Starting next year, high school students who take AP classes will have an easier time getting college credit at UNC system schools.

On July 1, the UNC System officially launched a new policy on advanced-placement credits, with the goal of making the system more accessible and affordable.

Before, each individual school set its own standards of whether a ‘three’, ‘four’ or ‘five’ score on an AP test would count for class credit at their college. Now, every score of ‘three’ or higher will count toward credit at all UNC System schools.

University officials approved the policy last July as part of its strategic plan for the future of the state’s higher education. Its purpose is to standardize the credit requirements across all 16 universities.

UNC – Chapel Hill is one of the schools directly affected by the new policy. Previously, the system’s flagship university required a score of ‘five’ on 10 AP tests for credit and a score of ‘four’ on 22 others.

The policy aims to incentivize high school students enrolling in AP courses, to decrease the pressure on scores and to help students save tuition money once they reach college. A UNC System study revealed in the 2016-2017 school year, students within their universities missed out on 13,950 course credits that would count under the new policy. Officials say the change also gives students in rural counties or low-income families a better chance to receive AP credit.

Individual UNC system schools do have some authority to adjust the policy: the school’s board of trustees would have to pass an exception on a course-by-course basis to require scores of ‘four’ or ‘five.’

In a statement on July 1, UNC System Interim President William Roper said he hopes this change will enable students across the state to get a head start on their college educations and put a UNC-system degree within reach of “every qualified North Carolinian.”

Related Stories
‹
UNC-Chapel Hill Cuts 20 Positions, Reassigns 27 Employees After System Changes DEI Policy
The flagship UNC campus eliminated the most positions compared its peers in the North Carolina System to comply with new policies.
UNC System Replaces Diversity Policy, President Preaches Institutional Neutrality
The UNC System repealed its policy on diversity and inclusion on Thursday, which will scale back such such efforts on campuses statewide.
UNC System Interim President: Campuses Expected to Reopen for Fall Semester
UNC System campuses have shifted to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but interim president Bill Roper believes students will be able to return for the fall semester. “Recent data in North Carolina are showing positive trends that suggest our collective efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19 are paying off,” said Roper in […]
UNC System Settles Silent Sam's Future, Gives Statue to Sons of Confederate Veterans
The University of North Carolina System reached a resolution to the future of the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam on Wednesday. A court approved a consent judgement that would give possession, rights, title and interests of the statue over to the Sons of Confederate Veterans — removing UNC as the institution possessing Silent Sam. […]
UNC Students Send Support After UNC-Charlotte Shooting
When news broke on the evening of April 30 about the shooting on UNC-Charlotte’s campus, UNC junior and Charlotte native Matthew Angerson said it was hard to process the violence. “There’s always the [broader] mindset of ‘it’s happening, but at least it’s not here,’” he said. “But even though I wasn’t there, it still happened […]
UNC Board of Governors Approve Chancellor Raises
UNC – Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt is receiving a 6.1 percent salary increase, bringing her annual base salary to $632,810. The increase was approved as part of a vote by the Board of Governors on Friday where 13 of the UNC System’s 17 campus leaders received pay bumps retroactive to July 1, 2017. Folt […]
Secrecy Surrounding Chancellor Raises Draws Criticism
The UNC Board of Governors decided in closed session on Friday to give pay raises to several chancellors across the UNC System. Now that information is finally being made public. UNC Chancellor Carol Folt and NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson were two of 12 recipients of a pay increase, according to information released on Monday. […]
'We Want Them To Feel Welcome': A Conversation with UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, Part 2
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts shares his thoughts on tenure delays, student visas, Bill Belichick, and the future of the Smith Center.
'It's Natural To Be Unsettled': A Conversation with UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, Part 1
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts shares his thoughts on federal funding cuts, academic freedom, and the public role of higher education.
North Carolina Is Pursuing Its Own Restrictions Amid Trump’s Pushback Against DEI
Following the lead of several conservative states and the president himself, North Carolina Republican lawmakers have advanced their own bills that target diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
›