About Advance Credit

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate and College Credits Earned While In High School

College credit (four units per examination) may be granted to students who achieve scores of four or five on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations and/or scores of five through seven on International Baccalaureate (IB) exams taken at the higher level. In some cases, General Education credit will be granted. A maximum of 28 units from AP and IB exams can be applied to a Pacific degree. After that, exams may be accepted to meet course content. In addition, students who have taken college courses prior to high school graduation will receive credit toward University of the Pacific graduation, as long as the credit is transferable, is earned at an accredited college and is awarded college credit on a transcript generated by that college. The purpose is to recognize advanced work of quality already accomplished by certain students, to preclude duplication of courses, and to provide increased opportunity for exceptional students to take elective work in their undergraduate programs.

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

College credit may be granted, within certain limitations, for the General and Subject Examinations offered through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) of the College Board when satisfactory scores have been earned. This program may be utilized by entering freshmen who take the tests prior to matriculation for the purpose of earning advanced standing credit, by regularly enrolled students for accelerating their programs or demonstrating competency in certain subjects, or by candidates for transfer who desire advanced credit or present the tests in support of applications for admission. A maximum of 28 units may be applied to a Pacific degree. After that, exams may be accepted to meet course content. For more information, contact the Office of Admission.

Maximum Units by Examination

A maximum of 20 semester units will be accepted from any or all of the following: courses taken in regionally accredited correspondence schools, extension courses, or credit by examination. This limit does not apply to credit earned through AP exams or the IB program.

More Information

For a guide on Pacific policy on Advance Placement credit, please use Pacific's online articulation agreements tool (ROAR) and select "Testing Programs" from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the list.