Taking AP courses helps students stand out in the college admissions process, by demonstrating to admission officers that they have sought the most rigorous curriculum available to them. Universities around the world look favorably upon students who take AP courses and exams, because performance in AP demonstrates a student’s commitment and ability to succeed at university-level studies.

Since taking AP Exams is never a compulsory part of the college application, it is a positive signal from a student to the admission officer, indicating motivation and dedication. Hence, it can help students significantly strengthen the academic component of their college application.
 
Earn College Credit and/or Placement into Higher Level Courses

College credit is earned by students through every course they take over the 4 years they attend college. Students require a certain minimum number of credits to complete their graduation requirements. AP allows students to earn some of these credits before they even start college. Similarly, AP can also help students earn advanced placement or standing, which means they can skip introductory courses that match with their chosen AP Subject, and jump to a higher level course when they begin college.

Earning college credit or advanced placement before they even start college, can enable students to graduate early (students can sometimes save as much as a year at college), save tuition, pursue a double major, move into upper level courses sooner, gain time to travel abroad, or complete an internship.

 Over 90 percent of universities across the US offer credit, advanced placement or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores. Additionally, nearly all leading universities in Canada and UK recognize AP for admission, credit or placement, as do many European universities. Credit policies differ by college, so students should understand the policies of the colleges they are interested in. To view credit policies for US colleges, students can click here and to check AP policies at universities outside the US, click here.
 
Gain Recognition with AP Scholar Awards

The AP Program recognizes high school students who have demonstrated outstanding college-level achievement through AP courses and exams, with the AP Scholar Awards (non-monetary). Indian students also have the opportunity to earn the Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID), by achieving a score of 3 or higher in 5 or more AP Exams. Students can click here for more information. Succeeding in AP Exams can also help students earn academic scholarships and awards from colleges directly.
 
Demonstrate Excellence and Interest

AP can help a student illustrate his or her competence in a particular field of study and can also give students an opportunity to study a subject that they are interested in but not able to study at their school. Some students take AP Exams to complete their General Education requirements at university.
 
Develop Skills Needed for College Success

AP courses and exams help students develop the critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving and communication skills that are essential for success in college and beyond. This is especially important in the Indian context, as the studying methodology in our schools can sometimes be very different to what is practiced abroad.
 
Provide a Standardized Indicator of Ability

Universities across the world recognize the AP Program, and AP Exams are taken by students in more than 120 countries. A score of 5 in an AP Exam is interpreted the same way, whether that student is from Nairobi, New Delhi or New York. Hence, AP Exams also allow Indian students to provide a score from a standardized and globally recognized academic program in their college applications.
 

Lisa Jain is the Representative of The College Board in India. In her role, she works extensively with schools across India to support implementation of College Board programs. She also interacts directly with students and parents, educating them about how College Board’s programs and resources (such as SAT, AP, PSAT or Big Future) help in the college application and admission process.