<p>Are credits awarded only by having taken the AP test (with a qualifying score) before starting at Northwestern or do they administer placement tests for certain subjects/classes too? Like how did you have 12+ credits? Did you take 12 APs that they accepted towards course credit?</p>
<p>arbiter213 - my son has decided to take only three classes the last qtr of this year and all of next year and I think he will still graduate with more than 45. He’s applying right to grad school - PhD chem - so the Masters route would not have helped and he really didn’t want to graduate early. So he’s studying for the GRE and spending LOTS of time in his lab doing research - so it’s all good.</p>
<p>Found this on the NU website - A student entering as a freshman may gain exemption from up to three quarters of the required residency through any combination of AP credit, IB programs, approved study abroad, “credit by examination” at Northwestern, and a maximum of four transfer credits from other (domestic) colleges or universities. Each four such credits confer one-quarter exemption from the URR. </p>
<p>So I guess my son could have graduated a qtr early with no penalty. But people coming in with AP can get exempt up to three qtrs. Pretty Good.</p>
<p>@aangel- I took 9 APs, almost all 5s, and many were granted two credits (e.g. AB calculus)</p>