AP Physics C: Mechanics credit: what score you need
The minimum qualifying score, credit hours and course equivalent at 1,748 colleges that publish an AP Physics C: Mechanics policy.
Quick answer
1,260 of 1,748 colleges (72%) award credit for AP Physics C: Mechanics at a score of 3. 454 require a 4 and 34 require a 5. The most commonly awarded amount is 4 credit hours. Each row below links to the college’s own published policy page. Data captured July 30, 2026.
Placement is not credit
A further 8 colleges publish an AP Physics C: Mechanics policy that grants placement only — you may skip the introductory course, but you earn no credit hours toward the degree and the cost of those hours does not go away. Those colleges are deliberately excluded from the counts above.
Colleges that award credit for AP Physics C: Mechanics
Showing 120 of 1,748 colleges, lowest qualifying score first. Narrow by state below for the full list in your state.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, New Hampshire | 3 | 4 | PHY-215 & PHY-215L | Policy |
 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, Arizona | 3 | 4 | PHY 111, 113 | Policy |
 Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 206 or PHYS 226 | Policy |
 University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida | 3 | — | PHY 2053C | Policy |
 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, Indiana | 3 | 4 | PHYS 101 | Policy |
 Liberty University Lynchburg, Virginia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 231 University Physics I | Policy |
 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, Maryland | 3 | 4 | PHYS 121 | Policy |
 Lone Star College System The Woodlands, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1401 | Policy |
 Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, Ohio | 3 | 5 | Physics 1250 | Policy |
 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHY 301, 101L; or PHY 302K, 105M; or PHY 303K, 105M; or PHY 317K, 105M | Policy |
 University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona | 3 | 3 | PHYS 102 | Policy |
 Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2425 | Policy |
 Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, Indiana | 3 | — | PHYS 1XXXX | Policy |
 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, Georgia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2211 & PHYS 2211L | Policy |
 Florida International University Miami, Florida | 3 | 5 | PHY 2053/2048L | Policy |
 Houston Community College Houston, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2325 / 2125 University Physics I | Policy |
 University of Houston Houston, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1101, 1301 | Policy |
 California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, California | 3 | 4 | PHYS 225 (3), PHYS 225L (1) | Policy |
 Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana | 3 | 3 | PHYS-UN 100 | Policy |
 University of South Florida Tampa, Florida | 3 | 4 | PHY 2053 (3) PHY 2053L (1) | Policy |
 University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin | 3 | 3 | PHYSICS X15 | Policy |
 Valencia College Orlando, Florida | 3 | 4 | PHY 2053C | Policy |
 Miami Dade College Miami, Florida | 3 | 5 | PHY 2053 & PHY 2053L | Policy |
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois | 3 | 3 | Physics 2-- | Policy |
 Texas State University San Marcos, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2125, 2325 | Policy |
 California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, California | 3 | 4 | PHYS 151 | Policy |
 University of Florida Gainesville, Florida | 3 | 5 | PHY 2053/L | Policy |
 University of California-San Diego La Jolla, California | 3 | 4 | Phys 1A | Policy |
 University of North Texas Denton, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1410/1430 | Policy |
 San Diego State University San Diego, California | 3 | 4 | PHYS 195 and PHYS 195L | Policy |
 University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, California | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, California | 3 | 4 | PHYSICS General “C” | Policy |
 Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1408 | Policy |
 California State University-Northridge Northridge, California | 3 | 4 | PHYS 220A/AL | Policy |
 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama | 3 | 4 | PH 105 | Policy |
 Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida | 3 | 4 | PHY 2053C | Policy |
 University of California-Davis Davis, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, Washington | 3 | 5 | PHYS 101 | Policy |
 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, Colorado | 3 | 4 | 4 lower-division Arts & Science credits that count toward the A&S Gen. Ed. Natural Science requirement and the CMCI Core Natural World requirement | Policy |
 University of Georgia Athens, Georgia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1111 + Lab | Policy |
 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1443 | Policy |
 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, Minnesota | 3 | 4 | Physics 1301 | Policy |
 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2205 & 2215 | Policy |
 University of Maryland-College Park College Park, Maryland | 3 | 4 | Lab Science (DSNL) | Policy |
 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, Texas | 3 | 3 | PHY 1943 | Policy |
 Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon | 3 | 4 | PH 106 | Policy |
 University of California-Irvine Irvine, California | 3 | 4 | Elective credit only | Policy |
 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 3 | 3 | PHYS 2110 | Policy |
 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, Ohio | 3 | 5 | PHYS 2001 & PHYS 2001L | Policy |
 University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, South Carolina | 3 | 4 | PHYS 201 and 201L | Policy |
 California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, California | 3 | 6 | — | Policy |
 College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 20304 | Policy |
 Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2211K | Policy |
 George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 243, 244 | Policy |
 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1401 or PHYS 2425 | Policy |
 San Jose State University San Jose, California | 3 | 4 | PHYS 050 | Policy |
 North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, North Carolina | 3 | 4 | PY 131 | Policy |
 University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1010 & PHYS 1XXX | Policy |
 Austin Community College District Austin, Texas | 3 | — | PHYS 1401 or PHYS 2425** | Policy |
 Collin County Community College District McKinney, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2425 | Policy |
 Mt San Antonio College Walnut, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, Colorado | 3 | 5 | PH 141 | Policy |
 East Los Angeles College Monterey Park, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, California | 3 | 4 | PHY 1020 | Policy |
 University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada | 3 | 3 | General Education Science without Lab | Policy |
 Broward College Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 3 | 4 | PHY 2053/ PHY 2053L | Policy |
 Ashford University San Diego, California | 3 | 4 | SCIENTIFIC REASONING COMPETENCY | Policy |
 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2101 + lab | Policy |
 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida | 3 | 4 | PHY 2053/2053L | Policy |
 University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California | 3 | 4 | Physics 6A + 6AL | Policy |
 University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky | 3 | 4 | PHY 231 | Policy |
 University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, Missouri | 3 | 4 | Physics 1210 | Policy |
 San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2325 and 2125 | Policy |
 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona | 3 | 4 | PHY 111 | Policy |
 El Paso Community College El Paso, Texas | 3 | — | PHYS 2325 and 2325 | Policy |
 Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1220,1240 | Policy |
 University of California-Riverside Riverside, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Santa Ana College Santa Ana, California | 3 | 4 | PHYS 217 | Policy |
 Long Beach City College Long Beach, California | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2AP | — |
 University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, Illinois | 3 | 3 | PHYS 100 | Policy |
 Washington State University Pullman, Washington | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, California | 3 | 9 | PHYS 121 and GE B3 and Elective Units | Policy |
 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, Oklahoma | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1114 | Policy |
 California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, Texas | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Santa Monica College Santa Monica, California | 3 | 4 | Physics 6 | Policy |
 California State University-Fresno Fresno, California | 3 | 4 | PHYS 4A & PHYS 4AL | Policy |
 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2211K | Policy |
 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, Oklahoma | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2014 | Policy |
 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia | 3 | 5 | PHYS 207 | Policy |
 Pasadena City College Pasadena, California | 3 | 5 | PHYS 031A | Policy |
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 3 | 3 | PHYS Elective | Policy |
 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2420 | Policy |
 Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, Florida | 3 | 5 | PHY 2053, 2048L | Policy |
 James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 140 & PHYS 140L | Policy |
 Utah State University Logan, Utah | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1010 (BPS) + PHYS 1015 | Policy |
 University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York | 3 | 4 | APC999TR | Policy |
 San Francisco State University San Francisco, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina | 3 | 5 | PHYS 2350, 1251 | Policy |
 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon | 3 | 4 | Physics elective (1 Science Area course) | Policy |
 Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina | 3 | 5 | PHY 1170 & 1160 | Policy |
 Kent State University at Kent Kent, Ohio | 3 | 5 | PHY 23101 | Policy |
 Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3 | 4 | PHY general credit | Policy |
 University of Mississippi University, Mississippi | 3 | 4 | Phys 2xx | Policy |
 University of Delaware Newark, Delaware | 3 | 3 | PHYS 166DE | Policy |
FCC Fresno City College Fresno, California | 3 | 4 | A: Natural Sciences | — |
 St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, Florida | 3 | 4 | PHY X053Ccore or PHY X053/X053Lcore | Policy |
 Cerritos College Norwalk, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, North Carolina | 3 | 4 | PHY 251 | Policy |
 Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, Ohio | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2054, PHYS 2055 | Policy |
 Illinois State University Normal, Illinois | 3 | 4 | PHY110 | Policy |
 Portland Community College Portland, Oregon | 3 | 4 | PHY 101 | Policy |
 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1411 | Policy |
 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, Mississippi | 3 | 3 | PH 1113 | Policy |
 University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, Florida | 3 | 4 | PHY2053C or PHYX053/X053L | Policy |
 West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 111 | Policy |
 Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia | 3 | 4 | PHYS 111N | Policy |
AP Physics C: Mechanics credit by state
How we ranked this
One row per 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 are excluded and counted separately above. Where a college publishes only a major-specific rule, we do not promote it to a school-wide minimum. Credit hours and course equivalents are reproduced as the college published them; “—” means the college published no value for that field. Colleges are ordered by minimum score, then by enrolment, so the easiest routes to credit appear first — this is not a quality ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What AP Physics C: Mechanics score do you need for college credit?+
Of the 1,748 colleges with a published AP Physics C: Mechanics credit policy, 1,260 (72%) award credit at a score of 3, 454 require a 4, and 34 require a 5. There is no single national threshold — the requirement is set by each college, so check the table on this page for the schools on your list.
How many college credits is AP Physics C: Mechanics worth?+
The most commonly published award is 4 credit hours, but it varies by college and by the score earned — several colleges award more hours for a 4 or 5 than for a 3. The Credits column in the table shows each college's own published figure; a dash means the college publishes a policy but no credit-hour number, and we do not estimate one.
Do all colleges accept AP Physics C: Mechanics?+
No. This page covers the 1,748 colleges that publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics C: Mechanics, plus 8 more whose policy for this exam grants placement only — permission to skip a course without earning credit hours. Colleges absent from this list either publish no policy for this exam or grant nothing for it. Absence here is not proof a college rejects the exam; it means we have no published rule to cite.
Where can I verify a college's AP Physics C: Mechanics policy?+
Every row links to the college's own advanced-standing or AP credit page in the Source column. That page is authoritative and current; our copy is a snapshot taken July 30, 2026. Policies change between admission cycles, so verify at the source before counting on credit in a graduation plan.
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.