Since 1956, Advanced Placement has offered students the chance to enroll in higher-level courses, build college skills, stand out in college admissions and earn college credits. Today, colleges and universities continue to turn to AP to help them identify and reward students who have succeeded in mastering challenging college-level content and skills.
The College Board is committed to expanding access, especially for underrepresented student populations, to these high-quality, AP courses. Many states, districts and schools have adopted strategies to increase access to AP for students from low-income backgrounds, leading to substantial growth in the number of students participating. In 2003, 95,065 low-income students took an AP exam. By 2018, that number had increased to 608,707 — a 540% jump.
These students reap benefits once they arrive on a college campus. For example,
research
shows that students who receive a score of 3 or higher on AP exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP peers. Most colleges and universities nationwide offer college credit, advanced placement or both for qualifying scores, which means students can fulfill graduation requirements early and potentially skip introductory or required general education courses.
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