AP Physics 1 credit at North Carolina colleges
Every North Carolina college with a published AP Physics 1 credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
49 of 57 North Carolina colleges (86%) award credit for AP Physics 1 at a score of 3. 8 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at North Carolina State University at Raleigh (4 credit hours). 56 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina colleges give credit for AP Physics 1?+
57 colleges in North Carolina publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics 1. 49 of them (86%) award credit at a score of 3, 8 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 North Carolina?+
3. North Carolina State University at Raleigh in Raleigh awards credit at a score of 3, worth 4 credit hours, counting as PY 131. 49 North Carolina colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in North Carolina?+
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 North Carolina AP credit policies?+
56 of the 57 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.