Lawrence grants credit to incoming first-year and transfer students who have successfully completed college-level coursework at an accredited college or university.


Students also may receive credit for Advanced Placement (AP) tests, International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma or IB tests, and General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A Level) exams.

Credits from examinations (AP, IB, or A-levels) may be used to fulfill diversity or competency requirements. Credits may not be used to fulfill distribution requirements. Coursework from other institutions may not be used to fulfill the writing or speaking competency requirement.

If you have completed any exams for college credit, please arrange for your test results to be sent to the Office of Admissions. 

Explore degree graduation requirements

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams 

Lawrence typically awards credit for scores of 4 or 5.

Lookup credit received for specific exam scores

International Baccalaureate (IB) 

Lawrence awards credit for International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations—with scores of 5, 6, or 7—in subject areas applicable to our liberal arts curriculum.  

For students who have earned an IB diploma, Lawrence offers 6 units of credit (essentially the equivalent of one full course) for each higher-level exam with scores of 5 or higher, and 3 units of credit for each standard-level exam. For students who have not earned an IB diploma, but have completed individual IB exams, Lawrence offers 6 units of credit for each higher-level examination. In either case—full diploma or individual examinations—Lawrence will award up to 48 units (approx. 8 courses, or just one short of a full year) of credit. 

You'll find more information about our IB policy (including a list of the IB courses that apply to our liberal arts curriculum) in the section of our course catalog devoted to Academic Procedures and Regulations.

Learn more about Lawrence's credit for AP, IB, and transfer courses policy

General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A Level) 

Lawrence awards credit for GCE A Level examinations only from original certificates. Upon evaluation up to 6 units are awarded for a “C” or better. Students may contact the appropriate Lawrence department for additional credit. Up to 48 units (six courses) of credit may be awarded. 

Courses Completed at Other Colleges 

If you have completed any college-level courses prior to enrolling at Lawrence, please arrange for your official college transcript(s) and course descriptions to be sent to our office as soon as possible. If the college-level course was taught in your high school and it appears on your high school transcript, we will still need to receive the official college transcript in order for our registrar to evaluate the course for credit at Lawrence.