We award a maximum of 6 St. Olaf credits from all pre-college credits submitted by matriculating first-year students. The Registrar first awards credits for any AP/IB/CAL exams that qualify.
If a student has not received the maximum pre-college transfer credits from those exams alone, then the Registrar will divide the total number of earned PSEO/CIS semester or quarter credits by 4 or 5.5 accordingly to equal a maximum of 4 St. Olaf credits, not to exceed 6 total pre-college transfer credits.
How to Submit AP Scores
If a student requests that their official AP scores be sent to St. Olaf by completing the appropriate section in My AP on the College Board website, St. Olaf will receive the scores in early July. After scores are released, visit College Board to see whether yours were sent to us and to make additional requests. The code for St. Olaf is 6638. Please email us if you are still not sure if we received your exam information.
How to Submit IB Scores
IB scores are received in July and January if the student requested that their scores be sent to St. Olaf. Please visit this IB site for information on submitting IB scores.
Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), College in the Schools (CIS), and Dual Enrollment Credits
Courses must be from a regionally accredited institution and completed with a grade of C or above. An official transcript that is either delivered to St. Olaf in a sealed envelope or sent electronically directly from the awarding institution is required. Duplicate credit from AP/IB/CAL and PSEO/CIS/Dual Enrollment will not be awarded. Contact us for specific questions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- What is the maximum amount of pre-college credit that can be awarded?
- How can I determine if St. Olaf credit will be awarded for my AP, IB, or CAL exams?
- Will my pre-college credit fulfill St. Olaf General Education Requirements?
- How long should I expect to wait for pre-college credit to reflect on my academic record?
- What if my pre-college credit does not show up in my SIS record?
- Can I have the scores sent to St. Olaf later?
- Will I be able to register for classes even if my pre-college credit has not yet been posted?
- Does St. Olaf accept CLEP credit?
- Will my pre-college transfer credits affect my St. Olaf GPA?
- What happens if I have more pre-college transfer credits than the policy allows?
1. What is the maximum amount of pre-college credit that can be awarded?
Note that St. Olaf uses a credit system in which 1.0 St. Olaf credit equals 4 semester credits or 5.5 quarter credits. A minimum of 35 credits is required to graduate. Students typically take 4 credits each fall and spring semester and 1 credit during three January Terms to reach 35 credits after 4 years.
- First-year = 0-7.75 completed credits
- Sophomore = 8-16.75
- Junior = 17-24.75
- Senior = 25+
St. Olaf awards a maximum of 6 St. Olaf credits from all pre-college credits submitted by matriculating first-year students. The Registrar first awards credits for any AP/IB/CAL exams that qualify. If a student has not received the maximum pre-college transfer credits from those exams alone, then the Registrar will divide the total number of earned PSEO/CIS/dual enrollment semester or quarter credits by 4 or 5.5 accordingly to equal a maximum of 4 St. Olaf credits but not to exceed 6 total pre-college transfer credits.
If a student has AP/IB credits only, the maximum is 6 credits. If a student has PSEO/CIS/dual enrollment credits only, the maximum is 4 credits. If a student has a mixture, the maximum is 6 but only 4 of the 6 can be from PSEO/CIS/dual enrollment.
2. How can I determine if St. Olaf credit will be awarded for my AP, IB or CAL exams?
See the equivalency guides listed above for AP, IB, and CAL exams. Please note that these are updated each academic year, typically in the summer. The year of a student’s matriculation is the policy year they will follow.
3. Will my pre-college credit fulfill St. Olaf General Education requirements?
Up to 6 OLE Core requirements can be fulfilled with pre-college transfer work. See the equivalency guides at the top of this page for how AP/IB/CAL scores will fulfill OLE Core. PSEO/CIS will fulfill OLE Core as applicable. A max of two OLE Core requirements can be fulfilled with 3-semester-credit or 4-5-quarter-credit courses. Contact us for specific questions.
4. How long should I expect to wait for pre-college credit to reflect on my academic record?
Once we receive scores for AP, IB, and CAL in early July, you should allow 4 – 6 weeks. You can begin checking the SIS toward the end of July. AP, IB, and CAL credits are entered first. PSEO, CIS, and Dual Enrollment credits are entered next.
5. What if my pre-college credit does not show up in my SIS record?
If by early August your credits have not been posted, contact us to ask if we received your information.
6. Can I have my scores or transcripts sent to St. Olaf later?
Yes, you may always send pre-college scores or transcripts later, but sooner is better in order to plan your schedule accurately.
7. Will I be able to register for classes even if my pre-college credit has not yet been posted?
Yes. We post scores to student records as soon as possible. If a score has not been posted yet, you will want to
inform your academic advisor and placement coordinators.
8. Does St. Olaf accept CLEP credit?
St. Olaf does not accept CLEP.
9. Will my pre-college transfer credits affect my St. Olaf GPA?
The grades earned at other institutions are entered on the student’s St. Olaf record but do not count toward the St. Olaf GPA.
10. What happens if I have more pre-college transfer credits than the policy allows?
Additional AP, IB, CAL exams with qualifying scores and PSEO, CIS, or Dual Enrollment courses can be posted to the student’s record, but no additional credit will be awarded.