Keep in mind that just because you can get out of a class, does not mean you should. For instance, if you are in CoE and need to take the 1 math series and got a 5 on BC, yes you could skip out of them and go to 53-54. However if you are not confident in your math skills, then maybe skipping them is not the best idea.

(I know some of you have taken IB, this works pretty much like AP, which is what I shall lay out in the info below…)

L&S

As a college, AP pretty much does nothing for you. You can’t get out of any of your gen-ed requirements, because we have something that’s called “7-course breadth” instead! However, you can get out of some campus requirements.

To satisfy the Reading and Composition Requirements (http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/requirement/rc.html) RA and RB:

·       AP Lit – 4 satisfies first semester, 5 satisfies both

·       AP Lang – 4 & 5 satisfies first semester

·       IB English Language A1 or A2 – 5, 6, 7 satisfies both

·       A-level English – A, B, C satisfies both

For the less popular questions about quantitative and/or history, you can check this L&S (http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/requirement/summary.html) for more info:

Everything else should be checked by INDIVIDUAL MAJOR in the departmental websites. Examples:

Pre-Haas
·       5 on AP Macroeconomics AND AP Microeconomics replaces Econ 1
·       5 on AP Calculus BC replaces 1 semester of Math (so 1A or 16A)

Psychology (http://psychology.berkeley.edu/students/undergraduate-program/about-major)             
·       4 or 5 on AP Psych replaces Psych 1
·       4 or 5 on AP Bio replaces 1 Biological Science course

·       4 or 5 on any of the AP Govs replaces 1 Social Science course

·       4 or 5 on AP Stats fulfills the quantitative requirement

 

Examples of not being able to use AP to waive out of anything:

·       Integrative Biology (https://ib.berkeley.edu/undergrad/major/freshman.php): “The Department of Integrative Biology no longer allows students to waive out of the math requirement using AP credit. This was a recent decision, so may contradict what you have understood. This is in effect for any student who enters as a freshman in the fall of 2012. You cannot use biology, chemistry & physics AP scores to waive other lower-division IB requirements.”

·       Pre-Med: I have heard that you SHOULD NOT use AP to get out of anything. Not even English, because that is a requirement for Medical school. Therefore, it is a general consensus to not skip anything, which includes math, biology, chemistry, etc.

·       Physics (http://physics.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/_/PDF/phys_major_blltn_boggscrnt.pdf): “Completing Advanced Placement courses or exams in physics is not considered sufficient preparation for upper division work in physics; therefore, it is the general policy of the Department not to waive the Physics 7A-7C prerequisite except under unusual circumstances.”

 

Other Colleges

Unlike L&S, you can use AP to fulfill gen-ed courses.

·       College of Chemistry
I find this COC Website (http://chemistry.berkeley.edu/students) to be pretty comprehensive, breaks down by major as well as breadth:

·       College of Engineering
Here’s the COE Handbook (http://engineering.berkeley.edu/academics/undergraduate-guide). “For the Humanities/Social Science requirement, no more than two of the required six courses can be satisfied by AP, IB or A Level exams. There is no limit on the number of AP exams that can be used to satisfy technical requirements”. This website also outlines what the AP/etc tests can be used for (p7-12). It seems like these are also pretty standard among majors/departments in CoE. Please note that you have to take at least 1 semester of English, no matter what!

·       College of Natural Resources
The CNR Handbook (http://nature.berkeley.edu/site/forms/oisa/undergrad_handbook.pdf) on p18 also breaks down by major. p10 also shows you the R&C breakdown.

 

If you want to know how many credits you have accumulated, you can look at this page (http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/exam-credit/ap-credits/index.html). Remember to divide by 1.5 though! The page is shown quarterly, not semesterly.


Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out to me (hello@tiffanyqi.com; or PEACE advisors!) if you have any questions.