Transfer Advising Update for Students with AP Scores - July 2025
A new Transfer Advising “MC Transfer Advising AP Comparison Chart” has
been uploaded on the Montgomery College Transfer Resources Page https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/academics/transfer/transfer-resources.html
Open the section “General Transfer Resources” to see: AP: Comparison Chart of AP (Advanced Placement) Credits, Montgomery College & Sample Local Schools
Graduating high school seniors have now received their test scores from AP Exams taken in May 2025.
Highlights of Changes in MC AP Transfer Advising :
- Montgomery College Now Accepts More AP Scores of 3
Starting with AP tests taken in May 2022 or later, MC awards more direct course credits for AP scores of 3, following Maryland’s "Transfer with Success" policy. This is a change from the past when MC required a minimum score of 4 or 5 on sixteen out of 41 AP Tests. - UMD Still Requires a Score of 4 to give Course Credit for Most AP
Tests
UMD also now accepts more AP scores of 3; however, many tests at UMD still require a score of 4 or 5 to count as direct course credit. Example, UMD requires a score of 4 to give course credit for PSYC 100, ECON 201, MATH 165, and many other courses; a score of 3 may grant “lower level elective” or “Gen Ed” credit at UMD. - Advising Must Consider Major Requirements
Students transferring to UMD or other selective schools need to know that a score of 3 might not fulfill major-specific course requirements. If a course like PSYC 100 is specifically required for their major, they may need to take it as a class at MC to ensure it transfers for a specific major. - AP Credit Policies Differ by School
Not all colleges accept AP scores the same way or award credit the same for certain AP exams. Advisors and students should review the MC AP Transfer Comparison Chart and check with transfer schools directly, especially if a student is unsure of transfer plans.
Background:
The MD State “Transfer with Success” initiative asked MD public colleges in
2022 to accept AP scores of 3 to streamline the transfer process. MC has
complied and recently updated our acceptance of scores of 3 for all AP
tests. Now MC, along with Towson,
Frostburg, UMBC, UMES, UMGC and most other MD public schools, will accept an AP
score of 3 as direct course equivalent. Example: a score of 3 on
the AP Macroeconomics is accepted as a direct equivalent course of ECON 201
Principles of Economics (Macroeconomics) at most MD public colleges. UMD,
our closest and most frequent transfer destination, now also accepts scores of
3, but for the majority of AP tests, UMD continues to require a 4 or higher
to accept AP credit as a direct course equivalent, so we need to inform
incoming MC students of possible UMD-determined differences to plan
accordingly.
Transfer Advising Points for Students with AP Scores
- Check the Dates:
- Montgomery College recently updated our AP Acceptance Charts to include scores of 3 for 16 tests where scores of 3 were previously not accepted. This change applies to all AP Tests taken in May 2022 and after. It is not retroactive. For example, a score of 3 in AP Psych for a test taken in May 2021 or earlier will not be granted credit for PSYC 100 at MC.
- Incoming freshmen who graduated from high school this June 2025 will have taken AP tests this past May 2025 as seniors, in May 2024 as juniors, and in May 2023 as sophomores, so it is safe to assume that all incoming high school 2025 graduates presenting AP scores this year will follow the MC’s New “2022 and After” MC AP Chart.
- What is new?
MC’s acceptance of scores of 3 as direct equivalent courses mainly affects students planning to transfer to UMD or those who plan to transfer to highly competitive schools that may require a minimum of 4 for all AP tests. In the case of UMD, in over 30 instances, UMD continues to require a score of 4 or 5 for a direct course equivalency and awards 3 credits of “Lower level elective” or “Gen Ed Distribution credit” for a score of 3 rather than a direct course equivalency.
Example: MC previously required a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Psychology test to earn credit for PSYC 100 here at MC. Now, for AP Psych Tests taken in May 2023 or after, UMD gives 3 credits of a “Lower-level elective” for AP Psych scores of 3 and they continue to require a 4 or 5 to earn the direct equivalent of PSYC 100.
The MC change to grant PSYC 100 for an AP score of 3 (starting with AP Tests
taken in May 2022 or after) means that students transferring to UMD’s
Psychology or other majors that specifically require PSYC 100 (such
Education, and Information Science) will need to take PSYC 100 as a class at
Montgomery College if they want to complete the PSYC 100 course requirement at
MC prior to transfer. However, if a student’s major does not
specially require PSYC 100, then UMD will accept the course as a Gen Ed BSSD requirement
and there is no need to retake the class for transfer to UMD.
- What do these changes mean for Advising?
- Ideally you will review the MC AP Transfer Comparison Chart to understand how an AP score of 3 may require extra planning here at MC if the transfer destination is UMD. It’s a simplification, but in most cases, a score of 3 will now grant credit for a specific class at MC, and if the class is not needed for the student’s major after transfer, they do not need to retake a course. If the course fulfills a Gen Ed Requirement but it is not required for the major, UMD and other MD State transfer schools will continue to honor the Maryland State AP Transfer Policy that says if the course was used as a Gen Ed requirement, the student can transfer without being asked to repeat the class as long as the course is not also required for the major. The example of an AP score of 3 in AP Psychology means that the 3 credits will transfer as a BSSD to UMD, but if the student’s major specifically requires PSYC 100, (examples Psychology, or Education, or Information Science) then they DO have to take the class at MC if they want to transfer with the MAJOR requirement of PSYC 100 completed.
- There are other cases where MC may grant credit for two courses / 6 credits for a score of 4, while UMD may only grant credit for one course / 3 credits for a score of 4 – examples are AP Histories – all, and AP Languages – all. Example, MC grants HIST 116 and 117 6 credits for an AP World History score of 4, while UMD will only grant 3 credits/1 course for an AP World History score of 4. This can affect the number of transfer credits if a student graduates from MC and expects to enroll at UMD with 60 transferable credits.
- Final Take-Aways
- Student is interested in transferring to schools other than UMD, or highly competitive schools where all AP scores must be a 4 or higher, or is unsure of transfer plan – send copy of the MC AP Transfer Comparison Chart and advise the student that not all schools accept AP scores in the same way that MC does, so researching how future transfer schools of interest will accept scores is important now even for first-time freshmen.
- Student is interested in transferring to
UMD: Send student a
copy of the MC
AP Transfer Comparison Chart and refer to UMD to meet with a UMD
Pretransfer Adviser. Do so with a Starfish Referral marked
“TRANSFER_UMD-University of Maryland Pre-Transfer Advising” or send
students this link: go.umd.edu/MC2UMD
MC Transfer Advising Updates are provided by
Counselor Members of the MC Transfer Resource Committee (TRC)
[Germantown: Barb LaPilusa, Amanda Darr;
Rockville: Jessica Present, Dana Baker;
Takoma Park/Silver Spring: Jose Medrano:; and Online Advising - Anne
Schleicher]
