AP African American Studies credit at California colleges

Every California college with a published AP African American Studies credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.

Quick answer

33 of 39 California colleges (85%) award credit for AP African American Studies at a score of 3. 6 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at California State University-Fullerton (3 credit hours). 39 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.

Colleges that award credit for AP African American Studies, with the minimum qualifying score, credit hours awarded and the equivalent course.
CollegeMin scoreCreditsCounts asSource
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton
33ElectivesPolicy
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach
33Policy
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla
34Policy
San Diego State University
San Diego
33AFRAS 170APolicy
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley
33Policy
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles
34HIST United StatesPolicy
California State University-Northridge
Northridge
36AFRS 252Policy
University of California-Davis
Davis
34AAS 010Policy
University of California-Irvine
Irvine
34Satisfies one year of U.S. History for the Area A requirement.Policy
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento
36Policy
Ashford University
San Diego
33INTERCULTURAL & GLOBAL AWARENESS COMPETENCYPolicy
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara
34Policy
University of California-Riverside
Riverside
34Policy
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo
39Elective UnitsPolicy
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles
3Policy
California State University-Fresno
Fresno
33AFRS ElectivePolicy
University of California-Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
34CRES 68Policy
Sacramento City College
Sacramento
33Policy
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield
33Policy
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino
33Policy
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos
33Policy
California State University-Chico
Chico
33Policy
College of the Sequoias
Visalia
33ElectivesPolicy
University of California-Merced
Merced
32.7Policy
California Baptist University
Riverside
33ICP 1XXPolicy
California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside
33Policy
University of San Francisco
San Francisco
34General ElectivePolicy
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Arcata
36Elective CreditPolicy
Academy of Art University
San Francisco
33Policy
University of La Verne
La Verne
34GE Social Science (LVSS)Policy
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego
33ElectivePolicy
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno
33SOCJUST-GEPolicy
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles
3Thought Lab 2, Social Science or LAS Sophomore ElectivePolicy
Chapman University
Orange
43HIST-228Policy
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles
44Policy
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara
44ETHN 30TPolicy
University of San Diego
San Diego
43Lower Division Elective CreditPolicy
Occidental College
Los Angeles
44Policy
Westmont College
Santa Barbara
44CI-2GPolicy

AP African American Studies credit in other states

How we ranked this

One row per California college: the lowest score that earns actual credit under the policy that applies to all students, and the largest credit award published at that score. Placement-only policies — permission to skip a course without earning credit hours — are excluded. Credit hours and course equivalents are reproduced exactly as the college published them; “—” means no value was published and we do not estimate one. A page is published for a state only when at least 8 colleges back it.

Frequently asked questions

Which California colleges give credit for AP African American Studies?+

39 colleges in California publish a credit-bearing policy for AP African American Studies. 33 of them (85%) award credit at a score of 3, 6 require a 4, and 0 require a 5. The full list, with credit hours and the course each exam replaces, is in the table on this page.

What is the lowest AP African American Studies score that earns credit in California?+

3. California State University-Fullerton in Fullerton awards credit at a score of 3, worth 3 credit hours, counting as Electives. 33 California colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.

Does in-state residency change AP credit in California?+

No. AP credit policy is set per institution and applies to admitted students regardless of residency — residency affects tuition rate, not credit awards. What does vary is the school within a university: engineering and nursing colleges commonly set higher bars than arts and sciences. The rules shown here are the ones that apply to all students at each college.

How do I verify these California AP credit policies?+

39 of the 39 colleges on this page link to their own published AP credit page in the Source column; our snapshot was taken July 30, 2026. The college's page is authoritative and can change between admission cycles, so confirm there before building a graduation plan around the credit.

Keep exploring

Data sources: Each college's own published AP / advanced-standing credit page (captured July 30, 2026) · IPEDS institution directory (names, control, location). Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.