Many high school students choose to take advanced-level courses or attend summer programs that will challenge them academically, get them ready for college, and earn a few college-level credits before they graduate. Here’s what to know about AP, IB, dual-enrollment, and summer classes — and how students can use them to their advantage.
What’s the Difference?
The three main categories of credit-earning courses available in high schools are Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual enrollment (DE), and each option is different.
Advanced Placement classes, created by the College Board, are college-level courses offered at the student’s high school. Students follow an advanced curriculum and are evaluated by a national exam, scored on a 1 to 5 scale, at the end of the year. There are currently 40 AP courses in circulation, though availability varies by school.
This is a popular option for many high school students. In Virginia, 25.5 percent of all graduating public high schoolers scored a 3 or higher on an AP exam in 2023.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is a global curriculum of advanced, college-level courses (often spanning two years) in six subject areas: literature, math, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, and arts. IB courses use a universal curriculum designed by a committee of international university professors. End-of-course exams are graded on a scale of 1 to 7.
With IB courses, there are three ways to tackle the classes, according to Daina Lieberman, educational specialist of advanced academic programs at Fairfax County Public Schools specializing in IB.
“You can do the full IB diploma, which means taking an IB course in every single content area and also completing a core set of requirements. You can do a Career-Related Program certificate, which is taking two IB courses minimum, and then a career-related pathway of courses and a core component. Or, kids can just take courses in areas of strength or interest,” Lieberman explains. IB courses aren’t offered at every school. In FCPS, for example, the diploma program and career-related programs are available at nine of the district’s 30 high schools.
Some schools may offer only AP courses, only IB courses, or a combination of the two. Talking with an academic adviser or looking at your school’s course catalog will help you understand what’s available.
In dual enrollment, schools partner with nearby colleges, such as Northern Virginia Community College, to offer students the ability to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. “It’s a college class brought to them,” says Nile Shaikh, FCPS’ education specialist for dual enrollment. However, teachers must be credentialed by the partner college, so availability is more limited.
Getting Credit
With each of these three options, students will have the ability to earn college credits or test out of some college requirements.
With AP and IB classes, the ability to earn credit depends on the student’s grade on the final cumulative exam. Each college has its own standards to determine what scores it will accept. In many cases, a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam is considered passing, though colleges may require a 4 or 5 depending on the course. For IB classes, a score of 4 or higher may be required for credit.
In DE, students gain credit based on grades and assessments throughout the class, not an exam at the end. Because the student is essentially already enrolled in a college class, the transcripts from those courses will be evaluated as transfer credits. As a general rule, students should aim to earn a C or above in each DE class to earn transfer credit, Shaikh says.
Make a Plan
So how do students decide what kind of course to take, and how many?
The first thing to consider is what courses are available at your specific high school, and to discuss with an academic adviser how to enroll in those classes. Specific policies and availability will vary between school districts and even individual schools. Most schools will limit enrollment in advanced courses to juniors and seniors, but it’s important to create an action plan with an adviser earlier on.
Both AP and IB courses have relatively open enrollment policies, meaning students can pick and choose which classes they want to take as long as they’ve fulfilled prerequisites. DE students, on the other hand, will have to “demonstrate college readiness” to enroll, typically through their GPA or PSAT scores, Shaikh says.
Throughout the course of the school year, students should be checking in with their advisers about managing coursework with other responsibilities like sports, extracurriculars, or after-school jobs.
“It’s really up to the student and their family to kind of discuss what is best for them,” says Amy Andrews, educational specialist of advanced academic programs at FCPS specializing in AP. “We want them to be successful. We obviously want them to take challenging courses, if they are up to the challenge, but we also want to make sure that they have that balance.”
Added Benefits
Earning college credit means that students often get to skip some introductory college classes — and save on tuition in the process. Each AP exam costs about $99. When you factor in that average state tuition is $447 per credit hour for in-state students (and about three credits per course), the savings can be significant.
But credits aren’t the only motivator for taking these courses. Students who enroll in advanced courses often exhibit a higher degree of college readiness, even when they don’t earn the scores necessary to test out.
According to a study from the College Board, AP students who earn scores of 2 perform as well as or better than their peers when they take those introductory college courses.
“There’s a lot of autonomy in all of these classes, built in, and a lot of student-led learning,” Lieberman says. “In all of these courses, they’re doing a lot of writing, they’re doing college-level reading and work. And I think when kids get to college … they feel more acclimated.”
A Productive Summer
An alternate way to earn college credit is to take advantage of summer programs hosted by area colleges. Some universities host sessions where high schoolers can attend classes or work on other educational programs on campus during the summer, and they get the chance to earn credits and see what it’s like to be in college at the same time.
The University of Virginia’s Advance Pre-College Program is a four-week session that allows rising high school juniors and seniors to take two UVA courses — one that’s specific to the program, and one undergraduate class of their choosing.
“This is not a summer camp,” says Alana Speth, the assistant director of operations for summer and special programs at UVA. “We are really trying to give students a genuine college experience.”
Meanwhile, they’re living on campus, learning to use the library, and acclimating to life in college. At the end of the session, students have not only earned six college credits to use at UVA or elsewhere, they often feel more confident in their ability to thrive in college.
“At the conclusion of the program, they have that demonstrated success, they have a transcript with a grade on it, and they’ve done the work for two undergraduate classes, so it’s right there in black and white,” Speth says. “But also, they feel more confident in being able to participate in classes with instructors, being able to navigate the large university, and access resources.”
These programs do come at a steep cost — UVA Advance costs $6,995 for Virginia residents and $14,651 for nonresidents. Some need-based financial aid is available.
There are similar programs available at other area schools as well, such as Georgetown University’s College Prep Program and George Mason University’s Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
This story originally ran in our March Issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
