AP Biology credit at Washington colleges

Every Washington college with a published AP Biology credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.

Quick answer

43 of 49 Washington colleges (88%) award credit for AP Biology at a score of 3. 5 require a 4 and 1 requires a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Washington-Seattle Campus (5 credit hours). 48 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.

Colleges that award credit for AP Biology, with the minimum qualifying score, credit hours awarded and the equivalent course.
CollegeMin scoreCreditsCounts asSource
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle
35BIOL 161Policy
Washington State University
Pullman
34Policy
Western Washington University
Bellingham
34Biology 101Policy
Central Washington University
Ellensburg
35BIOL 101Policy
Bellevue College
Bellevue
36BIOL& 100, 160Policy
Eastern Washington University
Cheney
35BIOL 100Policy
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Bothell
35BIOL 161Policy
Clark College
Vancouver
35BIOL& 160Policy
Green River College
Auburn
35BIOL& 100 or 160Policy
Pierce College District
Lakewood
35BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160 (5) 1Policy
Everett Community College
Everett
35BIOL& 100Policy
Tacoma Community College
Tacoma
35BIOL& 100Policy
Columbia Basin College
Pasco
35BIOL& 100 or BIOL& 160Policy
Spokane Community College
Spokane
35BIOL& 160Policy
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
Tacoma
35BIOL 161Policy
Seattle Central College
Seattle
35BIOL& 100,160Policy
Highline College
Des Moines
35BIOL 100/BIOL& 100 or BIOL& 160Policy
Edmonds College
Lynnwood
35BIOL& 100Policy
Olympic College
Bremerton
35BIOL&100, BIOL& 160Policy
Spokane Falls Community College
Spokane
35BIOL& 160Policy
North Seattle College
Seattle
35BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160Policy
South Puget Sound Community College
Olympia
35BIOL&100, BIOL&160Policy
Skagit Valley College
Mount Vernon
35BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160Policy
Yakima Valley College
Yakima
35BIOL 109Policy
Clover Park Technical College
Lakewood
3
Walla Walla Community College
Walla Walla
35BIOL& 100 or BIOL& 160Policy
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma
34BIOL 111Policy
Whatcom Community College
Bellingham
35BIOL& 160Policy
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
Kirkland
35BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160Policy
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle
35General ElectivePolicy
The Evergreen State College
Olympia
38Policy
Wenatchee Valley College
Wenatchee
35BIOL& 100Policy
Lower Columbia College
Longview
35BIOL 100 or BIOL 160Policy
Bates Technical College
Tacoma
35BIOL &160 OR BIOL &175Policy
Renton Technical College
Renton
310BIOL 160Policy
Bellingham Technical College
Bellingham
35BIOL& 160Policy
South Seattle College
Seattle
35BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160Policy
Big Bend Community College
Moses Lake
35BIOL& 160Policy
Saint Martin's University
Lacey
34BIO 141Policy
Peninsula College
Port Angeles
35BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160Policy
Grays Harbor College
Aberdeen
35BIOL& 100Policy
Cascadia College
Bothell
35BIOL 120Policy
Northwest University
Kirkland
34SCIE 1103/1Policy
Gonzaga University
Spokane
43Biology 104 & 104LPolicy
Seattle University
Seattle
45BIOL 1010Policy
Whitworth University
Spokane
43BI 196Policy
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma
41BIOL 111Policy
Walla Walla University
College Place
48BIOL 141, BIOL 142Policy
Whitman College
Walla Walla
54Biology 101 without LabPolicy

AP Biology credit in other states

How we ranked this

One row per Washington 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 Washington colleges give credit for AP Biology?+

49 colleges in Washington publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Biology. 43 of them (88%) award credit at a score of 3, 5 require a 4, and 1 requires 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 Biology score that earns credit in Washington?+

3. University of Washington-Seattle Campus in Seattle awards credit at a score of 3, worth 5 credit hours, counting as BIOL 161. 43 Washington colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.

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

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 Washington AP credit policies?+

48 of the 49 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.