Advanced Placement Courses

The Advanced Placement Program (AP) is a cooperative educational endeavor of secondary schools and colleges and universities. Through AP courses, high school students engage in college-level study; through the AP exams, they demonstrate and confirm their mastery of particular subjects.

The Advanced Placement program provides students with opportunities to earn credit in American universities, giving them a head start toward earning undergraduate degrees upon entering colleges and universities. AP courses are recognized by many colleges and universities throughout the world for admission purposes and help to indicate that a student has excelled in a rigorous course of study. In fact, many U.S. universities grant college credit for high scores on AP exams. The College Entrance Examination Board and the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J. develop AP courses and examinations. The purpose of such courses is to simulate the pace and rigor of university coursework; therefore, AP classes tend to be quite difficult.