Pre-Matriculation Credits
Students who clearly demonstrate the capacity for upper-level course work will ordinarily be granted credit and advanced standing at the discretion of the department concerned. Any credits received for academic work completed before enrolling at Tufts are considered "credit-bearing pre-matriculation course equivalents," and each is equal to 3 or more credits. Students in the School of Arts and Sciences may receive up to five credit-bearing pre-matriculation course equivalents towards their degree, and may apply one course equivalent towards each of the five areas for distribution requirements. Students in the School of Engineering may use up to eight credit-bearing pre-matriculation course equivalents towards their degree. Most pre-matriculation course equivalents will carry three credits, but some course equivalents may carry more credit. In several cases, pre-matriculation scores may yield placement into a higher level course or fulfillment of a requirement but receive no credit; these scores are marked with 0 in the charts below.
Note: this is a simplified chart intended for prospective students. Current students should use the information on the Student Services website, which can be found by clicking here.
Jump to the Appropriate Chart
Advanced Placement (AP) - Arts and Sciences and Engineering
British Certificate of Education (A-Level) - Arts and Sciences and Engineering
International Baccalaureate - Arts and Sciences and Engineering
SAT Subject Tests - Arts and Sciences and Engineering
College Coursework - Click here!
Advanced Placement (AP) - Arts and Sciences
For the School of Arts and Sciences, these are the available course equivalents from Advanced Placement exams:
| Exam | Score | Credit Equivalents | Notes |
| Art History | 4, 5 | 3 | |
| Biology | 5 | 5 | Earns the equivalent of BIO13 or BIO14. |
| Chemistry | 5 | 10 | Place out of "General Chemistry I with Lab" and "General Chemistry II with Lab" |
| 5 | If "General Chemistry II with Lab" or "General Chemistry 2" is taken | ||
| Chinese | 5 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of Chinese |
| 4 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of Chinese | |
| Computer Science | 4, 5 | 3 | Place out of Computer Science 5 |
| Economics | 5 | 3 | For either Macroeconomics or Microeconomics |
| 5/5 | 7 | With both Economics exams place out of "Principles of Economics" | |
| English | 5 | 3 | For either English exam, exempt from First Year Writing Requirement |
| 4 | 3 | For either English exam, place out of "Expository Writing" | |
| Environmental Science | 4, 5 | 3 | Place out of "Environmental Biology" |
| French | 5 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of French |
| 4 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of French | |
| 3 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of French | |
| German | 5 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of German |
| 4 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of German | |
| 3 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of German | |
| History | 4, 5 | 3 | Maximum of 2 course equivalents awarded for AP History Exams if multiple exams are taken |
| Human Geography | 4, 5 | 3 | Course equivalent awarded through the Anthropology Department |
| Italian | 5 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of Italian |
| 4 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of Italian | |
| 3 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters or Italian | |
| Latin | 5 | 3 | Place out of 3 semesters of Latin |
| Mathematics AB | 4, 5 | 4 | Place out of "Calculus I" |
| Mathematics BC | 5 | 8 | Place out of "Calculus II" |
| 4 | 4 | Place out of "Calculus I" | |
| Music | 5 | 0 | See department for placement |
| Physics 1 | 5 | 5 | Place out of "Introductory Physics" |
| 4 | 5 | Place out of "Introductory Physics" | |
| Physics 2 | 5 | 5 | Place out of "Introductory Physics II" |
| Physics C (E or M) | 5 | 5 | Place out of "General Physics I" |
| 4 | 5 | Place out of "General Physics II" | |
| Physics C (E&M) | 5 | 10 | Place out of "General Physics I & II" |
| Political Science | 4, 5 | 3 | Either Political Science exam may be taken, maximum of one course equivalent |
| Psychology | 4, 5 | 3 | Exempt from "Introduction to Psychology" |
| Spanish | 5 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of Spanish |
| 4 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of Spanish | |
| 3 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters of Spanish | |
| 2 | 0 | Place out of 1 semester of Spanish | |
| Statistics | 4, 5 | 3 | Place out of "Introductory Statistics" |
| Studio Art | 4, 5 | 4 |
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Advanced Placement (AP) - Engineering
For the School of Engineering, these are the available course equivalents from Advanced Placement exams:
| Exam | Score | Credit Equivalents | Notes |
| Biology | 5 | 5 | |
| Chemistry | 5 | 10 | Place out of "General Chemistry I with Lab" and "General Chemistry II with Lab" |
| Computer Science | 4, 5 | 3 | Course equivalent given for either the Computer Science A or AB exam, not both. |
| Economics | 5 | 3 | Either Macro or Micro exam, 1 social science course equivalent |
| 5/5 | 7 | Both Economics exams, 2 social science course equivalents | |
| English | 4, 5 | 3 | Place out of Introductory Writing Requirement |
| Environmental Science | 4, 5 | 3 | |
| French | 5 | 4 | 1 Humanities Credit |
| German | 5 | 4 | 1 Humanities Credit |
| Latin | 5 | 4 | 1 Humanities Credit |
| History | 4, 5 | 3 | Maximum of 2 course equivalents given for history exams, counts for social science or humanities |
| Mathematics AB | 5 | 4 | Place out of "Calculus I" |
| Mathematics BC | 5 | 8 | Place out of "Calculus I & II" |
| 4 | 4 | Place out of "Calculus I" | |
| Physics C (M) | 5 | 5 | Place out of "General Physics I" |
| 4 | 5 | Place out of "General Physics I" | |
| Physics E&M | 5 | 5 | Place out of "General Physics II" |
| Political Science | 4, 5 | 3 | 1 social science course equivalent |
| Statistics | 4, 5 | 3 |
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British Certificate of Education (A-Level) - Arts and Sciences
For the School of Arts and Sciences, these are the available course equivalents from British Certificate of Education exams:
| Exam | Score | Credit Equivalents | Notes |
| Anthropology | A, B | 3 | Place out of "Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology" |
| Biology | A, B | 5 | Earns equivalent of BIO13 or BIO14 |
| Chemistry | A | 10 | Place out of "General Chemistry I with Lab" and "General Chemistry II with Lab" |
| B | 5 | Place out of "General Chemistry I with Lab" | |
| Classics | A, B | 3 | |
| Computer Science | A, B | 3 | Place out of Computer Science 05 |
| Economics | A, B | 7 | Place out of "Principles of Economics" |
| English | A | 3 | Exempt from First Year Writing Requirement |
| B | 3 | Place out of "Expository Writing" | |
| Environmental Science | A, B | 3 | Place out of "Environmental Biology" |
| French | A | 4 | Place out of French 0021 |
| History | A, B | 3 | |
| Mathematics | A | 4 | Place out of "Calculus II" |
| B | 4 | Place out of "Calculus I" | |
| Music | A, B | 3 | See department for placement |
| Physics | A | 5 | Place out of "Introductory Physics II" |
| B | 5 | Place out of "Introductory Physics I" | |
| Political Science | A, B | 3 | This course equivalent cannot count towards a major in Political Science |
| Psychology | A, B | 3 | Place out of "Introduction to Psychology" |
| Sociology | A, B | 3 | Place out of "Introduction to Sociology" |
| Statistics | A, B | 3 | Place out of "Introductory Statistics" |
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British Certificate of Education (A-Level) - Engineering
For the School of Engineering, these are the available course equivalents from British Certificate of Education exams:
| Exam | Score | Credit Equivalents | Notes |
| Biology | A, B | 5 | |
| Computer Science | A, B | 3 | Counts as free elective |
| English | A, B | 3 | Place out of "Expository Writing" |
| Environmental Science | A, B | 3 | Counts as free elective |
| Foreign Languages | A, B | 4 | Humanities course equivalent; place out of 4 semesters of the language |
| Mathematics | A, B | 3 | Place out of "Calculus I" |
| All other subjects | A, B | - | Case by case basis - contact Student Services at 617-627-2000 |
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International Baccalaureate (IB) - Arts and Sciences
For the School of Arts and Sciences, these are the available course equivalents from International Baccalaureate exams (all tests are Higher Level except where otherwise noted):
| Exam | Score | Credit Equivalents | Notes |
| Anthropology | 6, 7 | 3 | Place out of "Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology" |
| Biology | 6, 7 | 5 | Place out of BIO13 or BIO14 |
| Chemistry | 7 | 10 | Place out of "General Chemistry I with Lab" and "General Chemistry II with Lab" |
| 7 | 5 | If "General Chemistry II with Lab" or "General Chemistry 2" is taken | |
| 6 | 5 | Place out of "Chemical Fundamentals with Lab" | |
| Classics | 6, 7 | 3 | |
| Computer Science | 6, 7 | 3 | Place out of "Computer Science 05" |
| Economics | 6, 7 | 7 | Place out of "Economic Principles" |
| English | 7 | 3 | Exempt from First Year Writing Requirement |
| 6 | 3 | Place out of "Expository Writing" | |
| Environmental Science | 6, 7 | 3 | Place out of "Environmental Biology" |
| French | 7 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of French |
| 6 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of French | |
| 5 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of French | |
| German (Higher Level only) | 7 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of German |
| 6 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of German | |
| 5 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters of German | |
| History | 6, 7 | 3 | |
| Italian | 7 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of Italian |
| 6 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of Italian | |
| Latin | 6,7 | 3 | Place out of 3 semesters of Latin |
| Music | 6, 7 | 3 | See department for placement |
| Physics | 7 | 5 | Place out of "Introductory Physics II" |
| 6 | 5 | Place out of "Introductory Physics I" | |
| Political Science | 6, 7 | 3 | This course equivalent cannot be applied to the Political Science major |
| Psychology | 6, 7 | 3 | Place out of "Introduction to Psychology" |
| Sociology | 6, 7 | 3 | Place out of "Introduction to Sociology" |
| Spanish | 7 | 0 | Place out of 5 semesters of Spanish |
| 6 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of Spanish | |
| 5 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters of Spanish | |
| Spanish (Standard Level) | 6, 7 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters of Spanish |
| 5 | 0 | Place out of 1 semester of Spanish | |
| Studio Art | 6, 7 | 4 | |
| Theater | 6,7 | 3 |
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International Baccalaureate (IB) - Engineering
For the School of Engineering, these are the available course equivalents from International Baccalaureate exams (all tests are Higher Level except where otherwise noted):
| Exam | Score | Credit Equivalents | Notes |
| Biology | 6, 7 | 5 | Place out of BIO13 or BIO14 |
| Chemistry | 7 | 10 | Place out of "General Chemistry I with Lab" and "General Chemistry II with Lab" |
| 5 | If "General Chemistry II with Lab" or "General Chemistry 2" is taken | ||
| 6 | 5 | Place out of "General Chemistry I with Lab" | |
| Computer Science | 6, 7 | 3 | |
| English | 6, 7 | 3 | Place out of "Expository Writing" |
| English (Standard Level) | 7 | 3 | Place out of "Expository Writing" |
| Environmental Science | 6, 7 | 3 | |
| Foreign Languages | 6, 7 | 4 | See this site for specific foreign languages |
| Mathematics | 6, 7 | 3 | Place out of "Calculus I" |
| Psychology | 6, 7 | 3 | Social sciences course equivalent; place out of "Introduction to Psychology" |
| All other subjects | Case by case basis - contact Student Services at 617-627-2000 |
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SAT Subject Tests - Arts and Sciences
For the School of Arts and Sciences, these are the available credits from SAT Subject tests:
| Exam | Score | Credit Equivalents | Notes |
| French | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 6 semesters of French |
| 720-760 | 0 | Place out of 5 semesters of French | |
| 660-710 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of French | |
| 590-650 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of French | |
| 500-580 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters of French | |
| 420-490 | 0 | Place out of 1 semester of French | |
| German | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 6 semesters of German |
| 720-760 | 0 | Place out of 5 semesters of German | |
| 660-710 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of German | |
| 600-650 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of German | |
| 490-590 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters of German | |
| 410-480 | 0 | Place out of 1 semester of German | |
| Hebrew | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 6 semesters of Hebrew |
| 720-760 | 0 | Place out of 5 semesters of Hebrew | |
| 660-710 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of Hebrew | |
| 600-650 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of Hebrew | |
| 490-590 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters of Hebrew | |
| 410-480 | 0 | Place out of 1 semester of Hebrew | |
| Italian | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 6 semesters of Italian |
| 720-760 | 0 | Place out of 5 semesters of Italian | |
| 660-710 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of Italian | |
| 590-650 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of Italian | |
| 500-580 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters of Italian | |
| 420-490 | 0 | Place out of 1 semester of Italian | |
| Spanish | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 6 semesters of Spanish |
| 720-760 | 0 | Place out of 5 semesters of Spanish | |
| 660-710 | 0 | Place out of 4 semesters of Spanish | |
| 590-650 | 0 | Place out of 3 semesters of Spanish | |
| 500-580 | 0 | Place out of 2 semesters of Spanish | |
| 420-490 | 0 | Place out of 1 semester of Spanish |
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SAT Subject Tests - Engineering
For the School of Engineering, these are the available course equivalents from SAT Subject Tests:
| Exam | Score | Credit | Notes |
| Chinese | 760-800 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of Chinese |
| French | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of French |
| German | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of German |
| Hebrew | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of Hebrew |
| Italian | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of Italian |
| Spanish | 770-800 | 4 | Place out of 5 semesters of Spanish |
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College Coursework
Students who took college courses while still in high school may request transfer of credit for those courses. Course equivalents are awarded only for those courses taken at a college with regularly enrolled college students. Course equivalents will not be given for college courses offered at a secondary school composed entirely of secondary school students. Students requesting these course equivalents should provide a letter from their principal or guidance department stating that the course was not used to complete requirements for the high school diploma.