AP Physics C: Mechanics credit at Massachusetts colleges
Every Massachusetts college with a published AP Physics C: Mechanics credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
28 of 61 Massachusetts colleges (46%) award credit for AP Physics C: Mechanics at a score of 3. 31 require a 4 and 2 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Massachusetts-Lowell (4 credit hours). 61 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | PHYS.1410 & PHYS.1410L | Policy | |
 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Berklee College of Music Boston | 3 | 3 | LMSC 306 | Policy |
 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth | 3 | 3 | SCI 800 | Policy |
 Bristol Community College Fall River | 3 | 4 | PHY 211 | Policy |
 Middlesex Community College Bedford | 3 | 4 | PHY 171 | Policy |
 Suffolk University Boston | 3 | 3 | PHYS 151 | Policy |
| 3 | — | PHS221 | Policy | |
| 3 | 8 | PHY 201 PHY 222 | Policy | |
 Merrimack College North Andover | 3 | 4 | PHY 2211 | Policy |
 Springfield Technical Community College Springfield | 3 | 4 | PHY 231/L | Policy |
 Northern Essex Community College Haverhill | 3 | 4 | PHS131 | Policy |
 Holyoke Community College Holyoke | 3 | 4 | PHS 111 | Policy |
 Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Hills | 3 | 4 | PY 103 | Policy |
 Framingham State University Framingham | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2TR | Policy |
MWCC | 3 | 4 | PHY 121 | Policy |
 Western New England University Springfield | 3 | 4 | PHYS 133 | Policy |
 Stonehill College Easton | 3 | 3 | PHY 800 Physics Elective | Policy |
 Springfield College Springfield | 3 | 4 | PHYS 210 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | — | Policy | |
 Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay | 3 | 3.5 | SM-2123 | Policy |
 Gordon College Wenham | 3 | 4 | Free elective | Policy |
 Bay Path University Longmeadow | 3 | 4 | PHS 201 & PHS 201L | Policy |
 Lasell University Newton | 3 | 4 | PHYS001 | Policy |
 Nichols College Dudley | 3 | 3 | ESCI 200 Lab Science Elective (3 cr) | Policy |
 Berkshire Community College Pittsfield | 3 | 4 | ENT-161 | Policy |
AIC American International College Springfield | 3 | 4 | PHY1800/01- General Physics II | Policy |
 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams | 3 | 4 | PHYS 151 Introduction to Mechanics | Policy |
| 4 | 4 | Physics 151 | Policy | |
 Boston University Boston | 4 | 4 | CAS PY 211 or CAS PY 251 | Policy |
 Northeastern University Boston | 4 | 5 | PHYS1151/1152 & 1153 | Policy |
| 4 | 4 | PHYSIC 903T | Policy | |
 Boston College Chestnut Hill | 4 | 3 | 1 Natural Science Core | Policy |
BHCC | 4 | 4 | PHYS-251 | Policy |
 Tufts University Medford | 4 | 5 | PHY 0011 (Lose credit if PHY 1 is taken at Tufts.) | Policy |
 Quinsigamond Community College Worcester | 4 | 4 | PHY 105 | Policy |
 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester | 4 | 3 | PH 1110 | Policy |
 Bentley University Waltham | 4 | 3 | NAS 1123 | Policy |
 Emerson College Boston | 4 | 4 | Scientific Perspective | Policy |
 Worcester State University Worcester | 4 | 4 | PY-241 | Policy |
 Brandeis University Waltham | 4 | 4 | PHYS 11a | Policy |
| 4 | 4 | PHYS1750 | Policy | |
 Westfield State University Westfield | 4 | 4 | PHSC 0125 | Policy |
 MCPHS University Boston | 4 | — | — | Policy |
 Endicott College Beverly | 4 | 4 | PHY202/202L | Policy |
 College of the Holy Cross Worcester | 4 | 1 | — | Policy |
 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg | 4 | 4 | PHYS 2600 | Policy |
 Babson College Wellesley | 4 | 4 | NST1050 | Policy |
 Smith College Northampton | 4 | 4 | PHY 111, PHY 117 | Policy |
 Clark University Worcester | 4 | 4 | Score of 5 required to meet Clark's PHYS 110 (Introductory Physics, Part 1) equivalency. | Policy |
 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley | 4 | 4 | — | Policy |
WC Williams College Williamstown | 4 | — | Department assigns | Policy |
 Emmanuel College Boston | 4 | 4 | PHYS 2201 (NSL) | Policy |
| 4 | 4 | PHYS 170 | Policy | |
 Assumption University Worcester | 4 | 4 | PHY-201H | Policy |
 Lesley University Cambridge | 4 | 4 | CPHYS 1250 | Policy |
 Regis College Weston | 4 | — | PY-213 | Policy |
NECM | 4 | 2 | — | Policy |
 Montserrat College of Art Beverly | 4 | 3 | — | Policy |
| 5 | — | 8.01 | Policy | |
 Wellesley College Wellesley | 5 | 1 | PHYS 104 OR 107 | Policy |
AP Physics C: Mechanics credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts colleges give credit for AP Physics C: Mechanics?+
61 colleges in Massachusetts publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics C: Mechanics. 28 of them (46%) award credit at a score of 3, 31 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 C: Mechanics score that earns credit in Massachusetts?+
3. University of Massachusetts-Lowell in Lowell awards credit at a score of 3, worth 4 credit hours, counting as PHYS.1410 & PHYS.1410L. 28 Massachusetts colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Massachusetts?+
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 Massachusetts AP credit policies?+
61 of the 61 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.