External Exam Credit

A passing score on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam, or International Baccalaureate (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 exams (AP, CLEP, IB) credit can be obtained from Admissions and Records (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. Duplicate 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 whether they have earned the appropriate score or still need to take the course. Students must file a petition in 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 Fullerton 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://admissions.fullcoll.edu/downloadable-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 Fullerton 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.

*CSU Transfer: If a student passes more than one AP exam in calculus or computer science, only one examination may be applied to the baccalaureate.
**CSU Transfer: Students who pass AP Environmental Science earn 4 units of credit. Tests prior to Fall 2009 may apply either to Cal-GETC Area (5A and 5C) or (5B and 5C).  Fall of 2009 or later, those credits may only apply to Cal-GETC Area 5A and 5C.
***CSU Transfer: If a student passes more than one AP exam in physics, only six units of credit may be applied to the baccalaureate, and only four units of credit may be applied to a CSU GE area.
+UC Transfer: Only one of the two English courses required for transfer admission may be satisfied with an AP exam score (5.3 semester/8 quarter units maximum for both English exams).
++UC Transfer: 5.3 semester/8 quarter units maximum for all three Arts and Design exams.
+++UC Transfer: 5.3 semester/8 quarter units maximum for all Calculus exams.
++++UC Transfer: 5.3 semester/8 quarter units maximum for all Physics exams.
#UC Transfer: Please note that some UCs will required a higher exam score to get specific course credit.

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, Fullerton College AA/AS GE and/or Fullerton College course credit as indicated in the chart above. 

1. Fullerton College (FC) Majors: Students should be aware that AP test credit is evaluated by corresponding it to an equivalent FC course. 
   1. Example: Econ 102 F for Macro AP Exam.  A student who receives AP credit and then takes the equivalent FC 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 Fullerton 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 earn 3 semester or 4 quarter units toward Cal-GETC certification.

The following resources were used in updating the chart above:

https://icas-ca.org/cal-getc-standards/#61-advanced-placement-ap/

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/cal-getc-standards/#61-advanced-placement-ap

https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/17947386/latest/

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

1.   Fullerton College does not accept the College Composition-Modular exam
2.  Fullerton College AA GE: This chart represents CLEP test scores that can be applied to clear general education areas. There is no course-to-course articulation, no course equivalency granted based on CLEP scores except for College Composition Exam.