The AP World History exam covers a ridiculously wide range of history ranging from 8,000 B.C.E. to the present. In 2008, over 120,000 students took the exam. Most colleges and universities have a history requirement and/or a global perspectives requirement, so a high score on the AP World History exam will sometimes fulfill one of both of these requirements.
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 World History 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 World History exam is as follows (2008 data):
- 5 - 9%
- 4 - 16%
- 3 - 23%
- 2 - 26%
- 1 - 26%
| AP World History Scores and Placement | ||
| College | Score Needed | Placement Credit |
| Georgia Tech | 4 or 5 | 1000-level history (3 semester hours) |
| LSU | 4 or 5 | HIST 1007 (3 credits) |
| MIT | 5 | 9 general elective units |
| Notre Dame | 5 | History 10030 (3 credits) |
| Reed College | 4 or 5 | 1 credit; no placement |
| Stanford University | - | no credit or placement for the AP World History exam |
| Truman State University | 3, 4 or 5 | HIST 131 World Civilizations before 500 A.D. (3 credits) for a 3 or 4; HIST 131 World Civilizations before 500 A.D. and HIST 133 World Civilizations, 1700-Present (6 credits) for a 5 |
| UCLA (School of Letters and Science) | 3, 4 or 5 | 8 credits and World History placement |
| Yale University | - | no credit or placement for the AP World History exam |
