What is advanced standing in college?
The definition of advanced standing is simply the academic standing of a student who has been granted advanced credit.
Having advanced standing in college means that a student has been granted credit towards their college degree for academic or professional work that they have already done before enrolling at that college.
Advanced standing in college means that a student can begin their first year of college and already have a year’s worth of college credit.
For example, a student who took Dual Enrollment (DE) or Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school may enter college with advanced standing and have enough credits to be considered a sophomore.
How to get advanced standing in college
Students can get advanced standing in college by receiving credit that counts towards the requirements of their degree program.
Students can earn college credit for advanced standing in a number of ways:
Advanced Placement courses in high school
Many students take Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school in order to earn credit towards advanced standing. Advanced Placement classes are more challenging than regular (or even “advanced”) high school classes.
At the end of the academic year, students take Advanced Placement Exams. Students can score between 1 and 5 on AP exams. Many colleges will accept AP scores of 3, 4, or 5 for college credit, which can give first-year students advanced standing.
Students must arrange for official scores to be sent to the college they choose to attend. Often, this is a good way to test out of introductory courses and take classes at a higher level earlier in college.
International Baccalaureate courses in high school
Students may also take International Baccalaureate (IB) classes in high school, if their high school offers an International Baccalaureate track.
Students can earn credit towards college requirements and receive advanced standing for their test scores on IB exams or for having earned their IB diploma.
(Note that lots of colleges offer scholarships for students who have earned their IB diploma.)
Dual Enrollment courses in high school
High school students can also earn college credits by taking Dual Enrollment (DE) courses. These are often taught via a partnership with the high school and a local college or community college.
Students receive a grade for these courses, just as they would if they were taking a regular high school course.
Some high schools have dual enrollment agreements that allow students to take such a large number of college credits that they meet the graduation requirements for high school and the degree requirements for an associate degree.
Associates Degree in High School
Some high schools allow students to earn enough credits for a two-year associate’s degree.
These students can then transfer these credits to a four-year college. This will give them credit towards a bachelor’s degree and advanced status. Often students with an associate’s degree can enter a four-year college as a sophomore or junior.
CLEP Exams for College credit
Students can receive credit towards advanced standing by taking comprehensive exams. Students can take College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Exams through the College Board.
There are 34 CLEP exams on topics such as American Government, Microeconomics, College Algebra, and the German language.
DSST Exams for College credit
Students can also take the Dantes Subject Standardized Tests (DSST). This program offers more than 30 proficiency examinations in a variety of areas, including Business, Math, Social Studies, and Physical Sciences.
DSST Exams are accepted for college credit at more than 1500 colleges and are usually free to active-duty military and their spouses.
Testing out of course requirements
Often universities offer their own tests for incoming students. Usually colleges offer language and math exams that students can take to test out of required college classes.
Your test results may mean that you can skip a beginner’s class and take a more advanced class.
Or if you demonstrate a high level or proficiency in a subject, your university may determine that you already meet the requirement and will then give you credit for equivalent courses.
Transfer credit from another college
Undergraduate students who began their college career at a different school then transferred may be able to transfer their academic credits to their new college as well.
Transfer students who want to pursue this option should talk to their advisor and the college registrar to see what they need to do to transfer credits.
It’s best to speak with an advisor well before transferring to see what number of credits will transfer and any additional information you need to know about such credit.
Portfolio/life experience
To receive college credit for prior work experience or life experience, students must submit a portfolio and personal statement that provide acceptable evidence of knowledge.
Colleges and degree programs will have specific guidelines for how to create a portfolio to receive college credit. Then a committee will review your submission to determine whether to provide academic credit in your current program for your experiences, in lieu of coursework.
Once your portfolio has gone through the approval process, you’ll learn how many credits of advanced standing you received and what additional courses you’ll need to do to earn.
For someone with active duty military experience, a non-traditional route to college, or unusual circumstances, this can be a great advanced standing option.
previous degree in the field
Students who have already earned an undergraduate degree in a field and want to earn a master’s degree in the same field may be able to enter the graduate program with advanced standing, thanks to their previous studies.
Another student pursuing the same master’s degree, but without a bachelor’s degree in the same professional field, may have more required courses.
When do you start earning advanced standing?
The path to earning advanced standing credit at college usually starts in high school.
For some students, the path to advanced standing can even begin in middle school, if the middle school puts students on advanced tracks. This often happens for math or a foreign language.
Students can still take courses that could result in advanced standing in their junior or senior year of high school.
If students are taking AP, CLEP, or IB exams, they will take those exams before starting college. After their university receives their test scores, they will find out if they will be awarded advanced standing.
What does advanced standing mean on a transcript?
Generally, when credits that count towards advanced standing are awarded to a student, any grades originally awarded for those credits do not transfer in.
So while a course from another college might give you advanced standing at your current school, the grade from that course will not impact your transcript. Your GPA will reflect the coursework you have completed at your college, not course credit that gave you advanced standing.
Advanced standing will not affect your GPA in that your high school grades will not show up on your transcript. But your transcript will probably note how many academic credits you have and your semester standing.
Do all universities offer advanced standing?
No, all universities do not offer advanced standing.
Often, more competitive colleges (like Harvard) do not offer credit for courses taken in high school or at other universities.
Elite universities tend to consider International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), or College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams to be guidelines for placing current students into courses, but they don’t allow high school credits to count towards a bachelor’s degree.
You will need to check with your college to find out if they will offer advanced standing and how many credits they will accept towards advanced standing.
Applying for Advanced Standing
Before applying for advanced standing, you should know that each college has specific requirements for what type of credits they will accept towards advanced standing.
Colleges (and academic programs) also require different number of credit hours and have different rules about how many of those hours must be completed at that institution.
Colleges only award credit towards advanced standing if a student received a certain grade point average (GPA) for their previous coursework. Students will need to provide an official transcript for prior cousework.
Usually, students wishing to transfer credits to a college must have completed their original credits fairly recently. In almost all cases, colleges will not accept transfer credits from prior learning experiences that occurred than ten years ago.
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Advantages to advanced standing
There are several benefits of advanced standing in college. Here are some perks of entering college with advanced standing:
Less required coursework with advanced standing
Students with advanced standing have to take fewer classes. Advanced standing often comes from course credits that replace general requirements. This means that students with advanced standing can ultimately graduate having taken fewer college courses than other students.
Students with advanced standing may find that already having credit for some general courses allows them time to double major or add a minor or two.
Early registration with advanced standing
At some universities, registration for classes opens based on seniority. So sophomores can register for classes before freshman.
If you have advanced standing, you may be able to register for classes earlier than you would without having that extra course credit already on your record.
Graduate College early and save money
Early graduation is possible with advanced standing. By eliminating some general requirements, you may be able to start completing courses in your major earlier. So, you could finish your baccalaureate degree earlier due to advanced standing.
Graduating from college earlier could save you money on tuition. Early graduation would also allow you to enter the workforce and begin your career faster.
Disadvantages to advanced standing
There are some drawbacks of advanced standing at college. Here are a few reasons that entering college with advanced standing can be a disadvantage for some students:
Difficult High School classes
To earn advanced standing in college, students must take challenging courses in high school. Some students welcome this challenge, and some students aren’t prepared for that workload.
This might not be a disadvantage for all students, but for some, taking high school courses that are too difficult will lead to burnout and stress, as well as a lower cumulative GPA.
Lack of preparation
High school courses are not the same as college courses. Just because you did well in an advanced high school class does not mean the high school class covered the same material, at the same depth and rigor, as a college class.
Many AP courses are taught to prepare students for the AP exam, not necessarily to analyze the subject matter.
Students often find that when they skip a required class due to advanced standing and take a more difficult course, they are not prepared for a true college class.
First-year, general education courses are designed to teach course material, while also teaching college students how to manage their workload, study, and prepare for difficult exams. Not being prepared for college classes might negatively impact overall course grades.
Limited exposure to new courses
By skipping some of the general education courses, students may miss out on being exposed to a variety of courses that they’ve never had the opportunity to take before.
Courses that aren’t typically taught in high school, like anthropology, a history of the Cold War, or art and design, might open up new areas of interest to first-year students.
Pressure to choose a major
Students who enter college with advanced standing and plan to graduate early will be asked to choose a major earlier than other students. Many students may not be ready to declare a major.
Graduating early
For many students, early degree completion isn’t a positive. If you want to take a full four years to get your degree and get the most out of your overall college experience, entering college with advanced standing may not be a perk.
Financial aid and scholarship funds are not limited by advanced standing, so some students may not have a financial incentive to finish college more quickly.
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Final thoughts on advanced standing in college
Not all colleges offer advanced standing to students based on their high school coursework, transfer credits, or other experiences.
Admitted students will need to check with your college advisor to find out if you qualify for advanced standing. Every school has a different policy, and each academic program may have different requirements as well.
If you receive advanced standing, you should consider if you want to skip all the general education courses or if you want to take some of them anyway. You would also need to decide if you want to graduate early or not.
Usually students who enter college with advanced standing do not have to complete their degree in less time than other students. You may enter college with advanced standing without having to graduate early.
For some students, advanced standing allows them to graduate from college more efficiently and quickly than if they took a traditional path.
For other students, having advanced standing simply gives them extra credits, the option to register early for classes, and the ability to skip entry-level classes.
Students considering applying for advanced standing in college should consider their approach to college, the academic rigor of their program, and the policies of their university. Be sure to check the guidelines and policies for the university and specific programs.
