AP Computer Science Principles credit at Illinois colleges
Every Illinois college with a published AP Computer Science Principles credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
58 of 70 Illinois colleges (83%) award credit for AP Computer Science Principles at a score of 3. 12 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (3 credit hours). 70 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | Computer Science 102 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | CS 100 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | IT 140 | Policy | |
 DePaul University Chicago | 3 | 4 | IT 123 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | CSCI 205 | Policy | |
 College of Lake County Grayslake | 3 | 3 | CIT 199 | Policy |
 Joliet Junior College Joliet | 3 | 4 | CIS 122 | Policy |
 Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Edwardsville | 3 | 3 | CS 111 | Policy |
 William Rainey Harper College Palatine | 3 | 3 | CIS 106 | Policy |
 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale | 3 | 3 | CS 201 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | CIS 110 | Policy | |
 Columbia College Chicago Chicago | 3 | 3 | Core Elective | Policy |
 Triton College River Grove | 3 | 3 | CIS 102 | Policy |
 Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | 3 | 3 | CIS 115 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | CS Elec | Policy | |
ICC Illinois Central College East Peoria | 3 | 3 | CMPSC 115 | Policy |
 Eastern Illinois University Charleston | 3 | 3 | CSM Elective-Math General Education | Policy |
 Rock Valley College Rockford | 3 | 3 | CIS 102 | Policy |
 Aurora University Aurora | 3 | 4 | CSC1010 | Policy |
 Lincoln Land Community College Springfield | 3 | 3 | CSC 100 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | CS 100 | Policy | |
 Bradley University Peoria | 3 | 3 | CS/IS elective credit | Policy |
 Lewis University Romeoville | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Parkland College Champaign | 3 | — | CIS 112 | Policy |
 Saint Xavier University Chicago | 3 | 3 | CMPSC 112 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | General Elective | Policy | |
 Morton College Cicero | 3 | 2 | CPS 101 | Policy |
 Governors State University University Park | 3 | 3 | CPSC 2100 | Policy |
 Lake Land College Mattoon | 3 | 3 | CIS156 | Policy |
 Prairie State College Chicago Heights | 3 | — | ITPRG 103 | Policy |
 Black Hawk College Moline | 3 | 3 | CS 105 | Policy |
 John A Logan College Carterville | 3 | 4 | CPS 206 | Policy |
 South Suburban College South Holland | 3 | 3 | MIS 102 | Policy |
 Kankakee Community College Kankakee | 3 | 3 | COSC 2513 | Policy |
 Kaskaskia College Centralia | 3 | 3 | CITW 105 | Policy |
| 3 | 2 | CMSC 1180 (QCM) | Policy | |
 Kishwaukee College Malta | 3 | 3 | CIS 101 | Policy |
 McKendree University Lebanon | 3 | 5 | CSI-131 (Computational Thinking) & CSI-132 (Introduction to Programming) | Policy |
 Moody Bible Institute Chicago | 3 | 3 | Open Elective | Policy |
 Chicago State University Chicago | 3 | 3 | CPTR 1090 | Policy |
 Richland Community College Decatur | 3 | — | IT 131 | Policy |
 Concordia University-Chicago River Forest | 3 | 3 | Computer Information Systems Elective | Policy |
 University of St Francis Joliet | 3 | 3 | COMP 135 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | — | Policy | |
 Quincy University Quincy | 3 | 3 | CIS 101 | Policy |
 Rockford University Rockford | 3 | 3 | CSCI 170 | Policy |
 Highland Community College Freeport | 3 | — | INFT 190 | Policy |
 Illinois College Jacksonville | 3 | 4 | CS elective | Policy |
 Greenville University Greenville | 3 | 3 | Elective | Policy |
 Trinity Christian College Palos Heights | 3 | 6 | Elective credit (possible test out of CPSC 111) | Policy |
JU Judson University Elgin | 3 | 3 | Elective credit | Policy |
 Spoon River College Canton | 3 | 3 | CIS108 | Policy |
 Monmouth College Monmouth | 3 | 4 | 100 level elective credit | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | CIS 2170 | Policy | |
 Wabash Valley College Mount Carmel | 3 | 3 | CIS 2170 | Policy |
 Eureka College Eureka | 3 | 3 | CSC135, Computer Science I | Policy |
 Lincoln Trail College Robinson | 3 | 3 | CIS 2170 | Policy |
FCC Frontier Community College Fairfield | 3 | 3 | CIS 2170 | Policy |
 Loyola University Chicago Chicago | 4 | 3 | COMP 150 | Policy |
 Northwestern University Evanston | 4 | 1 | COMP_SCI 1XX | Policy |
| 4 | 2 | CS 110 | Policy | |
 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais | 4 | 2 | COMP 120 | Policy |
 Augustana College Rock Island | 4 | 3 | CSC-121 | Policy |
NCC North Central College Naperville | 4 | 4 | CSCE Elective (100-level) | Policy |
 Dominican University River Forest | 4 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Lake Forest College Lake Forest | 4 | 1.0 | CSCI 112 | Policy |
 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington | 4 | 1 | Computer Science 100 level elective, FR | Policy |
 Millikin University Decatur | 4 | 3 | computer science elective credit | Policy |
 Knox College Galesburg | 4 | 1 | CS 127 | Policy |
 Principia College Elsah | 4 | 3 | CSCI XXX | Policy |
AP Computer Science Principles credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Illinois 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 Illinois colleges give credit for AP Computer Science Principles?+
70 colleges in Illinois publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Computer Science Principles. 58 of them (83%) award credit at a score of 3, 12 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 Computer Science Principles score that earns credit in Illinois?+
3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign awards credit at a score of 3, worth 3 credit hours, counting as Computer Science 102. 58 Illinois colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Illinois?+
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 Illinois AP credit policies?+
70 of the 70 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.