Advanced Placement

Advanced placement credit is college credit that students earn before they matriculate as freshmen and that may count toward the degree and/or degree requirements as specified by the individual college at Cornell. Its primary purpose is to exempt students from introductory courses and to place them in advanced courses. Its value is that it allows students to include more advanced courses in their course of study.

Sources of Advanced Placement Credit

Advanced placement credit may be earned from the following:

1. The requisite score from the Advanced Placement Examinations (AP exams) from the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) in Princeton, N.J. The requisite scores, which vary by subject, are determined by the relevant departments at Cornell and are listed below.

2. Acceptable performance on a Cornell department exam (offered only in some subjects, usually during orientation).

3. A regular course taught at an accredited college to college students and approved by the relevant department at Cornell. Some departments accept credit from virtually all accredited colleges; some do not.

4. General Certificate of Education Advanced Level and International Baccalaureate Examinations are listed below.

Note: Cornell University does not accept credit for courses sponsored by colleges but taught in high schools to high school students, even if the college provides a transcript of such work. Students who have taken such courses may, however, earn credit by taking an appropriate examination as described in paragraph 1 or 2 above.

The appropriate department of instruction within the university sets the standards of achievement that must be met for advanced placement in its subject, recommends Advanced Placement credit for those who meet the standards, and determines whether students place out of certain Cornell courses. The final decision for awarding advanced placement credit at Cornell and applying it to degree requirements rests with each individual college (consult the relevant college sections of Courses of Study). Students need not accept advanced placement, although forfeiting the advantage of moving quickly into advanced courses affects one’s overall education. If they take the Cornell course they have placed out of, they relinquish the advanced placement credit.

Advanced placement examinations. Entering first-year students should have their scores from CEEB Advanced Placement Examinations sent to their college or school registrar’s office (see list below).

Departmental advanced standing examinations. In certain subjects, students may also qualify for advanced placement or credit, or both on the basis of departmental examinations given on campus during Orientation Week. A schedule of these examinations appears in the orientation booklet mailed in late summer to entering students. The departments that award advanced placement and credit on the basis of departmental examinations are shown below. Students need to register for those examinations in the relevant department.

Transfer of credit. Entering first-year students who have completed college courses for which they want to receive credit toward their Cornell degree should send transcripts and course syllabi to their college or school office (addresses below).

Written inquiries. Students can address questions to departments, schools, or college offices by adding Ithaca, NY 14853 to the addresses given in the following sections.

CEEB’s AP Exams

International Credentials

The policies currently in effect for General Certificate of Education “A” Level Examinations and International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations are summarized in the table below. Students may submit results of the French Baccalaureate or German Abitur for possible credit depending on the stream or specialization followed. Accepted students holding any other secondary school credentials are urged to sit for the Advanced Placement Examinations of the College Entrance Examination Board or for the departmental examinations offered during Orientation Week.

The table lists subjects and the marks for which credit will be awarded.

Supplementary Information

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

The Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology offers two 8-credit sequences that satisfy prerequisites for further work in the department: CHEM 2070 –CHEM 2080  (CHEM 2090 –CHEM 2080  for engineering students) and CHEM 2150 –CHEM 2160 . CHEM 2150 –CHEM 2160  is intended for students with a solid background in chemistry and strong math skills.

Freshmen may qualify for advanced placement and advanced standing credits in chemistry by satisfactory performance on the CEEB Advanced Placement Examination or an international examination, or by passing an advanced standing examination offered by the department. A score of 5 on the CEEB examination entitles a student to 4 credits. A student may earn 4 or 8 credits by suitable performance on the departmental examinations. To take the departmental examinations (exams are offered at the beginning of each semester), students must sign up beforehand in the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Office of Undergraduate Studies, 131 Baker Laboratory.

The specific course in which a student will register after having received a certain advanced placement standing will be decided by consultation between the student, his or her advisor, and the professors teaching the courses. Questions may also be directed to the director of undergraduate studies, in G50 Baker Laboratory. Students receiving advanced placement who are interested in a major in chemistry or a related science should consider taking CHEM 2150 –CHEM 2160  and should consult the CHEM 2150  instructor or department staff.

Computer Science

Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 on the AB version of the CEEB Advanced Placement Examination in computer science, a score of 5 on the A exam, or a score of 6 or 7 on the IB exam will receive 4 advanced placement credits and may take CS 2110 . These credits may be used to satisfy the requirement in computer programming for students in the College of Engineering.

Freshmen may also earn 4 credits by suitable performance on a departmental examination, given during Orientation Week. To take the departmental examination, students need only show up at the time and location indicated on the Orientation Week Schedule; advanced sign-up is not necessary.

Mathematics (Calculus)

For guidance in selecting an appropriate course, please consult First Steps in Math, published on the Mathematics Department website (www.math.cornell.edu) under Courses.

The calculus courses MATH 1110 , MATH 1120 , and MATH 1910  cover substantially the same topics as calculus courses given in many high schools, and it is best to avoid repeating material that has already been covered at an appropriate level. Secondary-school students who have had the equivalent of at least one semester of calculus should, if possible, take a placement test during their senior year.

The Department of Mathematics offers an optional placement examination during orientation week that covers the material of the AP Calculus program. (No advance registration necessary.)  The department exam should be taken by (1.) students who have had at least a semester of calculus but did not take a CEEB, GCE, or IB Exam; (2.) students who believe that their placement is incorrect; (3.) students who feel that their grasp of the material is uncertain. (A separate placement exam for students in the College of Engineering or the BEE program will be announced during the academic briefings.)

Students who have 4 AP credits for calculus will forfeit those credits if they take MATH 1106  or MATH 1110 . Students who have 8 AP credits for calculus will forfeit 4 credits if they take MATH 1120 , MATH 1220 , or MATH 1910  and all 8 credits if they take MATH 1106  or MATH 1110 .

Engineering students will take the engineering calculus sequence, which assumes students have one semester of calculus experience before entering Cornell. Because the engineering sequence is more advanced than other sequences at Cornell, engineering students may receive at most 4 AP credits, which they will forfeit if they take MATH 1910 , the first course in the sequence.

Modern Foreign Languages

Students who have studied a language for two or more years and want to continue study in that language at Cornell must present the results of a placement test. See “Placement Tests and Advanced Placement Credit ” under “Foreign Language Requirements ” in the College of Arts and Sciences section of this catalog. Students whose SAT II or AP scores are two years old or more, or who have had a year of formal study or substantial informal study since they last took a placement test should take the Cornell placement test again during orientation week if they plan to continue course work.

Advanced standing credit may be earned as follows:

1. Students with a score of 4 or 5 on the language Advanced Placement Examination of the CEEB earn 3 credits and are eligible to take the Cornell Advanced Standing Examination (CASE).

2. Students who achieve a minimum score of 65 on the Cornell language placement test given during orientation week are eligible to take the CASE. Outstanding performance on this examination can result in a maximum of 3 credits.

3. For formal language work done after high school at an accredited college, credit is considered by the relevant department on submission of a syllabus and transcript. Note that credit transfer and placement are the result of different processes. Students wishing to enroll in a language course at Cornell are required to take the placement test.

4. Native speakers of languages other than English may, if an examination by the appropriate department is available, be granted a maximum of 3 credits in a foreign language.

Information about times and places of placement tests is available in the orientation booklet. For more information, see “Foreign Language Requirement ” on the Graduation Requirements page in the College of Arts and Sciences, or contact Callean Hile, 306 Morrill Hall, for French, Italian, and Spanish (placement tests in French, Italian, and Spanish are available at collt.lrc.cornell.edu); Miriam Zubal, 183 Goldwin Smith Hall, for German; Sue Besemer, 145 Goldwin Smith Hall, for Russian; Kim Robinson, 388 Rockefeller Hall, for Asian languages; Nava Scharf, 409 White Hall, for Hebrew; or Munther Younes, 409 White Hall, for Arabic; Iago Gocheleishvili, 409 White Hall for Persian; or Chris Capalongo, 409 White Hall for Turkish.

Music

Advanced placement and credit are awarded only in music theory, and only on the basis of an examination administered by the Department of Music; that is, credit cannot be earned on the basis of the AP, IB, or other examinations from outside Cornell, nor on the basis of course work done elsewhere. Outstanding performance on the departmental examination will earn students 3 credits and placement directly into MUSIC 2102 . In rare instances, students may place into MUSIC 3101 , in which case they will earn 6 credits. The placement examination is normally administered on the Sunday during fall orientation week and, when necessary, at the beginning of the spring semester. For more information about the examination, see the departmental web site.

Physics

Advanced placement and credit are awarded on the basis of the CEEB Advanced Placement Examination in physics (Physics B or Physics C), certain international examinations, or the departmental examination (offered only during orientation week, fall semester; appointment required). For information about the departmental examination, see www.physics.cornell.edu/undergraduate/advanced-standing-exams/.

Students in the College of Engineering should refer to www.engineering.cornell.edu/resources/registrar/credit.cfm.

Physics B—Students earning a score of 5 may receive 8 credits for non–calculus-based PHYS 1101  and PHYS 1102 . Those earning a score of 5 in Physics B and a score of 4 or 5 in Calculus BC may choose to accept 4 credits in calculus-based PHYS 1112  or PHYS 2207  instead of 8 credits in PHYS 1101  and PHYS 1102 . Those earning a score of 4 may receive 4 credits in PHYS 1101 . 

Physics C—Mechanics: Students earning a score of 4 or 5 may receive 4 credits for PHYS 1112  or PHYS 2207 . 

Physics C—Electricity and Magnetism: Students earning a score of 5 may receive 4 credits for PHYS 2213 .

Students will not receive credit for an advanced placement course if they receive credit for a Cornell course with similar content. Students may receive credit for only one of the courses in each group:

PHYS 1101 , PHYS 1112 , PHYS 1116 , PHYS 2207 

PHYS 1102 , PHYS 2208 , PHYS 2213 , PHYS 2217 

A student planning a major in physics or applied and engineering physics and who is eligible for AP credit should consult with his or her advisor or the department representative.  They are often advised to forfeit their AP credit and take PHYS 1116 .  Most students are strongly advised against taking PHYS 2217  without first taking PHYS 1116 .

Advanced placement into a next-in-sequence course depends on the completion of the appropriate mathematics prerequisites before enrolling. To qualify for advanced placement credit, it is not necessary to continue the study of physics.

General information and advice may be obtained from the director of undergraduate studies, 115 Clark Hall, or from the Department of Physics, 109 Clark Hall.

Statistics

Students who have been awarded advanced placement credit for statistics may not also receive academic credit for similar courses taken at Cornell. In particular, they will forfeit those credits if they take AEM 2100 , BTRY 3010 , HADM 2010 (formerly 2201) , ILRST 2100 /STSCI 2100 , MATH 1710 , or PAM 2100 .