AP Biology credit at Maryland colleges
Every Maryland college with a published AP Biology credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
29 of 36 Maryland colleges (81%) award credit for AP Biology at a score of 3. 6 require a 4 and 1 requires a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Maryland Global Campus (4 credit hours). 36 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | BIOL 103 | Policy | |
 University of Maryland-College Park College Park | 3 | 4 | Lab Science (DSNL) | Policy |
 Towson University Towson | 3 | 4 | BIOL 120 and BIOL 120L | Policy |
 Montgomery College Rockville | 3 | 4 | BIOL101 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | BIOL 110 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | BIOL 101 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | BIO GER | Policy | |
 Morgan State University Baltimore | 3 | 4 | Lower-Level Elective | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | BIO 1010 | Policy | |
 Howard Community College Columbia | 3 | 4 | BIOL-101 | Policy |
 Salisbury University Salisbury | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101 | Policy |
 College of Southern Maryland La Plata | 3 | 4 | BIO 1010/1010L or BIO 1020/1020L | Policy |
 Frederick Community College Frederick | 3 | 4 | BSCI 100 | Policy |
 Harford Community College Bel Air | 3 | 4 | BIO 100 or 119 | Policy |
 Stevenson University Owings Mills | 3 | 4 | BIO 104 | Policy |
 Frostburg State University Frostburg | 3 | 4 | BIOL 149 | Policy |
 Hagerstown Community College Hagerstown | 3 | 4 | BIO 113 | Policy |
 University of Maryland Eastern Shore Princess Anne | 3 | 8 | BIOL 101/103 & 111/113 | Policy |
 Wor-Wic Community College Salisbury | 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy |
 Carroll Community College Westminster | 3 | 4 | BIOL 100 | Policy |
 Coppin State University Baltimore | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101 | Policy |
 McDaniel College Westminster | 3 | 4 | Biology Elective (SIL) | Policy |
 St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's City | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101 | Policy |
 Cecil College North East | 3 | 4 | BIO 101 (S) & 111 or BIO 130 (S) & 131 or BIO 132 (S) & 133 | Policy |
 University of Baltimore Baltimore | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Chesapeake College Wye Mills | 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy |
 Hood College Frederick | 3 | 3 | BIOL 130-149 | Policy |
 Notre Dame of Maryland University Baltimore | 3 | 4 | BIO-110 | Policy |
 Garrett College McHenry | 3 | 8 | BIO101 & BIO102 GENERAL BIOLOGY I & II | Policy |
| 4 | 4 | BIOL 102 | Policy | |
 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore | 4 | 4 | BL 150 and BL 151 | Policy |
MSMS Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg | 4 | 8 | BIOL 110, BIOL 111 | Policy |
 Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore | 4 | — | NSCI 200T Natural Science Elective | Policy |
 Goucher College Baltimore | 4 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Washington College Chestertown | 4 | 4 | BIO 112 | Policy |
 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore | 5 | 6 | AS.020.151 & AS.020.152 | Policy |
AP Biology credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Maryland 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 Maryland colleges give credit for AP Biology?+
36 colleges in Maryland publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Biology. 29 of them (81%) award credit at a score of 3, 6 require a 4, and 1 requires 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 Biology score that earns credit in Maryland?+
3. University of Maryland Global Campus in Adelphi awards credit at a score of 3, worth 4 credit hours, counting as BIOL 103. 29 Maryland colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Maryland?+
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 Maryland AP credit policies?+
36 of the 36 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.