AP Seminar credit at California colleges

Every California college with a published AP Seminar credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.

Quick answer

61 of 66 California colleges (92%) award credit for AP Seminar at a score of 3. 5 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 1 at Oxnard College. 64 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.

Colleges that award credit for AP Seminar, with the minimum qualifying score, credit hours awarded and the equivalent course.
CollegeMin scoreCreditsCounts asSource
Oxnard College
Oxnard
1No CreditPolicy
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton
33ElectivesPolicy
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach
33General electivesPolicy
San Diego State University
San Diego
33GEN S 299Policy
California State University-Northridge
Northridge
33No EquivalencyPolicy
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento
36Policy
San Jose State University
San Jose
33ElectivePolicy
Mt San Antonio College
Walnut
3Policy
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park
33Policy
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona
33Policy
Ashford University
San Diego
33ELECTIVEPolicy
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo
39Elective UnitsPolicy
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles
3Policy
San Francisco State University
San Francisco
33Policy
University of California-Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
30Policy
Southwestern College
Chula Vista
33N/EPolicy
Fullerton College
Fullerton
33Policy
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield
33Policy
Palomar College
San Marcos
33NEPolicy
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego
33Policy
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino
33Policy
Mt San Jacinto Community College District
San Jacinto
33Policy
Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill
33
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos
33Policy
Cosumnes River College
Sacramento
33Policy
California State University-Chico
Chico
33Policy
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson
33Policy
Victor Valley College
Victorville
33Policy
Moorpark College
Moorpark
33No equivalent coursePolicy
San Diego Miramar College
San Diego
33Policy
Santiago Canyon College
Orange
33Policy
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara
3Policy
National University
San Diego
34.51 open electivePolicy
Folsom Lake College
Folsom
33Policy
College of the Desert
Palm Desert
33Policy
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock
33Policy
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield
33Policy
Cabrillo College
Aptos
30Policy
Hartnell College
Salinas
33Policy
Ohlone College
Fremont
33Policy
Las Positas College
Livermore
33Policy
California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside
33Policy
Monterey Peninsula College
Monterey
3
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Arcata
36ElectivePolicy
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park
33Policy
California State University-Channel Islands
Camarillo
33Policy
Contra Costa College
San Pablo
33Policy
Gavilan College
Gilroy
3Policy
Academy of Art University
San Francisco
33LA 116Policy
Biola University
La Mirada
33ElectivePolicy
University of La Verne
La Verne
34General ElectivePolicy
Taft College
Taft
33Policy
Napa Valley College
Napa
33Policy
Palo Verde College
Blythe
33Policy
Porterville College
Porterville
3Policy
Saint Mary's College of California
Moraga
33SEM 199EPolicy
Vanguard University of Southern California
Costa Mesa
33ELECTIVEPolicy
Columbia College
Sonora
33Policy
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno
33ElectivePolicy
Feather River Community College District
Quincy
3Policy
William Jessup University
Rocklin
33General ElectivePolicy
University of Southern California
Los Angeles
44Policy
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego
43ElectivePolicy
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena
43Policy
Occidental College
Los Angeles
44Policy
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles
4Thought Lab 1 or Thought Lab 2Policy

AP Seminar credit in other states

How we ranked this

One row per California 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 California colleges give credit for AP Seminar?+

66 colleges in California publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Seminar. 61 of them (92%) award credit at a score of 3, 5 require a 4, and 0 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 Seminar score that earns credit in California?+

1. Oxnard College in Oxnard awards credit at a score of 1, counting as No Credit. 61 California colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.

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

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 California AP credit policies?+

64 of the 66 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.