Threes get degrees: how the new AP credit program affects you

The UNC system has created a new Advanced Placement (AP) credit policy, which will go into effect across the system's 16 universities this fall. 

Before the change, AP test scores accepted by UNC system universities varied among each discipline. Now, students will receive credit for any AP exam where a student earned a score of "three" or higher. 

“Our new AP Credit Acceptance policy is vital to the UNC system’s ongoing work to put higher education within reach of every qualified North Carolinian,” UNC system Interim President William Roper said. “This new policy will encourage more high school students across the state to get a head start on their college careers. It will make completing a UNC system education, at any one of our institutions, faster and more affordable.”

Before making the change, the UNC system found that students missed nearly 14,000 credit hours throughout the state due to the previous policy, and that North Carolina spent more than $12 million on AP exams. 

“We are estimating that the system will grant 40 percent more credits. So, this is a great thing for students, families and taxpayers,” Jason Tyson, director of Media Relations for the UNC system, said. 

Tyson explained that the new AP policy will not have an effect on students' major requirements or negatively impact graduation. In fact, the intent of the new policy is the opposite. 

“We think it will save time and money for sure, and people won’t be discouraged from taking AP classes, and definitely they could spend less time on tuition and graduate quicker because they have that built in credit,” Tyson said. 

Some students are confused by the new policy and wonder how exactly it may affect them, either positively or negatively.

"I think it is positive if everyone gets credit for those classes, including the students that are already here," UNC junior Cassidy Windsor said. "Because I do think that people worked hard in high school and a 3 is  perfectly acceptable. It felt like before this new policy, I had wasted my time stressing out over AP classes in high school just to be told my score wasn’t high enough.” 

On the other hand, Windsor said she finds it somewhat frustrating that she has not seen more resources from UNC detailing how students can apply the credit to their transcripts. 

"So far, I have just seen an email that basically says, 'Congrats, you get credit,' but nothing beyond that, which is frustrating," she said. "It is also frustrating because I am a junior, and I already took all of my Gen Eds, which means it barely applies to me anyway.” 

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