AP Music Theory credit at Minnesota colleges
Every Minnesota college with a published AP Music Theory credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
34 of 41 Minnesota colleges (83%) award credit for AP Music Theory at a score of 3. 3 require a 4 and 4 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at Minnesota State University-Mankato (2 credit hours). 41 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | MUSC 131 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | MU 1111 | Policy | |
 Normandale Community College Bloomington | 3 | 3 | MUSC 1131 | Policy |
 University of St Thomas Saint Paul | 3 | 4 | MUSC 113 | Policy |
 Century College White Bear Lake | 3 | 6 | MUSC Elective | Policy |
 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud | 3 | 6 | MUSM101 | Policy |
 Winona State University Winona | 3 | 3 | MUS 120 | Policy |
 Metropolitan State University Saint Paul | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 North Hennepin Community College Brooklyn Park | 3 | 6 | MUSC1241, MUSC1251, & Elective | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | MUSC 1001 | Policy | |
 Bemidji State University Bemidji | 3 | 3 | MUS2201 | Policy |
| 3 | — | MUS 107A + elective | Policy | |
 Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls | 3 | 3 | MUSC1121 | Policy |
 St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul | 3 | 1 | MUS 203 | Policy |
 Lake Superior College Duluth | 3 | 3 | MUSC1105 | Policy |
 Augsburg University Minneapolis | 3 | 4 | MUS 160 | Policy |
 St Catherine University Saint Paul | 3 | 8 | MUS ELEC | Policy |
 Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights | 3 | 3 | MUSC 1110 | Policy |
 Dakota County Technical College Rosemount | 3 | 3 | MnTC Goal 6 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | MUS 172 | Policy | |
| 3 | 4 | MUSC 1101 | Policy | |
| 3 | 4 | Elective credit only. | Policy | |
 Minnesota West Community and Technical College Granite Falls | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston | 3 | 3 | MUS 1111 | Policy |
 University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul | 3 | 4 | Northwestern Music Theory Placement Exam results determine music credits awarded. Any remaining credits are appled to electives, if needed. | Policy |
 Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Northland Community and Technical College Thief River Falls | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | MUSC1203 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | MU160 | Policy | |
| 3 | 4 | MUS 1101 | Policy | |
 Crown College Saint Bonifacius | 3 | 8 | MUS 164 Music Fundamentals for Worship Leading and Fine Arts Electives | Policy |
BLC Bethany Lutheran College Mankato | 3 | — | — | Policy |
 Carleton College Northfield | 4 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter | 4 | — | MUS-101 (ARTSC) | Policy |
 Hamline University Saint Paul | 4 | 4 | MUS 3410 | Policy |
 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis | 5 | 3 | Music 1001 | Policy |
 St Olaf College Northfield | 5 | 1 | — | Policy |
 Macalester College Saint Paul | 5 | 4 | MUSI 113 | Policy |
 University of Minnesota-Rochester Rochester | 5 | 5 | — | Policy |
AP Music Theory credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Minnesota 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 Minnesota colleges give credit for AP Music Theory?+
41 colleges in Minnesota publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Music Theory. 34 of them (83%) award credit at a score of 3, 3 require a 4, and 4 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 Music Theory score that earns credit in Minnesota?+
3. Minnesota State University-Mankato in Mankato awards credit at a score of 3, worth 2 credit hours, counting as MUSC 131. 34 Minnesota colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Minnesota?+
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 Minnesota AP credit policies?+
41 of the 41 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.