AP Physics 1 credit at Pennsylvania colleges
Every Pennsylvania college with a published AP Physics 1 credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
36 of 88 Pennsylvania colleges (41%) award credit for AP Physics 1 at a score of 3. 48 require a 4 and 4 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 1 at Pennsylvania Western University (1 credit hours). 87 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
AP Physics 1 credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania colleges give credit for AP Physics 1?+
88 colleges in Pennsylvania publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Physics 1. 36 of them (41%) award credit at a score of 3, 48 require a 4, and 4 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 Physics 1 score that earns credit in Pennsylvania?+
1. Pennsylvania Western University in California awards credit at a score of 1, worth 1 credit hours, counting as PHYS 1510. 36 Pennsylvania colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Pennsylvania?+
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 Pennsylvania AP credit policies?+
87 of the 88 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.