AP Art History credit at California colleges
Every California college with a published AP Art History credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
159 of 176 California colleges (90%) award credit for AP Art History at a score of 3. 17 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at California State University-Fullerton (6 credit hours). 169 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6 | ART 201A (3), Electives (3) | Policy | |
 California State University-Long Beach Long Beach | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 8 | — | Policy | |
 San Diego State University San Diego | 3 | 6 | ART 258 and ART 259 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | — | Policy | |
 University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles | 3 | 8 | — | Policy |
 California State University-Northridge Northridge | 3 | 6 | ART 110 | Policy |
| 3 | 8 | — | Policy | |
| 3 | 8 | One course toward Art History major, minor, category IV of the UCI GE requirement as ART HIS 40A, and satisfaction of category VIII, plus 4 units of elective credit; may not replace School of Humanities requirements | Policy | |
 California State University-Sacramento Sacramento | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 San Jose State University San Jose | 3 | 6 | ARTH 070A & 070B | Policy |
 American River College Sacramento | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Mt San Antonio College Walnut | 3 | 6 | AHIS 4 + AHIS 5 | Policy |
 East Los Angeles College Monterey Park | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | AH 2301 or AH 2302 | Policy | |
 University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara | 3 | 8 | Art History 1 | Policy |
 Santa Ana College Santa Ana | 3 | 6 | Art 101, 102 | Policy |
 Long Beach City College Long Beach | 3 | 6 | ART 1P (3) and ART 99P (3) | — |
 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo | 3 | 9 | ART 112 & Elective Units | Policy |
 California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Santa Monica College Santa Monica | 3 | 3 | AHIS 1 | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | ARTH 10 & ARTH 11 | Policy | |
 San Francisco State University San Francisco | 3 | 6 | ART 201, C1 | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | Art 102A, 102B | Policy | |
FCC Fresno City College Fresno | 3 | 6 | ART 5 & ART 6 | — |
 Cerritos College Norwalk | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz | 3 | 8 | — | Policy |
 Riverside City College Riverside | 3 | 6 | Art 1 & 2 | Policy |
 Sacramento City College Sacramento | 3 | 3 | ARTH 301 | Policy |
 Southwestern College Chula Vista | 3 | 6 | Art 150 and 151 | Policy |
 Fullerton College Fullerton | 3 | 6 | ARTH 150 F & ARTH 155 F | Policy |
 Bakersfield College Bakersfield | 3 | 3 | ART B36 | Policy |
 Palomar College San Marcos | 3 | 6 | ART 100 | Policy |
 Orange Coast College Costa Mesa | 3 | 6 | Art A100 & A101 | Policy |
CCSF City College of San Francisco San Francisco | 3 | 3 | Art 101 | Policy |
 Saddleback College Mission Viejo | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 San Diego Mesa College San Diego | 3 | 6 | SDCCD ARTF 110 or ARTF 111 | Policy |
 California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino | 3 | 6 | AH 1103>A and AH 1104>A | Policy |
 College of the Canyons Santa Clarita | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Rio Hondo College Whittier | 3 | 6 | ART 105, ART 106 | Policy |
 De Anza College Cupertino | 3 | 3 | ARTS 1A | Policy |
 Mt San Jacinto Community College District San Jacinto | 3 | 6 | ARTH-C1100 and ARTH-C1200 | Policy |
 Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill | 3 | 6 | — | — |
 Modesto Junior College Modesto | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 California State University-San Marcos San Marcos | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga | 3 | 6 | — | — |
 Cosumnes River College Sacramento | 3 | 3 | ARTH 300 | Policy |
 Sierra College Rocklin | 3 | 6 | ARHI 110,120 | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | ARTH 110 & 120 | Policy | |
 Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | — | Policy | |
 Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen | 3 | 6 | ART 101 or ARTHIST110 | Policy |
 Cypress College Cypress | 3 | 6 | ART 111 C and ART 112 C | Policy |
 Victor Valley College Victorville | 3 | 3 | Art 101 | Policy |
 Moorpark College Moorpark | 3 | 6 | ARTH M110 | Policy |
 Grossmont College El Cajon | 3 | 6 | ART 140, 141 | Policy |
 San Bernardino Valley College San Bernardino | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | ART 101/102 | Policy | |
 Chabot College Hayward | 3 | 3 | Art History 4 or 5 | Policy |
 Los Angeles City College Los Angeles | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 College of the Sequoias Visalia | 3 | 3 | ARTH C1100 | Policy |
 San Diego Miramar College San Diego | 3 | 6 | ARTF 110 or ARTF 111 | Policy |
SCC Santiago Canyon College Orange | 3 | 6 | ART 101 ART 102 | Policy |
 MiraCosta College Oceanside | 3 | 6 | ART 258 and ART 259 | Policy |
| 3 | 8 | ART 3411 & 1010 | Policy | |
 Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara | 3 | 3 | ART 103 or 104 | Policy |
 Ventura College Ventura | 3 | 3 | ART V02A | Policy |
 National University San Diego | 3 | 4.5 | ART 100 | Policy |
 Merced College Merced | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Irvine Valley College Irvine | 3 | 3 | ARTH 25 | Policy |
 Folsom Lake College Folsom | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Golden West College Huntington Beach | 3 | 6 | ART G105 + G106 | Policy |
 College of the Desert Palm Desert | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | ART 2515 & 2520 | Policy | |
 Butte College Oroville | 3 | 6 | ART-2, ART-4 | Policy |
| 3 | 5.3 | General Education Credit: fulfills (1) Approaches to Knowledge course for the Area B: Media and Visual Analysis requirement. | Policy | |
 Norco College Norco | 3 | 6 | Art 1 and 2 | Policy |
 Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley | 3 | 6 | Art 1 and 2 | — |
 California State University-Bakersfield Bakersfield | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Citrus College Glendora | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | ART 101, 102 | Policy | |
 California Baptist University Riverside | 3 | 6 | ART 241 & ART 242 | Policy |
 Allan Hancock College Santa Maria | 3 | 3 | ART 103 | Policy |
 Solano Community College Fairfield | 3 | 3 | ART 001 | Policy |
 Evergreen Valley College San Jose | 3 | 3 | — | — |
 Cabrillo College Aptos | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 College of San Mateo San Mateo | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 West Los Angeles College Culver City | 3 | 3 | Art 101 & 102 | Policy |
 Laney College Oakland | 3 | 3 | ART 1 or 4 | Policy |
 Hartnell College Salinas | 3 | 3 | ART 1A or 1B | Policy |
 Skyline College San Bruno | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Los Medanos College Pittsburg | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 San Jose City College San Jose | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Coastline Community College Fountain Valley | 3 | 6 | Art C100 & C101 | Policy |
 Ohlone College Fremont | 3 | 6 | ART-103A and ART-103B | Policy |
 Imperial Valley College Imperial | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Cuesta College San Luis Obispo | 3 | 6 | ART204 | Policy |
 Cuyamaca College El Cajon | 3 | 6 | ART 140 and ART 141 | Policy |
 Las Positas College Livermore | 3 | 6 | ARTH C1100 and ARTH C1200 | Policy |
 Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 West Valley College Saratoga | 3 | 6 | Art 1A and 1B | Policy |
 Oxnard College Oxnard | 3 | 6 | ART R102 | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | 3A or 3B; VPA 205 | Policy | |
 Monterey Peninsula College Monterey | 3 | 6 | ARTH 3 & 4 | — |
 University of San Francisco San Francisco | 3 | 8 | Visual and Performing Arts Core | Policy |
 Mission College Santa Clara | 3 | 6 | ART 001A and 001B | Policy |
 Shasta College Redding | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | ART 103A (GE area 3A Arts), ART 103B (GE area 3B Humanities) | Policy | |
 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park | 3 | 6 | ARTH 210 | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | Art 110 + 3 elective credits | Policy | |
 Merritt College Oakland | 3 | 3 | ART 1 or 4 | Policy |
 Crafton Hills College Yucaipa | 3 | 3 | ART 100 | Policy |
 Canada College Redwood City | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Reedley College Reedley | 3 | 3 | ART 5 or ART 6 | Policy |
CCC Contra Costa College San Pablo | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Berkeley City College Berkeley | 3 | 3 | ART 1 or 4 | Policy |
 Gavilan College Gilroy | 3 | 3 | ART 1A | Policy |
 College of Alameda Alameda | 3 | 3 | ART 1 OR 4 | Policy |
 Academy of Art University San Francisco | 3 | 3 | LA 120 Art History Through the 15th Century and LA 121 Art History Through the 19th Century | Policy |
 College of Marin Kentfield | 3 | 3 | ART 101 or ART 102 or ART 103 | Policy |
 Los Angeles Southwest College Los Angeles | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 College of the Redwoods Eureka | 3 | 6 | Art 1A | Policy |
 Cerro Coso Community College Ridgecrest | 3 | 3 | ART C105 or ART C106 | Policy |
UV University of La Verne La Verne | 3 | 4 | GE Humanities (LVHU) | Policy |
 Lemoore College Lemoore | 3 | 3 | Art 016A | Policy |
TC Taft College Taft | 3 | 6 | ARTH 1510 | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | — | Policy | |
 Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego | 3 | 3 | ART1000 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | — | Policy | |
 Woodland Community College Woodland | 3 | 3 | ART 1A | Policy |
 Lake Tahoe Community College South Lake Tahoe | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Palo Verde College Blythe | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
MC Mendocino College Ukiah | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Porterville College Porterville | 3 | 6 | ART P113 and ART P114 | Policy |
 Barstow Community College Barstow | 3 | 3 | ARTS 1 | Policy |
 California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks | 3 | 3 | Art 111 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | AH 201 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | ART-252C | Policy | |
 Columbia College Sonora | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | ART 110 Art Appreciation (GE) | Policy | |
 The Master's University and Seminary Santa Clarita | 3 | 3 | MU190 | Policy |
FRCC | 3 | 3 | ART 172 | Policy |
 Lassen Community College Susanville | 3 | — | — | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | ART 900 | Policy | |
 Dominican University of California San Rafael | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Copper Mountain Community College Joshua Tree | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 William Jessup University Rocklin | 3 | 3 | score of 3ART 240A, score of 4 or 5 ART 420A and ART 240B | Policy |
 Pacific Union College Angwin | 3 | 8 | ARTH 115+116 | Policy |
 Woodbury University Burbank | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Whittier College Whittier | 3 | 3 | ART 205 and 206 | Policy |
 Menlo College Atherton | 3 | 3 | LD Humanities | Policy |
| 3 | 6 | — | Policy | |
 Hope International University Fullerton | 3 | 6 | Humanties Elective | Policy |
 University of Silicon Valley San Jose | 3 | — | GE: Social Perspectives | Policy |
| 3 | — | — | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | ART131 | Policy | |
| 3 | 6 | ART 100, HU ELT | Policy | |
 University of the West Rosemead | 3 | 3 | General Education | Policy |
 Ashford University San Diego | 4 | 3 | AESTHETIC AWARENESS & REASONING COMPETENCY; OR INTERCULTURAL & GLOBAL AWARENESS COMPETENCY | Policy |
 University of Southern California Los Angeles | 4 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Pasadena City College Pasadena | 4 | 3 | ART 001A or 001B (3 semester) | Policy |
 Chapman University Orange | 4 | 3 | AH-200 | Policy |
 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles | 4 | 8 | ARHS 2000 and 2002 | Policy |
 Santa Clara University Santa Clara | 4 | 4 | ARTH 21, 22, or 23 | Policy |
 University of San Diego San Diego | 4 | 3 | Lower Division Elective Credit | Policy |
 Pepperdine University Malibu | 4 | 3 | ARTH 200.01 | Policy |
 University of the Pacific Stockton | 4 | 4 | ARTH 007 | Policy |
 University of Redlands Redlands | 4 | 4 | 200-level Art History course | Policy |
 Art Center College of Design Pasadena | 4 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Occidental College Los Angeles | 4 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles | 4 | 3 | Elective | Policy |
 Pomona College Claremont | 4 | 1 | — | Policy |
 Westmont College Santa Barbara | 4 | 4 | (Elective credit only) | Policy |
 Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles | 4 | 3 | Introduction to Visual Culture | Policy |
 Scripps College Claremont | 4 | 1 | — | Policy |
AP Art History credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per California college: the lowest score that earns actual credit under the policy that applies to all students, and the largest credit award published at that score. Placement-only policies — permission to skip a course without earning credit hours — are excluded. Credit hours and course equivalents are reproduced exactly as the college published them; “—” means no value was published and we do not estimate one. A page is published for a state only when at least 8 colleges back it.
Frequently asked questions
Which California colleges give credit for AP Art History?+
176 colleges in California publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Art History. 159 of them (90%) award credit at a score of 3, 17 require a 4, and 0 require a 5. The full list, with credit hours and the course each exam replaces, is in the table on this page.
What is the lowest AP Art History score that earns credit in California?+
3. California State University-Fullerton in Fullerton awards credit at a score of 3, worth 6 credit hours, counting as ART 201A (3), Electives (3). 159 California colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in California?+
No. AP credit policy is set per institution and applies to admitted students regardless of residency — residency affects tuition rate, not credit awards. What does vary is the school within a university: engineering and nursing colleges commonly set higher bars than arts and sciences. The rules shown here are the ones that apply to all students at each college.
How do I verify these California AP credit policies?+
169 of the 176 colleges on this page link to their own published AP credit page in the Source column; our snapshot was taken July 30, 2026. The college's page is authoritative and can change between admission cycles, so confirm there before building a graduation plan around the credit.
Keep exploring
Data sources: Each college's own published AP / advanced-standing credit page (captured July 30, 2026) · IPEDS institution directory (names, control, location). Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.