.  GE AP credit may be different than AP credit applied toward a Cypress College associate degree or certificate program major.
3. Cal-GETC: AP exams must be used in the area indicated regardless of where the certifying institution’s discipline is located.
4. Credit by AP exam is noted and listed first on a student’s transcript, with units and credit (CR) assigned.
   1. Example: AP History: World History 3.00 CR.
5. There is no equivalent AP exam for the Area 1B, Critical Thinking/Composition requirement.
6. AP exams may be used in either area regardless of where the certifying CCC’s discipline is located.
7. AP exams in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics B earn 4 semester or 5 quarter units towards toward Cal-GETC certification.
8. AP exams in Environmental Science, Physics C: Mechanics and Physics C: Electricity/Magnetism earn3 semester or 4 quarter units toward Cal-GETC certification.

The following resources were used in updating the chart above:

https://icas-ca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Cal-GETC_Standards_1v2_2024.pdf

https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/17651164/latest/

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/

1. ** The IB Curriculum offers language at various levels for the native and non-native speakers. Language A1 and A2 are advanced courses in literature for native and non-native speakers, respectively and therefore, satisfy Humanities GE areas, not English Composition. Language B courses are offered at the intermediate level for non- natives. Policies may differ for CSU and UC systems as noted.

2. Credit for International Baccalaureate (IB) High Level exams is similar to AP exams. Students who have earned credit from an IB exam should not take a comparable college course because transfer credit will not be granted for both.

3. Actual IB transfer credit (including possible differences in units to be awarded beyond those used for Cal-GETC certification) awarded for these and other IB exams at admission is determined by the CSU and UC. • The UC Policy for IB credit • The CSU system-wide minimums policy, CSU Systemwide Credit for External Examinations governing the use of these and

other IB exams for awarding general education credit.

The following resources were used in updating the chart above:

https://icas-ca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Cal-GETC_Standards_1v2_2024.pdf https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/17651164/latest/ https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/