AP Physics 1 credit at Virginia colleges

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

Quick answer

31 of 45 Virginia colleges (69%) award credit for AP Physics 1 at a score of 3. 12 require a 4 and 2 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at Liberty University (4 credit hours). 45 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
Liberty University Lynchburg	3	4	PHYS 201 General Physics I	Policy
George Mason University Fairfax	3	4	PHYS 103	Policy
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond	3	4	PHYS 201	Policy
James Madison University Harrisonburg	3	4	ISCI 101 & ISCI 104 or PHYS 140 & PHYS 140L	Policy
Old Dominion University Norfolk	3	4	PHYS 101N	Policy
Radford University Radford	3	4	PHYS 111	Policy
Brightpoint Community College Chester	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
Norfolk State University Norfolk	3	3	PHY 152	Policy
Germanna Community College Locust Grove	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
Virginia State University Petersburg	3	4	PHYS 105	Policy
Regent University Virginia Beach	3	4	Nat Sci Elective	Policy
Virginia Peninsula Community College Hampton	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
Virginia Western Community College Roanoke	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg	3	4	PHYS-101	Policy
Laurel Ridge Community College Middletown	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
PVCC Piedmont Virginia Community College Charlottesville	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
LU Longwood University Farmville	3	4	PHYS 120	Policy
Marymount University Arlington	3	4	PHYS 901, PHYS 901L	Policy
University of Lynchburg Lynchburg	3	4	PHYS 141	Policy
Virginia Military Institute Lexington	3	3	PY-120 & PY-115	Policy
Patrick & Henry Community College Martinsville	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
Bridgewater College Bridgewater	3	4	PHYS 125	Policy
Rappahannock Community College Glenns	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
MECC Mountain Empire Community College Big Stone Gap	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
University of Virginia's College at Wise Wise	3	5	PHY 1010/1011	Policy
Averett University Danville	3	4	—	Policy
Ferrum College Ferrum	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
PDCC Paul D Camp Community College Franklin	3	4	PHY 201	Policy
RC Randolph College Lynchburg	3	4	PHYS 1105/1105L	Policy
Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar	3	8	PHYS 1XX	Policy
Patrick Henry College Purcellville	3	3	—	Policy
University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville	4	3	PHYS 1000T	Policy
Christopher Newport University Newport News	4	4	PHYS 151/151L	Policy
University of Richmond University of Richmond	4	1	PHYS 901	Policy
Shenandoah University Winchester	4	4	PHYS 111	Policy
Roanoke College Salem	4	1	PHYS I	Policy
Randolph-Macon College Ashland	4	4	PHYS 151	Policy
Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia Beach	4	4	PHYS Elective	Policy
Mary Baldwin University Staunton	4	3	PHYS 100	Policy
Emory & Henry University Emory	4	4	PHYS elective	Policy
Southern Virginia University Buena Vista	4	3	PHY 117	Policy
Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney	4	3	Physics Elective	Policy
Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg	4	3	PHYS 151 College Physics I	Policy
William & Mary Williamsburg	5	8	PHYS 107/L & 108/L	Policy
Washington and Lee University Lexington	5	3	PHYS 1-SC-N (3-credit SC non-major elective) if no Physics C-level credit earned	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 Georgia 45 Washington 45

How we ranked this

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

45 colleges in Virginia publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics 1. 31 of them (69%) award credit at a score of 3, 12 require a 4, and 2 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 Virginia?+

3. Liberty University in Lynchburg awards credit at a score of 3, worth 4 credit hours, counting as PHYS 201 General Physics I. 31 Virginia colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.

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

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 Virginia AP credit policies?+

45 of the 45 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 Virginia 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.