AP Physics 1 credit at South Carolina colleges

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

Quick answer

27 of 32 South Carolina colleges (84%) award credit for AP Physics 1 at a score of 3. 5 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of South Carolina-Columbia (4 credit hours). 32 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
University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia	3	4	PHYS 201 and 201L	Policy
Clemson University Clemson	3	4	PHYS 2070, 2090	Policy
Trident Technical College Charleston	3	4	PHY-201	Policy
College of Charleston Charleston	3	4	PHYS 101 & PHYS 101L	Policy
Coastal Carolina University Conway	3	4	PHYS 201 & 201L	Policy
Greenville Technical College Greenville	3	—	PHY 201	Policy
TCTC Tri-County Technical College Pendleton	3	4	—	Policy
University of South Carolina-Upstate Spartanburg	3	4	PHYS U201	Policy
Piedmont Technical College Greenwood	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
Winthrop University Rock Hill	3	4	PHYS 201	Policy
Lander University Greenwood	3	4	PHYS 201	Policy
Florence-Darlington Technical College Florence	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
University of South Carolina Aiken Aiken	3	4	PHYS A201	Policy
Charleston Southern University Charleston	3	4	PHYS 201	Policy
Francis Marion University Florence	3	4	Physics 215	Policy
Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston	3	4	PHYS 203, 253	Policy
Central Carolina Technical College Sumter	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
University of South Carolina Beaufort Bluffton	3	4	PHYS B201 & PHYS 201L	Policy
North Greenville University Tigerville	3	3	Elective	Policy
Limestone University Gaffney	3	4	PH 201	Policy
Converse University Spartanburg	3	4	PHY 241	Policy
Southern Wesleyan University Central	3	4	PHYS 2044	Policy
CIU Columbia International University Columbia	3	3	SIN101	Policy
University of South Carolina-Lancaster Lancaster	3	—	PHYS 201 and 201L	Policy
University of South Carolina-Sumter Sumter	3	—	PHYS 201 and 201L	Policy
University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie Allendale	3	—	PHYS 201 and 201L	Policy
University of South Carolina-Union Union	3	—	PHYS 201 and 201L	Policy
Midlands Technical College West Columbia	4	4	PHY 201	Policy
Furman University Greenville	4	4	PHY-101	Policy
BJU Bob Jones University Greenville	4	4	Phy 101	Policy
Wofford College Spartanburg	4	4	Physics 121	Policy
Presbyterian College Clinton	4	4	PHYS 1500	Policy

AP Physics 1 credit in other states

California 163 New York 98 Ohio 90 Pennsylvania 88 Illinois 80 Texas 79 Florida 58 North Carolina 57 Massachusetts 50 Michigan 46 Virginia 45 Georgia 45

How we ranked this

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

32 colleges in South Carolina publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics 1. 27 of them (84%) award credit at a score of 3, 5 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 South Carolina?+

3. University of South Carolina-Columbia in Columbia awards credit at a score of 3, worth 4 credit hours, counting as PHYS 201 and 201L. 27 South Carolina colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.

Does in-state residency change AP credit in South 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 South Carolina AP credit policies?+

32 of the 32 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 South Carolina 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.