AP United States History credit at Iowa colleges
Every Iowa college with a published AP United States History credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
17 of 28 Iowa colleges (61%) award credit for AP United States History at a score of 3. 11 require a 4 and 0 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Northern Iowa (3 credit hours). 28 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls | 3 | 3 | HIST 1000HD | Policy |
| Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids | 3 | 6 | HIS 151 & 152 | Policy |
| Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs | 3 | 6 | HIS 151 US History to 1877 HIS 152 US History Since 1877 | Policy |
| Waldorf University Forest City | 3 | 3 | HIS 202 | Policy |
| Saint Ambrose University Davenport | 3 | 6 | HIST 201, 202 | Policy |
| Upper Iowa University Fayette | 3 | 6 | HIST 110 and HIAT 111 | Policy |
| University of Dubuque Dubuque | 3 | 3 | HIST 211 US History to 1865 | Policy |
| Grand View University Des Moines | 3 | 3 | Hist-111 | Policy |
| Buena Vista University Storm Lake | 3 | 3 | Humanities - American History | Policy |
| North Iowa Area Community College Mason City | 3 | 3 | — | Policy |
| Morningside University Sioux City | 3 | 4 | — | Policy |
| Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids | 3 | 3 | HI 115 | Policy |
| Simpson College Indianola | 3 | 4 | HIST 121 | Policy |
| Loras College Dubuque | 3 | 6 | HIS-121 & HIS-122 | Policy |
| Mercy College of Health Sciences Des Moines | 3 | 3 | Social Science Gen Ed | Policy |
| Graceland University-Lamoni Lamoni | 3 | 3 | HIST2410 | Policy |
| Clarke University Dubuque | 3 | 6 | HIST 107 United States History I, HIST 108 United States History II | Policy |
| Iowa State University Ames | 4 | 6 | History 2210, 2220 | Policy |
| University of Iowa Iowa City | 4 | 3 | — | Policy |
| Drake University Des Moines | 4 | 6 | HIST 075, HIST 076 | Policy |
| Grinnell College Grinnell | 4 | 4 | Social Studies Division | Policy |
| Dordt University Sioux Center | 4 | 3 | HIST 201 | Policy |
| Luther College Decorah | 4 | 4 | History 139 | Policy |
| Wartburg College Waverly | 4 | 1 | HI 109 American History to 1877 | Policy |
| Coe College Cedar Rapids | 4 | 1 | HIS 145 or 155 | Policy |
| Northwestern College Orange City | 4 | 4 | HIS201HP or HIS202HP | Policy |
| Cornell College Mount Vernon | 4 | 1 | HIS 153 | Policy |
| Central College Pella | 4 | 3 | HIST 130 US History to 1877/131: US History Since 1877. Students with U.S. History AP may also receive credit for HIST-130 or HIST-131 (not both) (HP, EXP1) | Policy |
AP United States History credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Iowa 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 Iowa colleges give credit for AP United States History?+
28 colleges in Iowa publish a credit-bearing policy for AP United States History. 17 of them (61%) award credit at a score of 3, 11 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 United States History score that earns credit in Iowa?+
3. University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls awards credit at a score of 3, worth 3 credit hours, counting as HIST 1000HD. 17 Iowa colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Iowa?+
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 Iowa AP credit policies?+
28 of the 28 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.