Many first-year students have taken AP, IB, A-Level, or French Baccalaureate courses in high school and have completed exams. Some departments advise prospective majors to develop a firm grounding in the subject area and methodology by enrolling in the introductory survey course even if they have credit. Please check the appropriate department websites, and note that if you do decide to take a course that your credit places you out of, you will forfeit that credit.
Credit and Placement
Please reference the Courses of Study for a comprehensive list of Advanced Placement sources and credit awarded by Cornell University.
The table below summarizes English exam credit and placement that are specific to the College of Arts & Sciences.
| Exam | Subject | Score | Credit & Placement Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEEB'S AP Exams | English Literature and Composition OR English Language and Composition | 5 | 3 credits, placement out of one FWS |
| International Baccalaureate (IB) | English Literature A (HL) OR English Language and Literature A (HL) | 7 | 3 credits, placement out of one FWS |
| GCE A-Level | English Literature | A*, A | 3 credits, placement out of one FWS |
| Cambridge Pre-U Exam | English | D1, D2, D3 | 3 credits, placement out of one FWS |
Recording Your Credit
You may enroll in courses at Cornell that assume placement on the basis of AP, IB, A-Level, or French Baccalaureate credit even if we do not yet have those credits recorded.
I sent my exam scores to Cornell via the testing agency. Where can I check to see if they have been recorded?
Any credit earned will be added to your records automatically after we receive your exam scores, but it may take a few weeks. You can check this in your Student Center. Advanced placement credit for incoming first-year students is added to student records over the summer in July and August.