With the release of AP scores, plenty of people are looking to see if they are suddenly more academically competitive for admission or, if they are rising college freshmen, if they can skip some classes. By now, I figure most people know the central role that AP exams play in international admissions, but I thought I’d provide some information about just what scores are needed for different options.
Of course, exceptions happen – plenty of people with 10 fives get rejected from Cambridge, and people with only one AP score get in at Edinburgh. However, for the majority of the time, the following is a pretty good rule of thumb.
A Quick Overview
Here are a few quick pointers about applying abroad using AP exams:
- Unless a student has completed plenty of AP courses earlier in high school, chances are that they will receive a conditional acceptance (in the UK, especially) before they take their senior AP tests (much less see the scores). That’s typical, and the majority of UK students will be in the same boat.
- What a student has has tested matters. If they are looking to study biology, a bunch of history AP tests aren’t going to help. Instead, they’ll want to make sure that the tests are relevant to your subject area. And remember, some subjects are just more competitive than others (but it might surprise you which are, in fact, competitive overseas).
- Fives aren’t enough to get anyone in by themselves. They will still need a stellar personal statement, a solid letter of recommendation, and strong performance (depending on the university) in their admissions test and/or interview.
A Bunch of Fives
They are in great shape. Due to the fact that top international universities care almost exclusively about academics, and have little concern about extracurriculars, the first hard part is done. Depending on their mix of tests, Oxford and Cambridge are well within reach. Also, if they want to pursue medicine as an undergrad (which should not be entered into lightly for a number of reasons, but is right for some), they’re competitive.
Also, make sure that the university takes the AP test seriously, as this is where they are going to face the most American-based competition. Just as some American universities don’t have a lot of respect for certain AP tests, plenty of UK and European institutions think that some APs are harder than others. Google “UCAS AP Groups” for more information.
A Mix of Fours and Fives
So Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, and LSE are probably out of the question, but most other UK universities are game. Also, this is still plenty to make universities in Canada, Australia, and elsewhere in Europe quite happy. Some programs at UCL may be out of reach, but more will be open to them. With the exception of the above, they’ll be able to study just about anything at any university in the UK or Ireland.
Something similar can be said for everywhere else. Canada’s top universities have massive first year classes, so they will likely make room for them at this point, if everything else is compelling. The same is true in Australia, though some elite places on the Continent (ETH Zurich, for example) may need to be persuaded.
Mostly Fours
Here’s where things get a bit tricky. They’re just on the verge of being a pretty easy admit for much of the Russell Group and other top UK schools. If they are missing your mark by one test score, a great personal statement and other forms of demonstrated interest should help (assuming, of course, they’re paying international tuition).
However, there are still plenty of programs that would love to have them. Some, like the University of Lincoln, will pay a substantial merit scholarship to attract them away from Bath or Manchester. Even the University of Edinburgh is still likely on your radar.
This is the lower end where they’re likely to get offered a place at a university’s law school, especially in the UK. If they want to study law, I’m hard pressed to think of a better pre-law degree than English common law, but that’s just me. I will say some US law schools don’t require the LSAT for international legal grads, which is nice.
Some Threes
At this point, they’ll be looking at programs in the UK that typically accept a grade of CCC on A-Levels. These may or may not fit your career plans, and may or may not be a good idea financially.
Instead, this is the point where I highly recommend looking at English speaking universities in places like the Netherlands. They will be impressed by the threes, and while they may not be as highly ranked (though some are still top 200 globally), the cost will be much more manageable.
Wait, You Guys Are Getting Credit?
Just because a student didn’t do great on your AP exams doesn’t mean that international universities are closed to them. A number of Canadian universities review transcripts in a manner that is more similar to what many American colleges use, but with a greater emphasis on academics.
Additionally, plenty of European universities are happy to accept a solid high school career, as well as middling ACT/SAT performance, as proof that they’re ready for university study. The University of the West of England, for example, is happy to start looking at applicants at a 1050 on the SAT (21 on the ACT) and a 3.0 GPA. It’s not the most well-known university outside of the UK, but has a solid reputation for teaching within Europe and still gets them that two year post study visa.
Finally, Continental universities can vary widely, but don’t always require APs. Spanish universities, beyond ESADE and IE, require a transcript review, which has nothing to do with AP scores (but AP level courses do look good).
A Word About Costs
One of the big draws of AP exams is that they let you save money on college by testing out of credit (in theory, at least). Very few international universities take AP credit for that purpose. Most of those programs are in Canada.
However, in much of the rest of the world, especially England and Europe, degrees are three years long. This means you save a year of living expenses.
For example you look at the cost of a bachelors degree rather than the cost of a year of college, it provides a better idea of total cost, while also demonstrating how places like Oxford can have a lower degree cost of attendance than some in-state public options in the US. (Note: This is not always true in Scotland or Ireland, where degrees are four years long.)
Around a half dozen or so states’ flagship universities have more expensive degree options than going to LSE and living in Central London, and many more are more expensive than places in the Netherlands and Spain.
Of course, there’s a tradeoff. If you’re getting a lot of non-loan financial aid, that negates this advantage. However, if you’re gearing up to pay full-cost at someplace like UCLA (and definitely somewhere like Yale), then suddenly the math shifts. College isn’t a purely financial decision, but knowing the costs is helpful.
Studying for a degree abroad isn’t for everyone, but for a lot of people, it’s an option worth having. If you’ve got any questions, leave them below!