AP Biology credit at Virginia colleges
Every Virginia college with a published AP Biology credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
41 of 56 Virginia colleges (73%) award credit for AP Biology at a score of 3. 13 require a 4 and 2 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at Liberty University (4 credit hours). 56 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Liberty University Lynchburg | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101 Principles of Biology BIOL 103 Principles of Biology Lab | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | BIOL 1014 | Policy | |
 George Mason University Fairfax | 3 | 3 | BIOL 103 | Policy |
 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101, BIOZ 101 | Policy |
 James Madison University Harrisonburg | 3 | 4 | BIO 140/BIO 140L | Policy |
 Old Dominion University Norfolk | 3 | 4 | BIOL 105N, or BIOL 106N, or BIOL 110N & 111N, or BIOL 112N & 113N, or BIOL 117N & 118N | Policy |
 Radford University Radford | 3 | 8 | BIOL 105 & BIOL 111 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy | |
 Norfolk State University Norfolk | 3 | 4 | BIO 100 & BIO 100L or BIO 110 & BIO 110L | Policy |
 Germanna Community College Locust Grove | 3 | 8 | BIO 101-102 | Policy |
 Virginia State University Petersburg | 3 | 4 | BIOL 120 | Policy |
 Christopher Newport University Newport News | 3 | 3 | BIOL 107 | Policy |
 Regent University Virginia Beach | 3 | 4 | BIOL 121 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy | |
| 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy | |
 University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg | 3 | 3 | BIOL-NOTMJ | Policy |
 Hampton University Hampton | 3 | 12 | BIO 103, 105 & Elective | Policy |
 Laurel Ridge Community College Middletown | 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy |
PVCC Piedmont Virginia Community College Charlottesville | 3 | 8 | BIO 101, 102 | Policy |
LU Longwood University Farmville | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101 | Policy |
 Shenandoah University Winchester | 3 | 4 | BIO 111 | Policy |
SVCC | 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy |
 Marymount University Arlington | 3 | 4 | BIO 901, BIO 90L | Policy |
 Southwest Virginia Community College Cedar Bluff | 3 | — | BIO 101/102 | Policy |
 University of Lynchburg Lynchburg | 3 | 4 | BIOL 101 | Policy |
 Virginia Military Institute Lexington | 3 | 3 | BI-101 | Policy |
 Patrick & Henry Community College Martinsville | 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy |
 Bridgewater College Bridgewater | 3 | 3 | BIOL 100 | Policy |
 Danville Community College Danville | 3 | 8 | BIO 101-102 | Policy |
| 3 | 8 | BIO 101 & 102 | Policy | |
| 3 | 8 | BIO 101/102 | Policy | |
MECC Mountain Empire Community College Big Stone Gap | 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy |
 Wytheville Community College Wytheville | 3 | 8 | BIO 101, BIO 102 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | BIO 1010 & 1011 | Policy | |
 Averett University Danville | 3 | 8 | BIO101, BIO103 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | BIOL 105 | Policy | |
 Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg | 3 | 3 | BIOL 155 Biological Explorations | Policy |
 Richard Bland College South Prince George | 3 | 4 | BIO 101/101L | Policy |
 Ferrum College Ferrum | 3 | 8 | BIO 110 & 111 | Policy |
PDCC Paul D Camp Community College Franklin | 3 | 4 | BIO 101 | Policy |
 Patrick Henry College Purcellville | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville | 4 | 6 | BIOL 1000T | Policy |
| 4 | 8 | BIO 101-102 | Policy | |
 University of Richmond University of Richmond | 4 | 1 | BIOL 901 | Policy |
 Roanoke College Salem | 4 | 1 | BIOL T | Policy |
 Randolph-Macon College Ashland | 4 | 8 | BIOL 123 and BIOL 020 | Policy |
 Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia Beach | 4 | 4 | BIO 132 | Policy |
 Mary Baldwin University Staunton | 4 | 4 | BIOL 111 | Policy |
 Southern Virginia University Buena Vista | 4 | 3 | BIO 175R | Policy |
 Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney | 4 | 4 | Biology 110/151 | Policy |
 Bluefield University Bluefield | 4 | 3 | BIO 1033 | Policy |
 Hollins University Roanoke | 4 | — | — | Policy |
RC Randolph College Lynchburg | 4 | 4 | BIOL 1103/1100L | Policy |
 Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar | 4 | 4 | BIOL 111 | Policy |
 William & Mary Williamsburg | 5 | 8 | BIOL 203/L, 204/L | Policy |
 Washington and Lee University Lexington | 5 | 4 | BIOL 1-SL-N (4-credit 100-level SL non-major elective) | Policy |
AP Biology credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Virginia 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 Virginia colleges give credit for AP Biology?+
56 colleges in Virginia publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Biology. 41 of them (73%) award credit at a score of 3, 13 require a 4, and 2 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 Biology score that earns credit in Virginia?+
3. Liberty University in Lynchburg awards credit at a score of 3, worth 4 credit hours, counting as BIOL 101 Principles of Biology BIOL 103 Principles of Biology Lab. 41 Virginia colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Virginia?+
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 Virginia AP credit policies?+
56 of the 56 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.