AP

Advanced Placement (AP) is a College Board program offering college-level courses and standardized end-of-year exams in roughly 38 subjects. Each exam is scored 1-5; scores of 3 or higher generally indicate college-level mastery, and many colleges award credit or course placement for scores of 4 or 5.

AP courses are an important signal of curriculum rigor in college admissions. Holistic-review schools assess "rigor of secondary record" (a Common Data Set factor) heavily, and AP enrollment is one of the most legible signals available. The number of APs taken matters less than whether the student took the most rigorous program available at their school.

For parents, two practical points: first, AP exams cost about $98 each in 2024-25, and fee waivers are available. Second, sending AP scores to colleges is generally optional — a strong score can help in admissions, but a 3 may be better not sent depending on the school's policy.