If you are an incoming freshman and took any Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school, request that the Educational Testing Service (ETS) send your AP scores to Rensselaer's Registrar's Office; the Registrar will in turn evaluate your scores and provide you with the results.
Note: Although you may receive credit for your AP courses, you will not receive a grade for them, and the credits are not included in any grade point average (GPA) calculations.
Students entering as first-time freshmen can transfer a maximum of 32 credits hours toward their Bachelor’s degree at Rensselaer of which only 20 credit hours may come from AP or IB courses. Advanced placement or academic credit can be obtained in either of two ways:
- Advanced Placement Examinations, which are given by the College Entrance Examination Board in Princeton, New Jersey.
- Transfer credit, which is granted for work done at an accredited college before beginning your freshman year at Rensselaer.
Details in obtaining credit by method:
You should request that the Educational Testing Service (ETS) send Advanced Placement (AP) scores to the Registrar’s Office at Rensselaer. The scores are evaluated by individual departments using the criteria outlined below.
When credit is granted, no grade is assigned; therefore, the grade received is not included in calculating the Quality Point Average (QPA) at Rensselaer. As an alternative to receiving AP credit, you may qualify for a course above the entry level.
You will have Rensselaer’s credit or placement decision in time for your first semester registration at Student Orientation (SO), provided your scores have been reported on time. You always have the option of declining all or part of you Advanced Placement awards. Advanced Placement credit will be forfeited if a student takes an equivalent Rensselaer course.
If you have completed, or are currently enrolled in courses at other colleges, the credit may be transferable to Rensselaer. The Registrar will have your courses evaluated by the appropriate departments on campus. You can check your unofficial transcript on SIS to see what courses have been approved for transfer. By June 25, send catalog course descriptions for each course taken, or in progress, to the Registrar, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, New York 12180-3590. Be sure your name and Rensselaer ID number are on all pages of course descriptions.
An official transcript of your grade(s) from the other college(s) must also be sent to the Office of the Registrar when the course is completed. Once the evaluation is done and the Registrar has official transcripts, the credit will be posted to your academic record. No grade is given for transfer credit and the grades are not included in calculating the QPA. Other information on transfer credit can be found in the Academic Catalog.
Transfer credit will not be given for any college courses taken while in high school if these courses were used in obtaining the high school diploma. Transfer credit will be forfeited if a student takes an equivalent Rensselaer course.
Only a total of two courses for a maximum of eight (8) advanced placement and/or transfer credits can be used toward the HASS Core Requirements for graduation. Only a total of two courses for a maximum of eight (8) transfer credits may be used to satisfy the math/science core requirement. Any courses beyond those two (2) can be used towards free electives.
Rules Used to Determine Credit
Art History
Students who achieve a grade of 5 on either of these exams will receive 4 credist for ARTS-1050 Art History: Paleolithic to Contemporary
Biology
Students who achieve a grade of 5 will receive 3 credits for BIOL1010 Introduction to Biology and 1 credit for BIOL-1015 Introduction to Biology Lab.
Chemistry
Students who achieve a grade of 5 will receive 8 credits for CHEM-1100 Chemistry I and CHEM-1200 Chemistry II. For students who are not required to take Chemistry II in their curriculum, the credits for Chemistry II could be applied to a science elective or free elective. Engineering students who are required to take Materials Science for Engineers should register for ENGR-1600 to complete the pre-engineering chemistry/materials requirement.
Computer Science A
Students who achieve a grade of 5 on the A test will receive 4 credits for CSCI 1100-Computer Science I. Students who achieve a grade of 5 on the Computer Science Principles exam will receive 4 credits for CSCI 1000- Computer Science Elective. Students who take both Computer Science Principles and Computer Science A, and achieve a grade of 5 on both tests, will only receive 4 credits for CSCI 1100-Computer Science I. They cannot receive credit for both CSCI 1000 and CSCI 1100.
English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition
Students who achieve a grade of 5 will receive 4 credit hours for WRIT-1000 Writing elective. Credit cannot be used to satisfy the Communication Intensive Requirement.
Environmental Science
Students who receive a grade of 5 will receive 4 credits for IENV1000 Environmental Science elective.
Foreign Language
Students who achieve a grade of 5 in World Language and Culture will receive 4 credits for LANG-1000 Foreign Language Elective. AP courses include French Language and Culture, German Language and Culture, Italian Language and Culture, Japanese Language and Culture, Latin or Spanish Language and Culture, and Spanish Literature and Culture. Students who receive a grade of 5 in Chinese Language and Culture will receive 4 credits for LANG-2410 Chinese II.
History
Students who achieve a grade of 5 on the United States History or a grade of 5 in European History or World History will receive 4 credit hours for STSH-1000 STS (Humanities) Elective.
Human Geography
Students who receive a grade of 5 will receive 4 credit hours for STSS-1000 STS (Social Science) Elective.
Mathematics - Calculus
Engineering and Science majors who achieve a grade of 5 on the Calculus BC examination, or a grade of 5 on the Calculus AB examination, will receive 4 credits for Calculus I and should register for MATH-1020 Calculus II if required by the major. Students who achieve a grade of 5 on the BC exam will receive 8 credits for Calculus I and II and should register for MATH-2010 or MATH-2400 depending on the requirements of the student’s major.
Architecture, HASS, and Management majors who achieve a grade of 5 on the Calculus BC examination, or a grade of 5 on the Calculus AB examination, will receive 4 credits for Calculus I and take no math in the fall semester; these students enroll in MATH-1520 (Management) or MATH-1620 (Architecture and HASS) in the spring semester. Students receiving a grade of 5 on the Calculus BC exam will receive 8 credit hours for Calculus I and II.
Macroeconomics*
Students who achieve a grade of 5 will receive 4 credits for ECON-1000 Economics Elective. (Beginning Fall 2019)
Microeconomics*
Students who achieve a grade of 5 will receive 4 credits for ECON-1000 Economics Elective (Beginning Fall 2019)
*(Students who achieve a grade of 5 in both Macro and Microeconomics will receive 4 credits for ECON-1200 Principles of Economics AND 4 credits for ECON-1000 Economics Elective)
Music Theory
Students who achieve a grade of 5 will, subject to portfolio review by faculty, receive 4 credits for ARTS-1380 Fundamentals of Music and Sound
Physics
Students who achieve a grade of 5 on both Physics C: Mechanics and Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism receive 8 credits for Physics I and II. Students who receive a grade of 5 on only Physics C: Mechanics receive 4 credits for Physics 1. Students who achieve a grade of 5 on the Physics 1: Algebra-based examination and have received credit for Calculus I (AP credit, transfer credit, or have completed Rensselaer credit) receive 4 credits for Physics I.
Psychology
Students who achieve a grade of 5 will receive 4 credits for PSYC-1200 General Psychology.
Studio Art
Students who acheive a grade of 5 in 2D Design will, subject to portfolio review by faculty, receive 4 credits for ARTS-2220 Fundamentals of 2D Design. Students who acheive a grade of 5 in 3D Design will, subject to portfolio review by faculty, receive 4 credits for ARTS-2210 Sculpture I. Students who achieve a grade of 5 in Drawing will, subject to portfolio review by faculty, receive 4 credits for ARTS-1200 Basic Drawing.
United States Government and Politics or Comparative Government and Politics
Students who achieve a grade of 5 will receive 4 credit hours for STSS-1000 STS (Social Science) elective.
Art/Design
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive 4 credit hours for a course ARTS-1000 Arts Elective.
Biology
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for BIOL1010/1015 Introduction to Biology, 4 credits.
Business and Management
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for MGMT1100 Introduction to Management, 4 credits.
Chemistry
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for courses CHEM-1100 & CHEM-1200, Chemistry I & II, 8 credit hours.
Classical Languages
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive 4 credit hours for a course COMM-1000 Communications Elective.
Economics
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for a course ECON-1200 Introductory Economics, 4 credit hours.
English
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive 4 credit hours for a course WRIT-1000 Writing Elective.
Foreign Languages
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive 4 credit hours for a course LANG-1000 Language Elective.
History
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for a course STSH-1000 STS (Humanitites) Elective, 4 credit hours.
History of the Islamic World
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for a course STSH-1000 STS (Humanities) Elective, 4 credit hours.
Information Technology in a Global Society
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for a course STSS-1000 STS (Social Science) Elective, 4 credit hours.
Mathematics
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for Calculus I, 4 credit hours.
Music
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive 4 credit hours for a course ARTS-1000, Arts Elective.
Philosophy
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for course PHIL-1110, Introduction to Philosophy, 4 credit hours.
Physics
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for Physics I and Physics II, 8 credit hours.
Psychology
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for course PSYC-1200 General Psychology, 4 credit hours.
Social Anthropology
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for a course STSS-1000 STS (Social Science) Elective, 4 credit hours.
Theatre Arts
Students who earn a grade of 6 or 7 will receive credit for ARTS1000 Arts Elective, 4 credit hours.
For information on Cambridge A-Level International Exams and how each exam transfers to Rensselaer, please refer to the Transfer Course Guide. Once there, click the down arrow under 'Nation', choose 'United Kingdom', then 'Get Institutions', and 'Univ of Cambridge Int'l Exam'. This will provide a list of the exams and the transfer credit that is awarded for each. The required exam grade for credit is A or B.
