AP® credit at California State University-San Marcos
California State University-San Marcos gives credit for 42 AP® exams. Add your scores to see the courses and credits you'd get, and what to do if a score falls short.
- 42 AP® exams earn credit at California State University-San Marcos
- A 3 earns credit on every exam on California State University-San Marcos' list
- Up to 6 credits from a single exam
From California State University-San Marcos' AP® credit policy (csusm.edu). Last checked 28 Oct 2026.
- AP® Biologyscore 3+GES 1026
- AP® Calculus BCscore 3+MATH 160 & 1626
- AP® English Languagescore 3+GEW 101 B6
Credits before your first class18
Add up your AP® credit at California State University-San Marcos
Tap the exams you took (or plan to take), then pick your score.
Your exams
Nothing added yet. Tap an exam on the left.
0credits at California State University-San Marcos
An estimate from California State University-San Marcos' published policy. Two exams that cover the same course (like Calculus AB and BC) may not both count. California State University-San Marcos decides when your official scores arrive.
See California State University-San Marcos' full AP® chart (42 exams)
| AP® exam | Score 3 | Score 4 | Score 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D Art and Design | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit |
| 3-D Art and Design | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit |
| African American Studies | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit |
| Art History | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit |
| Biology | 6 crGES 102 | 6 crBIOL 210 | 6 crBIOL 210 |
| Business & Personal Finance | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit |
| Calculus AB | 3 crMATH 160 | 3 crMATH 160 | 3 crMATH 160 |
| Calculus BC | 6 crMATH 160 & 162 | 6 crMATH 160 & 162 | 6 crMATH 160 & 162 |
| Calculus BC: AB Subscore | 3 crMATH 160 | 3 crMATH 160 | 3 crMATH 160 |
| Chemistry | 6 crGES 101 | 6 crCHEM 150 & 150L | 6 crCHEM 150 & 150L |
| Chinese | 6 crCHIN 201 | 6 crCHIN 201 | 6 crCHIN 201 |
| Comparative Government | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit |
| Computer Science A | 3 crCS 111 | 3 crCS 111 | 3 crCS 111 |
| Computer Science Principles | 6 crCS 105 | 6 crCS 105 | 6 crCS 105 |
| Drawing | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit |
| English Language | 6 crGEW 101 B | 6 crGEW 101 B | 6 crGEW 101 B |
| English Literature | 6 crGEW 101 B & LTWR 100 | 6 crGEW 101 B & LTWR 100 | 6 crGEW 101 B & LTWR 100 |
| Environmental Science | 4 crCourse credit | 4 crCourse credit | 4 crCourse credit |
| European History | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit |
| French | 6 crFREN 201 | 6 crFREN 201 | 6 crFREN 201 |
| German | 6 crGRMN 201 | 6 crGRMN 202 | 6 crGRMN 202 |
| Human Geography | 3 crGEOG 201 | 3 crGEOG 201 | 3 crGEOG 201 |
| Italian | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit |
| Japanese | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit |
| Latin | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit |
| Macroeconomics | 3 crECON 202 | 3 crECON 202 | 3 crECON 202 |
| Microeconomics | 3 crECON 201 | 3 crECON 201 | 3 crECON 201 |
| Music Theory | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit | 6 crCourse credit |
| Physics 1 | 4 crPHYS 101 | 4 crPHYS 101 | 4 crPHYS 101 |
| Physics 2 | 4 crPHYS 102 | 4 crPHYS 102 | 4 crPHYS 102 |
| Physics C: E&M | 4 crPHYS 202 | 4 crPHYS 202 | 4 crPHYS 202 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 crPHYS 201 | 4 crPHYS 201 | 4 crPHYS 201 |
| Pre-Calculus | 3 crMATH 115 | 3 crMATH 126 | 3 crMATH 126 |
| Psychology | 3 crPSYC 100 | 3 crPSYC 100 | 3 crPSYC 100 |
| Research | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit |
| Seminar | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit |
| Spanish Language | 6 crSPAN 201 | 6 crSPAN 202 | 6 crSPAN 202 |
| Spanish Literature | 6 crSPAN 315 | 6 crSPAN 315 | 6 crSPAN 315 |
| Statistics | 3 crMATH 242 or BUS 204 | 3 crBIOL 215, MATH 242 or BUS 204 | 3 crBIOL 215, MATH 242 or BUS 204 |
| US Government | 3 crPSCI 100 | 3 crPSCI 100 | 3 crPSCI 100 |
| US History | 6 crHIST 130 & 131 | 6 crHIST 130 & 131 | 6 crHIST 130 & 131 |
| World History: Modern | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit | 3 crCourse credit |
Copied from California State University-San Marcos' AP® credit policy (csusm.edu), checked 28 Oct 2026. California State University-San Marcos sets its own policy and can change it, so credit is never guaranteed.
Missed the score? Don't wait a year.
Retake the AP® exam
12 months
Take a self-paced course
~1 month*
- Take the course onlineStart any day. Go at your own pace.
- It's already rated for creditACE and NCCRS review courses and say how many college credits they're worth.
- Send it to California State University-San MarcosCalifornia State University-San Marcos reviews the transcript and decides what counts.
Ask California State University-San Marcos' registrar before you enroll. California State University-San Marcos' CLEP® policy is on the California State University-San Marcos credit page.
*UPI Study says its students finish a course in 28–30 days on average.
A backup course for each AP® exam
Same subject, self-paced, with ACE/NCCRS credit recommendations. They aren't California State University-San Marcos courses; California State University-San Marcos decides whether to accept them.
AP® Calculus AB
AP® Calculus BC
AP® Pre-Calculus
AP® Statistics
AP® Computer Science A
AP® Computer Science Principles
AP® Biology
AP® Chemistry
AP® Environmental Science
AP® Physics 1
AP® English Language
AP® English Literature
AP® US History
AP® Macroeconomics
AP® Microeconomics
AP® Psychology
AP® French
AP® Art History
Study guides for every AP® exam
A printable PDF for each of the 36 AP® exams, $5 each. The green tag marks the exams California State University-San Marcos gives credit for.
CreditAfrican American Studies
CreditArt History
CreditBiology
CreditBusiness & Personal Finance
CreditCalculus AB
CreditCalculus BC
CreditChemistry
CreditChinese
CreditComparative Government
CreditComputer Science A
CreditComputer Science Principles
CreditEnglish Language
CreditEnglish Literature
CreditEnvironmental Science
CreditEuropean History
CreditFrench
CreditGerman
CreditHuman Geography
CreditItalian
CreditJapanese
CreditLatin
CreditMacroeconomics
CreditMicroeconomics
CreditPhysics 1
CreditPhysics 2
CreditPhysics C: E&M
CreditPhysics C: Mechanics
CreditPre-Calculus
CreditPsychology
CreditSpanish Language
CreditSpanish Literature
CreditStatistics
CreditUS Government
CreditUS History
CreditWorld History: Modern
Cybersecurity
Taking more than one?
All 36 AP® guides for $29 a month, cancel anytime, or $149 once to keep them for good.
Pick how you want to study
One guide
$5 one time
- One AP® exam, printable PDF
- Practice questions with answers explained
- Cram sheet for the night before
Every AP® guide
$29 a month
- All 36 AP® guides
- Free access to UPI Study courses for 1 month
- Cancel anytime
Lifetime
$149 once
- All 36 AP® guides, yours for good
- Free UPI Study ACE/NCCRS college courses for 1 year
- No monthly bill
90+ online college courses
Self-paced UPI Study courses with ACE/NCCRS credit recommendations. One course is $250; plans start at about $41/month with the yearly plan.
| Course | Subject | Credits | Credit recommendation | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Communication | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Business Essentials | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Business Ethics | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Business Law | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Entrepreneurship | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Financial Management | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Foundations of Leadership | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Globalization and International Management | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Human Resources Management | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| International Business | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Leadership and Organizational Behavior | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Leading Organizational Change | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Managerial Accounting | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Marketing Research | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Principles of Finance | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Principles of Management | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Principles of Marketing | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Project Management | Business & Management | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Computer Concepts and Applications | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Current Trends in Computer Science and IT | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Cybersecurity | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Data Structure and Algorithms | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Database Fundamentals | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Database Programming | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Ethics in Technology | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Fundamentals of Information Technology | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Computing | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to HTML and CSS | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Java | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Javascript | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Linux | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Networking | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Operating Systems | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Network and Systems Security | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Programming in C | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Programming in C++ | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Programming in Python | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Software Engineering | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| System Analysis and Design | Computer Science & IT | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Business Math | Mathematics | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Calculus 1 | Mathematics | 4 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Calculus 2 | Mathematics | 4 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Discrete Mathematics | Mathematics | 4 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Principles of Statistics | Mathematics | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Quantitative Analysis | Mathematics | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| College Algebra | Mathematics | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Precalculus | Mathematics | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Calculus 3 (Multivariable) | Mathematics | 4 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Chemistry I | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Environmental Science | Natural & Health Sciences | 1 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Healthcare Finance and Budgeting | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Healthcare Organization and Management | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Human Resource Management in Healthcare | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Intro to Biology 1 | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Intro to Biology 2 | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Medical Terminology | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Physics I | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Anatomy & Physiology I | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Anatomy & Physiology I Lab | Natural & Health Sciences | 1 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Anatomy & Physiology II | Natural & Health Sciences | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Anatomy & Physiology II Lab | Natural & Health Sciences | 1 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Chemistry Lab | Natural & Health Sciences | 1 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Physics Lab | Natural & Health Sciences | 1 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Abnormal Psychology | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Advanced Social Psychology | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Advanced Technical Writing | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Educational Psychology | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Ethics in the Social Sciences | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Criminology | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Psychology | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Introduction to Sociology | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Macroeconomics | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Microeconomics | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Principles of Philosophy | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Psychology of Diversity | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Psychology of Personality | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Research Methods in Psychology | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| English Composition I | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| English Composition II | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| American Literature | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Art History I | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Art History II | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| U.S. History I | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| U.S. History II | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| French I | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| French II | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
| Critical Thinking & Analysis | Social Sciences & Humanities | 3 | ACE/NCCRS | See course |
Courses and prices from upistudy.com, checked 29 Oct 2026. UPI Study is a separate site; course links open upistudy.com with the code transfercreditspecial applied.
Questions students ask
What AP® score do I need for credit at California State University-San Marcos?
A 3 on every exam on the list we show. Some exams earn more with a higher score; add your exams in the calculator above to see each one.
How much credit can one AP® exam earn at California State University-San Marcos?
Up to 6 credits, on Art History or Biology or Calculus BC or Chemistry and others. On this list, one exam earns 3 to 6 credits.
What if my score is too low?
If your score is below what California State University-San Marcos asks for on that exam, you can retake the exam next May, take a CLEP® exam if California State University-San Marcos accepts it, or take a self-paced course with an ACE or NCCRS credit recommendation. California State University-San Marcos decides what counts, so ask before you enroll.
Is AP® credit guaranteed?
No. California State University-San Marcos sets its own policy and can change it. We copied this from California State University-San Marcos' AP® credit policy (csusm.edu) on 28 Oct 2026; check the official page before you count on the credit.
Are these official AP® study guides?
No. AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, these guides. TransferCredit.org is independent.
Every way to earn credit at California State University-San Marcos
- AP® exams
42 exams
From a 3 up. You're on this page.
Add up my AP® credit - CLEP® exams
36 exams
Up to 177 credits listed on our California State University-San Marcos page. Take them any month.
See California State University-San Marcos' CLEP® list - ACE/NCCRS courses
90+ courses
California State University-San Marcos decides what counts.
See the courses
The all-access bundle
Everything we sell for AP®, CLEP® and DSST, plus UPI Study's college courses, in one payment.
- Every CLEP® and DSST study guide and prep course
- All 36 AP® guides
- Lifetime access to 90+ UPI Study ACE/NCCRS courses
Know your California State University-San Marcos credit before exam day
Add up your scores, see the courses, and keep a backup if a score falls short.