AP English Language and Composition credit at Illinois colleges

Every Illinois college with a published AP English Language and Composition credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.

Quick answer

76 of 89 Illinois colleges (85%) award credit for AP English Language and Composition at a score of 3. 11 require a 4 and 2 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (3 credit hours). 89 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.

Colleges that award credit for AP English Language and Composition, with the minimum qualifying score, credit hours awarded and the equivalent course.
CollegeMin scoreCreditsCounts asSource
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign
33Rhetoric 1--Policy
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago
33ENGL 160Policy
Illinois State University
Normal
33ENG 101Policy
DePaul University
Chicago
34WRD 103Policy
Northern Illinois University
Dekalb
33ENGL 103Policy
College of Lake County
Grayslake
33ENG 121Policy
Joliet Junior College
Joliet
33ENG 101Policy
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Edwardsville
33ENG 101Policy
William Rainey Harper College
Palatine
33ENG 101Policy
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale
33ENGL 101Policy
Moraine Valley Community College
Palos Hills
33COM-101Policy
Elgin Community College
Elgin
33ENG 101Policy
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago
33ENGL 111 Foundations of 21st WritingPolicy
Triton College
River Grove
36RHT 101 & 102Policy
Waubonsee Community College
Sugar Grove
33ENG 101Policy
Western Illinois University
Macomb
33Eng 180Policy
Illinois Central College
East Peoria
33ENGL 110Policy
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston
33ENG 1001GPolicy
Rock Valley College
Rockford
33ENG 101Policy
McHenry County College
Crystal Lake
33ENG-151Policy
National Louis University
Chicago
39Policy
Aurora University
Aurora
34ENG1000Policy
Lincoln Land Community College
Springfield
33EGL 101Policy
Northeastern Illinois University
Chicago
33ENGL 101Policy
Bradley University
Peoria
33English 101Policy
Lewis University
Romeoville
33Policy
Parkland College
Champaign
3ENG 115Policy
Saint Xavier University
Chicago
36ENGL 120-188Policy
Heartland Community College
Normal
33ENGL 101Policy
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago
33Policy
Morton College
Cicero
33ENG 101Policy
Roosevelt University
Chicago
33ENG 101Policy
Governors State University
University Park
33Policy
Lake Land College
Mattoon
33ENG 120Policy
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais
33ENGL 109Policy
Prairie State College
Chicago Heights
3ENG 101Policy
Black Hawk College
Moline
33ENG 101Policy
John A Logan College
Carterville
33ENG 101Policy
South Suburban College
South Holland
33ENG 207Policy
Kankakee Community College
Kankakee
33ENGL 1613Policy
Illinois Valley Community College
Oglesby
33ENG 1001 or ENG 0000 If a student receives a 3, 4, or 5 on both AP LANG/COMP and AP LIT/COMP, the student will get 6 course equivalency credits (for ENG 1001 and another elective credit) but will be required to take ENG 1002.Policy
Kaskaskia College
Centralia
33ENGL 101Policy
Benedictine University
Lisle
33WRIT 1101Policy
Kishwaukee College
Malta
33ENG 103Policy
McKendree University
Lebanon
33ENG-111 (English I: Academic Writing)Policy
Moody Bible Institute
Chicago
33College Writing or Oral and Written Communication ElectivePolicy
Millikin University
Decatur
33EN1xxPolicy
Chicago State University
Chicago
33ENG 1270Policy
Richland Community College
Decatur
3ENGL 101Policy
John Wood Community College
Quincy
36ENG 101 & ENG 102Policy
Danville Area Community College
Danville
33ENGL 101Policy
Concordia University-Chicago
River Forest
33ENG 1100Policy
University of St Francis
Joliet
33ENGL 111Policy
Rend Lake College
Ina
33ENGL 1101Policy
Sauk Valley Community College
Dixon
33ENG 101Policy
Carl Sandburg College
Galesburg
36ENG 101 & 102Policy
Quincy University
Quincy
33ENG 111Policy
Knox College
Galesburg
31ENG 101Policy
Rockford University
Rockford
33RHET 101Policy
Illinois College
Jacksonville
34EN 121Policy
Greenville University
Greenville
33ENGL 105Policy
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights
33English 103Policy
Judson University
Elgin
33ENG101Policy
Spoon River College
Canton
33ENG101Policy
Monmouth College
Monmouth
34100 level English elective creditPolicy
Shawnee Community College
Ullin
33ENG 111Policy
Southeastern Illinois College
Harrisburg
33ENG 121Policy
Olney Central College
Olney
33ENG 1101Policy
Wabash Valley College
Mount Carmel
33ENG 1101Policy
Eureka College
Eureka
33ENG103W, Academic Writing & ResearchPolicy
Lincoln Trail College
Robinson
33ENG 1101Policy
Principia College
Elsah
33ENGL XXXPolicy
Frontier Community College
Fairfield
33ENG 1101Policy
Trinity International University-Illinois
Deerfield
33ENG 111Policy
VanderCook College of Music
Chicago
33Policy
Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Rock Island
33English Comp. IPolicy
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago
43UCWR 110Policy
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago
43COM 101Policy
Augustana College
Rock Island
44ENGL-electivePolicy
North Central College
Naperville
44NCCC Elective (satisfies the Composition component of CARD 101)Policy
University of Illinois Springfield
Springfield
43ENG 101Policy
Dominican University
River Forest
43CRWS 205Policy
Wheaton College
Wheaton
44ENGW 103Policy
North Park University
Chicago
44WRIT 1050Policy
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest
41.0English creditPolicy
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington
41Elective, WPolicy
Hebrew Theological College
Skokie
43Policy
Northwestern University
Evanston
52English 1LCPolicy
University of Chicago
Chicago
5100Policy

AP English Language and Composition credit in other states

How we ranked this

One row per Illinois 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 Illinois colleges give credit for AP English Language and Composition?+

89 colleges in Illinois publish a credit-bearing policy for AP English Language and Composition. 76 of them (85%) award credit at a score of 3, 11 require a 4, and 2 require 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 English Language and Composition score that earns credit in Illinois?+

3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign awards credit at a score of 3, worth 3 credit hours, counting as Rhetoric 1--. 76 Illinois colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.

Does in-state residency change AP credit in Illinois?+

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 Illinois AP credit policies?+

89 of the 89 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.