The AP U.S. History exam covers the history of the United States from pre-Columbian society to the present. The exam is the most popular of all AP subjects, and in 2008 over 340,000 students took the test. Many colleges and universities have a history requirement, so a high score on the AP U.S. History exam will sometimes fulfill that requirement.
The chart below provides some representative data from a variety of colleges and universities. This information is meant to provide a general overview of the scoring and placement information related to the AP US History exam. For other colleges, you'll need to check the school's website or contact the appropriate Registrar's office to get AP placement information.
For more information on AP classes and exams, check out these articles:
The distribution of scores for the AP U.S. History exam is as follows (2008 data):
- 5 - 9%
- 4 - 18%
- 3 - 21%
- 2 - 26%
- 1 - 26%
| AP U.S. History Scores and Placement | ||
| College | Score Needed | Placement Credit |
| Hamilton College | 4 or 5 | 1 semester credit toward general requirements |
| Grinnell College | 4 or 5 | HIS 111 and 112 |
| LSU | 3, 4 or 5 | HIST 2055 or 2057 (3 credits) for a 3; HIST 2055 and 2057 (6 credits) for a 4 or 5 |
| Mississippi State University | 3, 4 or 5 | HI 1063 (3 credits) for a 3; HI 1063 and HI 1073 (6 credits) for a 4 or 5 |
| Notre Dame | 5 | History 10010 (3 credits) |
| Reed College | 4 or 5 | 1 credit; no placement |
| Stanford University | - | No credit for AP U.S. History |
| Truman State University | 3, 4 or 5 | HIST 104 (3 credits) for a 3 or 4; HIST 104 and HIST 105 for a 5 |
| UCLA (School of Letters and Science) | 3, 4 or 5 | 8 credits; fulfills American History requirement |
| Yale University | - | No credit for AP U.S. History |
