AP Physics 1 credit at Pennsylvania colleges

Every Pennsylvania college with a published AP Physics 1 credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.

Quick answer

36 of 88 Pennsylvania colleges (41%) award credit for AP Physics 1 at a score of 3. 48 require a 4 and 4 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 1 at Pennsylvania Western University (1 credit hours). 87 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.

Colleges that award credit for AP Physics 1, with the minimum qualifying score, credit hours awarded and the equivalent course.
College	Min score	Credits	Counts as	Source
Pennsylvania Western University California	1	1	PHYS 1510	Policy
West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester	3	3	PHY 100	Policy
Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg	3	4	PHYS 201 Gen Physics I	Policy
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg	3	4	PHYS 208 Introductory Physics 1	Policy
Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh	3	4	PHY 141	Policy
Northampton County Area Community College Bethlehem	3	4	PHYS 101	Policy
Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell	3	4	PHY 121	Policy
Delaware County Community College Media	3	3	PHY 270 Physics Elective	Policy
Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana	3	4	PHYS 111 and 121	Policy
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock	3	4	PHYS 201	Policy
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown	3	4	PHY040/041	Policy
Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville	3	4	PHYS 131	Policy
Duquesne University Pittsburgh	3	3	PHYS 123	Policy
Bucks County Community College Newtown	3	—	PHYS 106	Policy
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg	3	4	PHYS 131	Policy
Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
PCT Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport	3	4	PHS 115	Policy
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg	3	4	PHYS 121 and PHYS 123 (lecture and lab)	Policy
Reading Area Community College Reading	3	—	PHY 240	Policy
York College of Pennsylvania York	3	4	PHY110 and PHY111	Policy
Robert Morris University Moon Township	3	—	PHYS 2610/2615	Policy
Widener University Chester	3	5	PHYS 141 + 143	Policy
Gannon University Erie	3	3	PHYS 105	Policy
Messiah University Mechanicsburg	3	4	PHYS 201	Policy
Holy Family University Philadelphia	3	3	Tier 1 Science OR Tier 2 Elective	Policy
Eastern University Saint Davids	3	4	PHYS-121/121L	Policy
Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre	3	3	PHY 105	Policy
Marywood University Scranton	3	4	Physics Elective	Policy
Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown	3	4	PHY101	Policy
Arcadia University Glenside	3	4	PH201	Policy
Delaware Valley University Doylestown	3	3	MP-2119 (3cr)	Policy
Misericordia University Dallas	3	4	PHY 117	Policy
Seton Hill University Greensburg	3	4	SPH 106 and 107 College Physics I and Lab, or fulfills Liberal Arts Curriculum - Science requirement	Policy
Saint Francis University Loretto	3	—	—	Policy
King's College Wilkes-Barre	3	3	PHYS 108	Policy
University of Pittsburgh-Bradford Bradford	3	4	PHYS 0101	Policy
Temple University Philadelphia	4	4	Physics 1021	Policy
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh	4	3	PHYS 0110	Policy
Drexel University Philadelphia	4	4	PHYS 152	Policy
Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia	4	—	PHY 101, 101L	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg Middletown	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
Bucknell University Lewisburg	4	1	100 level Physics Elective/One credit, awarded only with qualifying scores on BOTH exams. No lab credit.	Policy
University of Scranton Scranton	4	—	PHYS 120 Credit for laboratory is not automatically granted; however, the student may present lab books/syllabi to the department chair for review and possible credit assignment.	Policy
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington Abington	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
Lafayette College Easton	4	1	Physics 111	Policy
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona Altoona	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
Grove City College Grove City	4	4	PHYS 121	Policy
Dickinson College Carlisle	4	—	PHYS 141	Policy
Susquehanna University Selinsgrove	4	4	PHYS-202	Policy
DeSales University Center Valley	4	5	PH 203	Policy
Moravian University Bethlehem	4	4	PHYS 109	Policy
La Salle University Philadelphia	4	4	—	Policy
University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Johnstown	4	—	—	Policy
Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster	4	1	PHY 101	Policy
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks Reading	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
Muhlenberg College Allentown	4	1	PHY 101-110	Policy
Lebanon Valley College Annville	4	4	PHY 103	Policy
Ursinus College Collegeville	4	4	PHYS-111Q	Policy
Haverford College Haverford	4	.5	—	Policy
Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr	4	1	—	Policy
University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg Greensburg	4	3	PHYS 0110	Policy
Saint Vincent College Latrobe	4	4	PH 109, 113	Policy
Chatham University Pittsburgh	4	4	PHY151, PHY155L	Policy
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine Media	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
Allegheny College Meadville	4	4	—	Policy
Juniata College Huntingdon	4	3	PC-2XXTR	Policy
Mount Aloysius College Cresson	4	4	PHYS 105	—
Waynesburg University Waynesburg	4	4	PHY 201, Introductory Physics I	Policy
Lycoming College Williamsport	4	4	SCI DIST	Policy
Geneva College Beaver Falls	4	4	PHY 181	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley Center Valley	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Scranton Dunmore	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York York	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill Schuylkill Haven	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto Mont Alto	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton Hazleton	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver Monaca	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State New Kensington New Kensington	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Fayette- Eberly Lemont Furnace	4	4	Phys 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny McKeesport	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Wilkes-Barre Dallas	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois DuBois	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Shenango Sharon	4	4	Physics 250	Policy
University of Pittsburgh-Titusville Titusville	4	3	PHYS 0110	Policy
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia	5	1.5	Physics 0101	Policy
Lehigh University Bethlehem	5	5	PHYS 011,012	Policy
Washington & Jefferson College Washington	5	—	PHY 101	Policy
Thiel College Greenville	5	4	PHYS 154	Policy

AP Physics 1 credit in other states

California 163 New York 98 Ohio 90 Illinois 80 Texas 79 Florida 58 North Carolina 57 Massachusetts 50 Michigan 46 Virginia 45 Georgia 45 Washington 45

How we ranked this

One row per Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania colleges give credit for AP Physics 1?+

88 colleges in Pennsylvania publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics 1. 36 of them (41%) award credit at a score of 3, 48 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 Physics 1 score that earns credit in Pennsylvania?+

1. Pennsylvania Western University in California awards credit at a score of 1, worth 1 credit hours, counting as PHYS 1510. 36 Pennsylvania colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.

Does in-state residency change AP credit in Pennsylvania?+

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 Pennsylvania AP credit policies?+

87 of the 88 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

📚 AP Physics 1 nationwide 📚 All AP exams 🎓 All Pennsylvania colleges 🔁 Transfer credit policies 🧭 Counselor toolkit

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.