Credit: AP and IPC and PMC

To determine your placement for many Duke classes—particularly science, math and language classes—Duke considers coursework and examinations completed prior to matriculation (your start date at Duke).

There are three types of pre-college work that are recognized: 
  • Advanced Placement Credit (AP)
  • International Placement Credit (IPC)
  • Pre-Matriculation Credit (PMC, i.e., college courses taken during high school)  

All three types of pre-college course work are considered equivalent. Those approved will be added to your Duke transcript. Keep the following in mind:

  • All credits can be used for placement into higher-level course work as permitted by the department.
  • Only two will count towards the 34 credits required for graduation.  You don’t need to decide which ones.  When DukeHub finds one or more AP/IP/PMC credits on your record, it simply resets the number of courses needed to graduate to reflect this.  For example, one credit already earned = 33 to graduate, 2 credits already earned = 32 to graduate.
  • Although only 2 of these credits will be automatically counted towards graduation credit total, it is best to send all of your AP/IB/PMC credits to Duke registrar’s office. In some cases, additional AP credits can be used to graduate earlier than 8 semesters. See Graduating Early.
  • AP/IP/PMC credits carry no codes and cannot be used to satisfy Trinity curriculum requirements
  • Some departments do allow them to satisfy major and minor requirements – check with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) of the relevant department.

If you already have AP/IPC/PMC credit for a course (e.g. Chemistry 101), you can still enroll in that course at Duke.  If you do this, however, while the AP/IP/PMC credit will still appear on your transcript, it will no longer count towards the 34 required to graduate.  Talk with your college advisor and/or dean about the pros and cons of repeating a course for which you already earned credit before enrolling at Duke.

It’s a good idea to request that your AP and IB scores be sent to Duke the summer before you arrive on campus, so that you can enroll in the correct level of courses. Doing this also helps your college advisor understand your background when advising you about courses, and it gives you flexibility if you later need to withdraw to an underload.

If you submitted AP scores as part of your original application to Duke, these weren’t kept, so you’ll need to make a new request. 

 

 

 

IPC, or international placement credit (the International Baccalaureate is the best known, but this term also applies to British A-levels, the All-India School Certificate Exam, and others) scores must be reported directly to the Registrar’s Office

Limitations:

  • The documents must be originals, not copies.
  • You can only get credit for a subject in which an AP exam is also offered in the United States.

Pre-matriculation credit is credit earned from taking college-level courses in high school.  You earn credit for these only if they meet specific criteria, including not being used to satisfy high school graduation requirements and being taught by a regular faculty member in competition with other students at the college.

To apply for PMC credits to be added to your Duke record, follow these steps:

  1. Arrange to have an official transcript of the college course work sent directly from the college to the Duke Registrar's Office;
  2. Provide the Registrar's Office with a course description or syllabus for each course you've taken;
  3. Send a confirmation form to the college of record;
  4. Send a confirmation form to your high school.

Duke recognizes the Advanced Placement program of the College Board and grants credit for some advanced courses with scores of 4 or 5 on the AP exam. 

  • See this table for a summary of AP credits with their Duke course equivalents.  A score of 5 in AP French Language, for example, is considered equivalent to French 204 at Duke, and French 204 will appear on your Duke transcript once that credit is entered by the registrar.

 

All AP credits recognized by Duke will appear on your Duke transcript. If you have eight AP credits, all eight will appear. 

 

AP credit may be useful in several ways:
  • AP credit in chemistry, computer science, environmental science, math, and foreign languages can place you out of introductory courses and may fulfill requirements for a major in those areas. 
  • AP credit in biology allows you to take an accelerated gateway course (Biology 203), covering in one semester material typically taught over the two-semester Biology 201-202 sequence.
  • AP credit in political science, English, art history, psychology, and similar areas that do not place you out of introductory courses may still be useful in documenting your interest and foundation in those areas.
  • AP credits in biology, chemistry, English, math, physics, and statistics are useful for premed/prehealth students, as these may fulfill requirements for medical, dental, veterinarian, and other health professions schools.  For more information, see the Prehealth website.

 

Students sometimes ask which AP exams they should take.  The information in the table above might help you prioritize the ones that let you bypass introductory coursework.  Minimally, it’s to your advantage to take at least two exams, regardless of subject, so that you come in with 2 credits already applied toward the 34 needed to graduate.

 

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Duke also recognizes various international standardized exams and awards credit for scores that meet certain standards. IPC credits can only be used in subject areas for which there is an AP exam offered domestically.  Use the table below to figure out if you'll be eligible for IPC credit at Duke:

 

Examination

Score

International Baccalaureate

6 or 7 on the higher level

Austria Matura Certificate Exam

1 or 2

British, Hong Kong, Scottish, Singapore or Zimbabwe A-level (GCE)

A or B

Cambridge Pre-U

M3 or higher

Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination (CAPE)

1 or 2

French Baccalauréat

14 or higher

Swiss Maturité

4 or 5

German Abitur

10 or higher

All India/Delhi Senior School Certificate Exam (Class 12)

84 or higher

Indian School Certificate Exam (12th year)

84 or higher

International Advanced Level (IAL) Exam

A or B

Higher Secondary Certificate Exam  (india,12th year)

84 or higher

Israeli Matriculation Certificate (5 units only)

75 or higher

Victorian Certificate of Education

38 or higher

*Note about Physics: Not all of the international placement examinations above are eligible for granting PHY 25 or PHY 26 credit. Please contact the DUS in Physics about proper credit.

 

See also:

Pre-matriculation credit refers to courses that you took at another college or university prior to matriculation at Duke, i.e., courses that you took while you were in high school (for example, as part of a dual-enrollment program).  You may request credit for these courses, but some restrictions apply.

Any PMC course you want credit for has to satisfy all of these conditions:

  • You didn't also use it to satisfy high school graduation requirements
  • You took it after the start of your junior year in high school
  • You earned at least a B-
  • You took it on campus, in competition with degree candidates at the college
  • It was taught by a regular faculty member, as part of the regular curriculum of the college
  • It wasn’t part of a study abroad program.

If you’re an international student who took university courses in your home country prior to matriculation at Duke, you're also eligible to receive PMC credit, subject to the same policies and limitations listed above.

 

Pre-Matriculation Credits Earned at Duke

If you took courses through the Duke Pre-College Program prior to graduation from high school, you may request that these courses be added to your Duke transcript.  Here’s how they’re used:

  • As PMC courses, they’re subject to the restriction that only two credits count toward the 34 needed to graduate
  • Grades earned in these courses will be factored into your overall Duke undergraduate GPA
  • Unlike non-Duke AP/IPC/PMC credits, Duke Pre-College courses can be used to fulfill curriculum requirements and requirements of majors, minors, and certificate programs, as determined by each department;
  • You may not repeat the same course at Duke for credit once you’ve matriculated.

 

Transfer Students

If you have transferred to Duke from another college or university as a rising sophomore or junior, then policies for AP, IP and PMC courses apply for any pre-college work that you completed before enrolling at your previous university. However, questions regarding post-matriculation transfer credit should be directed to your academic dean.

 

 

See also: