The AP U.S. Government and Politics exam covers the U.S. Constitution, political beliefs, political parties, interest groups, the media, the institutions of the national government, public policy, and civil rights. In 2008, over 175,000 students took the exam. A high score on the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam will sometimes fulfill a college's history or social science requirement.
The chart below presents some representative data from a variety of colleges and universities. This information is meant to provide a general overview of the scoring and placement practices related to the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam. For other schools, you'll need to search the college'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. Government and Politics exam is as follows (2008 data):
- 5 - 12%
- 4 - 13%
- 3 - 25%
- 2 - 26%
- 1 - 24%
| AP U.S. Government and Politics Scores and Placement | ||
| College | Score Needed | Placement Credit |
| Georgia Tech | 4 or 5 | POL 1101 (3 semester hours) |
| Grinnell College | 4 or 5 | 4 semester credits; no placement |
| LSU | 4 or 5 | POLI 2051 (3 credits) |
| MIT | 5 | 9 general elective units |
| Mississippi State University | 4 or 5 | PS 1113 (3 credits) |
| Notre Dame | 5 | Political Science 10100 (3 credits) |
| Reed College | 4 or 5 | 1 credit; exam may satisfy prerequisites |
| Stanford University | - | no credit or placement for the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam |
| Truman State University | 3, 4 or 5 | POL 161 American National Government (3 credits) |
| UCLA (School of Letters and Science) | 3, 4 or 5 | 4 credits and fulfills American History requirement |
| Yale University | - | no credit or placement for the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam |
