AP Courses

Through college-level AP courses, students have the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation’s colleges and universities. Outside the U.S., universities in more than 55 countries recognize AP Exam scores in the admission process and/or for credit and advanced placement. Individual colleges and universities, not the College Board or the AP Program, set admission and AP recognition criteria for their respective programs. AP Exam performance is typically considered within the student’s complete application. Students opting for AP courses are required to take the exam for that course in May.

AP Course Benefits

  1. What are Advanced Placement (AP) program classes?
    • Advanced Placement classes are courses administered by the College Board organization, the same group that administers the SAT and TOEFL exam. These classes were created to allow advanced/motivated students in high school participate in a college-level course, with the possibility of earning college credit. AP exams are given in May, and students may gain college credits if they pass.
  2. What are the advantages of taking an AP course?
    • Impress Colleges: By taking AP courses, you are making an indication to colleges that you are a “college bound” student. Successful completion of a rigorous curriculum that includes AP courses is a sign of “college readiness”.
    • Develop Skills: By taking higher level courses, you will develop your high level calculating and critical reasoning skills.
    • Earn College Credit (Save Money): AP exams are given in May. If you score well, you will be eligible for college credit transfer, acceptable at most colleges and universities in the world, including Ivy League schools. Taking enough AP courses allows you to save cost and time at university.
    • Increase your GPA: AP courses are weighted on a 5.0 scale. Therefore, if you earn an A, it is treated as a 5.0 on your transcript. If you earn a B, it is treated as a 4.0 on your transcript and so on. It is very possible to graduate with a cumulative GPA of above 4.0.
  3. Is my child ready to take an AP Class?
    • AP courses are a lot more challenging than regular high school courses. They generally require motivation and dedication. APU will usually require students to have at least a 3.0 GPA in order to be considered to take an AP course, but will consider other students based on instructor approval.
  4. What AP courses are available?
    • Please refer to our course catalogue to inquire about the type of AP courses we have available.