AP Computer Science Principles credit at Colorado colleges
Every Colorado college with a published AP Computer Science Principles credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
11 of 15 Colorado colleges (73%) award credit for AP Computer Science Principles at a score of 3. 3 require a 4 and 1 requires a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at Colorado State University-Fort Collins (3 credit hours). 14 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins | 3 | 3 | CS 1++ | Policy |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver | 3 | 4 | CS 1030 | Policy |
| Front Range Community College Westminster | 3 | 3 | CSC 1019 Introduction to Programming | Policy |
| Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction | 3 | 3 | CSCI 1XX | Policy |
| University of Northern Colorado Greeley | 3 | 3 | CS 130 | Policy |
| Fort Lewis College Durango | 3 | 3 | GS T1XX | Policy |
| Colorado State University Pueblo Pueblo | 3 | 3 | CIS Elective | Policy |
| Colorado College Colorado Springs | 3 | 1 | Credit for CP115; Placement into CP116 | Policy |
| Western Colorado University Gunnison | 3 | 3 | CS Elective | Policy |
| Morgan Community College Fort Morgan | 3 | 3 | CSC 1019 | — |
| Naropa University Boulder | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
| University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado Springs | 4 | 3 | CS 1999TC | Policy |
| University of Denver Denver | 4 | 4 | COMP 1XXX | Policy |
| Colorado School of Mines Golden | 4 | 3 | FREE 1XX (Starting spring 2024) | Policy |
| University of Colorado Boulder Boulder | 5 | 4 | CSCI 1300 | Policy |
AP Computer Science Principles credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Colorado college: the lowest score that earns actual credit under the policy that applies to all students, and the largest credit award published at that score. Placement-only policies — permission to skip a course without earning credit hours — are excluded. Credit hours and course equivalents are reproduced exactly as the college published them; “—” means no value was published and we do not estimate one. A page is published for a state only when at least 8 colleges back it.
Frequently asked questions
Which Colorado colleges give credit for AP Computer Science Principles?+
15 colleges in Colorado publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Computer Science Principles. 11 of them (73%) award credit at a score of 3, 3 require a 4, and 1 requires a 5. The full list, with credit hours and the course each exam replaces, is in the table on this page.
What is the lowest AP Computer Science Principles score that earns credit in Colorado?+
3. Colorado State University-Fort Collins in Fort Collins awards credit at a score of 3, worth 3 credit hours, counting as CS 1++. 11 Colorado colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Colorado?+
No. AP credit policy is set per institution and applies to admitted students regardless of residency — residency affects tuition rate, not credit awards. What does vary is the school within a university: engineering and nursing colleges commonly set higher bars than arts and sciences. The rules shown here are the ones that apply to all students at each college.
How do I verify these Colorado AP credit policies?+
14 of the 15 colleges on this page link to their own published AP credit page in the Source column; our snapshot was taken July 30, 2026. The college's page is authoritative and can change between admission cycles, so confirm there before building a graduation plan around the credit.
Keep exploring
Data sources: Each college's own published AP / advanced-standing credit page (captured July 30, 2026) · IPEDS institution directory (names, control, location). Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.