| Students who receive the minimum score for an exam will receive four semester credits toward their degree. Grinnell only awards credit from a score report form received directly from The College Board for Advanced Placement (AP) or an official transcript received directly from International Baccalaureate (IB). It is the student’s responsibility to know that AP/IB credits will be cancelled upon successful completion (“D” grade or better) of any equivalent Grinnell course as noted below. All credits are divisional and not included in departmental credit limitations. Questions concerning placement should be directed to members of the appropriate department. Exam names apply to both AP and IB unless otherwise noted. |
| EXAM NAME | EQUIVALENT COURSE | MINIMUM SCORE | NOTES |
| Art History | None | 4 |
| Art Studio/Design | None | 4 | The Art Department must view the portfolios of all students taking the exam. Credits are only awarded upon approval from the Art Department. |
| Biology | None | 4 |
| Chemistry | CHM 129 | 4 |
| Chinese | CHI-101 | 4 |
| Classics - Latin Literature | None | 4 |
| Classics - Vergil | None | 4 |
| Computer Science A | None | 4 | Students cannot receive credit for both A and AB exams. These credits will not count toward the Computer Science major AND DO NOT SATISFY THE PREREQUISITE REQUIREMENTS FOR ANY COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE. Credit for the A or AB exam will be cancelled if a student receives credit for CSC-105. |
| Computer Science AB (also IB) | None | 3 | Students cannot receive credit for both A and AB exams. These four credits will not count toward the Computer Science major. Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 will be awarded four additional credits, pending initial placement in and successful completion (C grade or better) of a computer science course having CSC-207 as the prerequisite. These four additional credits may count toward the Computer Science major. Credit for the A or AB exam will be cancelled if a student receives credit for CSC-105. |
| Environmental Science | None | 4 |
| Microeconomics | ECN 111 | 4 |
| Macroeconomics | ECN 111 | 4 |
| English - Lang/Comp | None | 4 |
| English - Literature/Comp (also IB English A1) | ENG 120 | 5 AP; 7 IB | Minimum AP score accepted is 5. Only those students who receive a score of 5 on the AP exam or 7 on the IB exam are exempted from ENG 120 as a prerequisite. |
| French Language | FRN 101 | 4 |
| French Literature | FRN 101 | 4 |
| German | GRM 101 | 4 |
| History - American | HIS 111, 112 | 4 |
| History - European | HIS 101 | 4 |
| Mathematics AB | MAT 123, 124, 131 | 4 | Students who receive a score of 3 will be granted four credits pending initial placement in, and subsequent completion (C grade or better) of MAT 133. Students may not receive credit for both the AB and BC exams. |
| Mathematics BC and IB | MAT 123, 124, 131 | 3 | Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 on the AP exam or 6 or 7 on the IB exam will be granted four additional credits, pending initial placement in, and successful completion (C grade or better) of MAT 215. Students may not receive credit for both the AB and BC exams. |
| Music Theory | MUS 112 | 4 |
| Physics B | PHY 131 or 132 | 4 | These credits do not count toward a physics major AND DO NOT SATISFY THE PREREQUISITE REQUIREMENTS FOR ANY PHYSICS COURSE. Students cannot receive credit for both the Physics B exam and either of the two C exams. |
| Physics C - Mech | PHY 131 | 4 | These credits meet prerequisites and can count toward the major. |
| Physics C - E & M | PHY 132 | 4 | These credits meet prerequisites and can count toward the major. |
| Physics (IB) | None | 4 | IB credits plus PHY 131 & 132 cannot be more than eight credits. |
| Political Science - American | None | 4 |
| Political Science - Comparative | None | 4 |
| Psychology | PSY 113 | 4 |
| Spanish Language | None | 4 |
| Spanish Literature | None | 4 |
| Statistics | MAT/SST 115 | 4 |
