<p>We understand you need 20 credits outside of the major to graduate. We also understand in the three core areas, one can only use 1 AP credit in each of the areas. So does that mean you can only make use of 3 AP credits? Can any extra credits be used toward the 20 credit requirement outside the major?</p>
<p>“There is no College-wide maximum limit to the amount of AP or IB credit that can be received.” [Swarthmore</a> Registrar](<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/Admin/registrar/page.phtml?sidebar=quick&content=apcredit]Swarthmore”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/Admin/registrar/page.phtml?sidebar=quick&content=apcredit)</p>
<p>So I think what they mean when you can use only 1 AP credit in each division is that you can only count 1 towards your 3-credit-per-division distribution requirement. You’re probably okay beyond that. As far as getting AP credit to count towards majors and minors that varies by department, and some credits you can only get if you take a certain course, etc.</p>
<p>Thank you for the reply. It appears the only time where more than 3 credits are needed is when one needs or wants to take more than 20 major classes? My daughter is trying to decide if she should take the remaining two AP exams next week or not and get a partial refund for the exam fees paid.</p>
<p>If you want to take more than 12 classes in your major department (outside classes, like required math for the chem major, don’t count toward this limit), and you don’t want to take more than the minimum 4x8=32 classes at Swarthmore, then you can use AP credit. </p>
<p>Only 3 will count toward distribution, but some others can be useful nonetheless; for instance, if I were to major or minor in Computer Science, I’d be exempt from taking Calculus because I have 2 credits for a 5 on the BC exam. I recommend that you look closely at what each credit would “count” for, outside of just distribution, in the provided chart–it’s different for each department.</p>
<p>[Swarthmore</a> Registrar](<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/Admin/registrar/page.phtml?sidebar=quick&content=apcredit]Swarthmore”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/Admin/registrar/page.phtml?sidebar=quick&content=apcredit)</p>
<p>Having extra credits lying around, in general, is a great thing. I had several AP credits and while having one of my NS distributions done was nice, the extra credits also gave me the flexibility to consider a semester off without credit, traveling or working in another country, rather than doing a College-approved study abroad program–and without paying College tuition for that semester. I didn’t end up doing this, but having that option was really nice. Friends have used their AP credits to avoid graduating late after a medical-withdrawal semester, and many of us also take fewer credits senior year in order to focus on theses and senior projects. If she has a good chance of getting credit for the AP exams, I’d recommend taking them. AP exams cost money, but there’s a chance they could save you lots of money down the road (ie, a semester’s tuition) or just give your daughter more options.</p>