AP Physics 1 credit at California colleges
Every California college with a published AP Physics 1 credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
147 of 163 California colleges (90%) award credit for AP Physics 1 at a score of 3. 16 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at California State University-Fullerton (4 credit hours). 156 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
AP Physics 1 credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per California 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 California colleges give credit for AP Physics 1?+
163 colleges in California publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics 1. 147 of them (90%) award credit at a score of 3, 16 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 Physics 1 score that earns credit in California?+
3. California State University-Fullerton in Fullerton awards credit at a score of 3, worth 4 credit hours, counting as PHYS 211 (3), PHYS 211L (1). 147 California colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in California?+
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 California AP credit policies?+
156 of the 163 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.