AP Spanish Language and Culture credit at Tennessee colleges
Every Tennessee college with a published AP Spanish Language and Culture credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
33 of 40 Tennessee colleges (83%) award credit for AP Spanish Language and Culture at a score of 3. 7 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville (6 credit hours). 40 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville | 3 | 6 | SPAN 211-212 | Policy |
| Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010 & 1020 | Policy |
| University of Memphis Memphis | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010, 1020 | Policy |
| The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga | 3 | 8 | SPAN 1010 & 1020 | Policy |
| East Tennessee State University Johnson City | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010,1020 | Policy |
| Tennessee Technological University Cookeville | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010 & 1020 | Policy |
| Austin Peay State University Clarksville | 3 | 8 | SPAN 1010, SPAN 1020 | Policy |
| Belmont University Nashville | 3 | 4 | SPA 1020 | Policy |
| Tennessee State University Nashville | 3 | 3 | SPAN 1010 | Policy |
| Pellissippi State Community College Knoxville | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010-1020 | Policy |
| Volunteer State Community College Gallatin | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010, 1020 | Policy |
| Chattanooga State Community College Chattanooga | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010 & 1020 | Policy |
| The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin | 3 | — | SPAN 111 | Policy |
| Motlow State Community College Tullahoma | 3 | 6 | SPAN1010 and SPAN1020 | Policy |
| Walters State Community College Morristown | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010, 1020 | Policy |
| Columbia State Community College Columbia | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010, 1020 | Policy |
| Roane State Community College Harriman | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010 & 1020 | Policy |
| Lipscomb University Nashville | 3 | 4 | SN 1114 | Policy |
| Lee University Cleveland | 3 | 3 | SPAN-211 | Policy |
| Southern Adventist University Collegedale | 3 | — | — | Policy |
| Jackson State Community College Jackson | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010, 1020 | Policy |
| Cleveland State Community College Cleveland | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010, 1020 | Policy |
| Dyersburg State Community College Dyersburg | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1010 Beginning Spanish I & SPAN 1020 Beginning Spanish 2 | Policy |
| Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville | 3 | 6 | SPA-1000 Spanish Language & Culture and SPA-1500 Elementary Spanish II | Policy |
| Union University Jackson | 3 | 6 | SPA 111, 112 | Policy |
| Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate | 3 | — | SPAN 111 | Policy |
| Carson-Newman University Jefferson City | 3 | 3 | Span 123 | Policy |
| Freed-Hardeman University Henderson | 3 | 3 | SPA131 | Policy |
| Tusculum University Greeneville | 3 | 3 | SPAN 102 | Policy |
| Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens | 3 | 6 | SPA 102, SPA 201 | Policy |
| Bryan College-Dayton Dayton | 3 | 6 | SPAN 211, 212 | Policy |
| Milligan University Milligan | 3 | 6 | SPAN 111 & 112 (6 credits) | Policy |
| Johnson University Knoxville | 3 | 6 | SPAN 1100 Spanish I, SPAN 1200 Spanish II A minimum score of 4 is required to count towards a a student's professional major. | Policy |
| Vanderbilt University Nashville | 4 | 3 | Non-equivalent course | Policy |
| Rhodes College Memphis | 4 | 4 | Spanish 201 upon demonstrating written and oral language course proficiency. | Policy |
| The University of the South Sewanee | 4 | 4 | — | Policy |
| Maryville College Maryville | 4 | 8 | SPN110/120 | Policy |
| King University Bristol | 4 | 4 | SPAN 2000 | Policy |
| Christian Brothers University Memphis | 4 | 6 | SPAN 101, 102 | Policy |
| Fisk University Nashville | 4 | 6 | SPAN 101 & SPAN 102 | Policy |
AP Spanish Language and Culture credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Tennessee 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 Tennessee colleges give credit for AP Spanish Language and Culture?+
40 colleges in Tennessee publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Spanish Language and Culture. 33 of them (83%) award credit at a score of 3, 7 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 Spanish Language and Culture score that earns credit in Tennessee?+
3. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville in Knoxville awards credit at a score of 3, worth 6 credit hours, counting as SPAN 211-212. 33 Tennessee colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Tennessee?+
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 Tennessee AP credit policies?+
40 of the 40 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.