AP Scholar Awards

The College Board offers several tiers of AP Scholar recognition to honor students who perform well on multiple AP exams. These awards are noted on AP score reports sent to colleges and can be listed on college applications and resumes. While the awards do not carry financial benefits, they signal a pattern of sustained academic achievement across multiple disciplines.

The award levels are structured as follows. AP Scholar is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams. AP Scholar with Honor requires an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more exams. AP Scholar with Distinction requires an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams.

At the highest levels, the AP International Diploma is available to students outside the United States (based on similar criteria), and the National AP Scholar award -- historically the most prestigious -- required an average score of at least 4 on all AP exams taken and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more exams. Note that the College Board has periodically revised the criteria for these awards, so students should verify current requirements on the official College Board website.

For students planning their AP course load, the Scholar Awards provide a useful framework for goal-setting. Pursuing AP Scholar with Distinction, for example, encourages students to take five or more AP courses and to prepare seriously for each exam. However, it is important to balance breadth with depth: taking fewer AP courses and scoring well on each is generally a better strategy than overloading and underperforming.