What colleges consider AP scores in their decision?

I keep seeing conflicting information on this question, so I thought I’d just ask what schools DO consider them. Some people say that the scores don’t matter only the AP class grades do, but in a world where some schools are becoming test mandatory again, will AP scores begin to matter to them as well?

Yale will consider AP scores in lieu of SAT/ACT/IB, but you must submit all AP scores. If you submit one of the other, you can pick and choose. https://admissions.yale.edu/standardized-testing.

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Some colleges, e.g. Yale, NYU, allow AP scores as an alternative to SAT/ ACT

Many UK schools not only consider them, but have them as a requirement for admissions.

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I believe it was an AO for Tulane that I saw explaining they sometimes now look at AP scores when they are concerned about grade inflation. Like, if most applicants from a high school are getting As in their AP classes, but then very few of those are getting 4s or 5s on the tests, in that case they may prefer an applicant who gets the A in the class AND a 4 or 5 on the test, rather than an A and a 1 or 2 on the test. And in that sense they are considering the AP scores.

What I have not seen is any such AOs saying they actually care MORE about the AP scores, in the sense if you got like a C in the class but a 5 on the test, they would see that as better than an A in the class but a 4 on the test. What they are really saying is they want to see both grades and test scores up to their standards.

OK, then as other posters pointed out, a very few US colleges accept APs as an alternative to the SAT/ACT, and UK universities may require them. Although our experience was some UK unis were more flexible than others if your HS did not offer APs.
Like Cambridge’s response was basically, “so self study, that isn’t our problem.” St Andrews, in contrast, is willing to accept As in advanced classes if your HS does not offer the relevant advanced class as an AP. That sort of thing.

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While not applying to every single instance, Scottish universities are generally flexible; English universities, particularly highly selective ones, are not.

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Yes, for example Edinburgh was another one we encountered that seemed super flexible. I gather for a variety of reasons, including financial, the Scottish unis tend to be more aggressive about marketing to US students.

The one English university I know of that has (recently) adopted a similar policy is Durham:

For 2024 entry, Durham has updated entry requirements for students attending high school in the United States that do not offer AP curriculum. For students attending a school that does not offer AP curriculum, we will consider honours courses or equivalent in place of APs. For students attending a school that has AP curriculum, you will be expected to submit AP exams for admission.

The other English unis I (briefly) looked at all seemed to assume you would have APs (although it wasn’t a comprehensive survey and I think if it had been important I would have contacted them to ask). To the extent there was more or less flexibility, it was more about how many APs you would need, and whether a high SAT/ACT could substitute for one.

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