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Advanced Placement and Transfer Credit

It's important for students to have an accurate and up-to-date academic record. Students should send any AP scores or official college transcripts with final grades to Skidmore's Office of the Registrar.


Advanced Placement (AP) Credit

As a general rule of thumb, Skidmore grants up to 4 credit hours toward graduation for a grade of 4 or 5 on an Advanced Placement test. Students may earn up to a total of 16 semester hours of credit from any combination of AP, IB (the International Baccalaureate Program), or other examinations. Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, the International Baccalaureate Program (IB), and other testing programs may not count toward All-College requirements.

Only the five academic departments listed below award AP credit toward the major:

Studio Art: A score of 4 or 5 in the categories of General and Studio Art and Drawing allows a student to count up to 4 AP credits toward an elective course for the major or minor in art. It does not fulfill any specific requirement or serve as a prerequisite for any specific course (unless the faculty member makes an individual exception).

Art History: Students may receive AP credit in art history. A score of 4 or 5 earns the student four college credits. It is the Art History Department’s policy that the AP credits can count as AH-100 and may be applied toward a major or minor in art history. A score of 5 will automatically receive this credit; a score of 4 requires consultation with the chairperson of the Art History Department before it is approved.

Economics: Students receiving a score of 5 on the AP microeconomics exam will receive credit for having taken EC 104. Students receiving a score of 5 on the AP macroeconomics exam will receive credit for having taken EC 103. Students who receive scores of 4 can elect to take a qualifying exam as a petition to grant credit for EC 103 and/or EC 104. The qualifying exams are offered before the start of classes each semester by the department chair. 

History: A score of 4 or 5 in either American history or European history will be treated as equivalent to one course toward the major or minor.

Mathematics & Statistics: Students receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the Math AB AP exam will receive credit for MA111. Students receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the Math BC AP will receive credit for MA 113. Students receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the Statistics AP Exam will recieve credit for MS 104. Note: For students who enter Fall 2024 and beyond, Statistics AP will not be equivalent to MS 104 and students will only receive general elective credit.

More information can be found on the Registrar's Advanced Placement (AP) Transfer Credit webpage.


Transfer Credit

Newly enrolled students who have completed work at other post secondary institutions before enrolling at Skidmore must have complete official transcripts from those institutions sent to the College.

A maximum of 60 credits can be awarded in transfer credit (including credit by examination). Credit is given for courses which have been successfully completed with a grade of "C" or higher.

Without exception, transfer credit may not count toward the following All-College requirements: Scribner Seminar, the Bridge Experience, or the Senior Coda.

The Office of the Registrar will post all credits evaluated and approved as applicable toward the Skidmore degree. Once the approval process is completed, Paula Puckett (Assistant Registrar for Records) will contact students via email (or postal mail if non-electronic communications were requested). If needed, you may contact her at ppuckett@skidmore.edu.

More information can be found on the Registrar's Transfer Credit Policy webpage.