AP Biology credit at Washington colleges
Every Washington college with a published AP Biology credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
43 of 49 Washington colleges (88%) award credit for AP Biology at a score of 3. 5 require a 4 and 1 requires a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Washington-Seattle Campus (5 credit hours). 48 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5 | BIOL 161 | Policy | |
 Washington State University Pullman | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Western Washington University Bellingham | 3 | 4 | Biology 101 | Policy |
 Central Washington University Ellensburg | 3 | 5 | BIOL 101 | Policy |
 Bellevue College Bellevue | 3 | 6 | BIOL& 100, 160 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | BIOL 100 | Policy | |
| 3 | 5 | BIOL 161 | Policy | |
 Clark College Vancouver | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 160 | Policy |
 Green River College Auburn | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100 or 160 | Policy |
 Pierce College District Lakewood | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160 (5) 1 | Policy |
 Everett Community College Everett | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100 | Policy |
 Tacoma Community College Tacoma | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100 or BIOL& 160 | Policy | |
 Spokane Community College Spokane | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 160 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | BIOL 161 | Policy | |
 Seattle Central College Seattle | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100,160 | Policy |
 Highline College Des Moines | 3 | 5 | BIOL 100/BIOL& 100 or BIOL& 160 | Policy |
EC Edmonds College Lynnwood | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100 | Policy |
 Olympic College Bremerton | 3 | 5 | BIOL&100, BIOL& 160 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | BIOL& 160 | Policy | |
 North Seattle College Seattle | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | BIOL&100, BIOL&160 | Policy | |
 Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160 | Policy |
 Yakima Valley College Yakima | 3 | 5 | BIOL 109 | Policy |
 Clover Park Technical College Lakewood | 3 | — | — | — |
WWCC Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100 or BIOL& 160 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | BIOL 111 | Policy | |
 Whatcom Community College Bellingham | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 160 | Policy |
| 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160 | Policy | |
 Seattle Pacific University Seattle | 3 | 5 | General Elective | Policy |
 The Evergreen State College Olympia | 3 | 8 | — | Policy |
 Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100 | Policy |
 Lower Columbia College Longview | 3 | 5 | BIOL 100 or BIOL 160 | Policy |
BTC Bates Technical College Tacoma | 3 | 5 | BIOL &160 OR BIOL &175 | Policy |
RTC Renton Technical College Renton | 3 | 10 | BIOL 160 | Policy |
 Bellingham Technical College Bellingham | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 160 | Policy |
 South Seattle College Seattle | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160 | Policy |
 Big Bend Community College Moses Lake | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 160 | Policy |
| 3 | 4 | BIO 141 | Policy | |
PC Peninsula College Port Angeles | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160 | Policy |
GHC Grays Harbor College Aberdeen | 3 | 5 | BIOL& 100 | Policy |
 Cascadia College Bothell | 3 | 5 | BIOL 120 | Policy |
 Northwest University Kirkland | 3 | 4 | SCIE 1103/1 | Policy |
GU Gonzaga University Spokane | 4 | 3 | Biology 104 & 104L | Policy |
 Seattle University Seattle | 4 | 5 | BIOL 1010 | Policy |
 Whitworth University Spokane | 4 | 3 | BI 196 | Policy |
| 4 | 1 | BIOL 111 | Policy | |
 Walla Walla University College Place | 4 | 8 | BIOL 141, BIOL 142 | Policy |
 Whitman College Walla Walla | 5 | 4 | Biology 101 without Lab | Policy |
AP Biology credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Washington 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 Washington colleges give credit for AP Biology?+
49 colleges in Washington publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Biology. 43 of them (88%) award credit at a score of 3, 5 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 Washington?+
3. University of Washington-Seattle Campus in Seattle awards credit at a score of 3, worth 5 credit hours, counting as BIOL 161. 43 Washington colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Washington?+
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 Washington AP credit policies?+
48 of the 49 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.