Understanding AP and IB Credit

From the Undergraduate Catalog: “Students of the College of Arts and Science are limited to a total of 18 credit hours earned by any combination of advanced placement, international baccalaureate credit, advanced international credit, and credit by departmental examination, counting toward the minimum number of hours required toward the degree. No form of advanced placement credit can be used in the fulfillment of Achieving Excellence in Liberal Education (AXLE) requirements for students in the College of Arts and Science.”

This link lists various AP and IB exams and the scores necessary to receive Vanderbilt credit. Scores on these exams also determine placement into certain courses. Students are encouraged to talk to their pre-major adviser if they have questions about credit or placement resulting from their scores on these exams.

Foreign Language Placement

This table provides information about placement into the appropriate French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish courses at Vanderbilt. For information about placement into other language courses, please contact Dean Francille Bergquist.

Math Placement

Calculus Placement for First-Year Students
First-year students should choose a calculus course on the basis of the mathematics courses they took in high school and AP, IB, or transfer credit awarded by Vanderbilt. The Department of Mathematics strongly recommends that students enter a calculus sequence at the beginning (Math 150a or 155a) unless they have appropriate AP or transfer credit. There is a two-week period at the beginning of each semester when students can change from one level of calculus to another. Students should consult with their calculus instructors and their pre-major advisers for assistance during this period.

Students with a weak background in algebra and/or trigonometry should enroll in Math 133 (pre-calculus mathematics) prior to taking 150A or 155A. A score of 550 or below on the SAT – II M2 (Math 2) test would indicate that a student may have a problem successfully completing a calculus course at Vanderbilt without taking Math 133.

The survey course, Math 140, includes both differential and integral calculus at an introductory level. It is designed for students who do not have a need for further study in calculus, e.g., are not planning on majoring in economics or pursuing a pre-med curriculum. No background in trigonometry is required for Math 140.

The standard calculus sequences are 150a-150b-170-175 and 155a-155b-175. The second sequence is recommended for students who are planning to major in mathematics or a field of science or engineering in which calculus-based courses need to be taken in the sophomore year.

The two sequences of AP calculus courses are AB and BC. The AB course covers the same material as Math 150a and 150b. The BC course covers the same material as Math 155a and 155b. Students who take the AP exam for BC calculus will receive a subscore for the AB portion of the material.

The AP calculus credit policy and appropriate starting points for students with AP credit are outlined in this document.

Starting at an earlier course will generally result in loss of hours of AP credit. Students with questions about potentially losing AP credit should speak with their adviser or Professor John Rafter or Professor Gieri Simonett.