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Qualifying for an AP Scholar Award
AP Scholar Awards
Every fall, the AP Program recognizes high school students who have demonstrated outstanding college-level achievement through their performance on multiple AP Exams.
AP Scholar Awards come in different levels and types. See the criteria here:
| Award | Criteria |
|---|---|
| AP Scholar | Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. |
| AP Scholar with Honor | Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. |
| AP Scholar with Distinction | Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. |
| AP International Diploma (APID) | Visit APID to see the criteria for this award. |
Qualification Details
- There are two steps to determining award winners:
- The student’s average AP Exam score is calculated based on all exams taken this year and in previous years.
- The student’s AP Exam scores are checked to see which ones count toward the various AP Scholar Awards.
- A student must meet all criteria to be eligible. For example, a student who has a 3.25 AP Exam score average but only received a 3 or higher on 3 exams will not receive the AP Scholar with Honor Award because the minimum requirement is a score of 3 or higher on 4 or more exams.
- Exams taken multiple times count only once; the highest score will be used for the award calculation.
- The AP Calculus AB subscore for the AP Calculus BC Exam and the aural subscore and nonaural subscore for the AP Music Theory Exam are not used in the AP Scholar Award calculations.
- The AP Scholar Awards are academic distinctions that students may cite among their credentials on applications, résumés, and so on. Students do not receive any monetary award from the College Board.