Earn College Credit

Illinois offers two options to get a head start on credit toward graduation.

Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate

You will receive college credit for earning an acceptable score on Advance Placement (AP) program exams and International Baccalaureate (IB) program exams. Learn what your scores are worth at Illinois.

55% of freshmen come to Illinois with college credit—with an average of 15 credit hours.

Though some schools offer specific AP courses, taking a specifically labeled AP/IB course is not required to take an AP/IB exam, nor does it provide automatic credit.

If you feel prepared, you can take an AP/IB exam without having taken the course. Since these exams verify that a student has learned the amount of information equivalent to a college course, the exams are difficult. However, with enough preparation many students perform well and receive credit.

Dual Enrollment: College credit earned in high school

Some students have the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school. You will receive college credit for any transferable college course that appears on an official post-secondary transcript. If you enroll at Illinois, the grades earned in college courses will be part of your cumulative GPA. Visit www.transfer.org to find out how your courses will transfer to Illinois.

Why Earn College Credit Early?

Gaining credit in one subject, or many, before enrolling could count toward required coursework in college. For example, if you are not planning to continue on in a particular field of study, you may be able to get a requirement out of the way while still in high school. Or, if you want to climb a particular academic track quicker than normal, earning credit will allow you to take a higher-level class earlier.