AP United States Government and Politics credit at Wisconsin colleges
Every Wisconsin college with a published AP United States Government and Politics credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
33 of 39 Wisconsin colleges (85%) award credit for AP United States Government and Politics at a score of 3. 6 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Wisconsin-Madison (3 credit hours). 39 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | POLI SCI X20 | Policy | |
 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee | 3 | 3 | POL SCI 104 | Policy |
 Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee | 3 | 3 | SOCSCI 221 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | 20-809-221 | Policy | |
 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse | 3 | 3 | Elective Credit | Policy |
 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater | 3 | 3 | POLISCI 141 American Government and Politics | Policy |
 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire | 3 | 3 | LE-K2 (Social Sciences) | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | Political Science Elective Credit | Policy | |
 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point | 3 | 3 | Political Science 101 | Policy |
 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay | 3 | 3 | Political Science 101 | Policy |
 Fox Valley Technical College Appleton | 3 | 3 | Elective | Policy |
 University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville | 3 | 3 | Political Science 1230 | Policy |
 University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie | 3 | 3 | Political Science 210 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | Intro to American Gov't | Policy | |
 Gateway Technical College Kenosha | 3 | 3 | 809-122 Introduction to American Government | Policy |
 University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls | 3 | 3 | POLS 114 | Policy |
 Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire | 3 | 3 | 809-122, Intro to American Government | Policy |
 Carthage College Kenosha | 3 | 4 | POL 2400 American Government: National, State, and Local | Policy |
 Carroll University Waukesha | 3 | 4 | Elective | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | POLS 2010 | Policy | |
 University of Wisconsin-Superior Superior | 3 | 3 | POLS 150 | Policy |
 Lakeshore Technical College Cleveland | 3 | 3 | Introduction to American Government | Policy |
 Saint Norbert College De Pere | 3 | 4 | POLI 130 | Policy |
 Viterbo University La Crosse | 3 | 3 | POSC-121 | Policy |
 Lakeland University Plymouth | 3 | — | — | Policy |
 Edgewood College Madison | 3 | 4 | PS 262 | Policy |
 Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee | 3 | 3 | POL 110 | Policy |
 Alverno College Milwaukee | 3 | — | Politics 225 | Policy |
 Nicolet Area Technical College Rhinelander | 3 | 3 | 20-803-227 American Government | Policy |
 Mount Mary University Milwaukee | 3 | 3 | Humanistics Elective | Policy |
 Maranatha Baptist University Watertown | 3 | 3 | EDUC 233 - American Government for Educators | Policy |
 Bellin College Green Bay | 3 | 3 | Social science elective | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | POLS 100 | Policy | |
 Marquette University Milwaukee | 4 | 3 | POSC 2201 | Policy |
 Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee | 4 | — | PSC 2011 | Policy |
 Lawrence University Appleton | 4 | 6 | — | Policy |
 Beloit College Beloit | 4 | 1 | Count for POLS 110 | Policy |
 Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee | 4 | 3 | HUMT340 | Policy |
RC Ripon College Ripon | 4 | 4 | — | Policy |
AP United States Government and Politics credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin colleges give credit for AP United States Government and Politics?+
39 colleges in Wisconsin publish a credit-bearing policy for AP United States Government and Politics. 33 of them (85%) award credit at a score of 3, 6 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 United States Government and Politics score that earns credit in Wisconsin?+
3. University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison awards credit at a score of 3, worth 3 credit hours, counting as POLI SCI X20. 33 Wisconsin colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Wisconsin?+
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 Wisconsin AP credit policies?+
39 of the 39 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.