First-year credit
If you complete university-level courses while in high school, you may be able to take fewer courses to complete your degree. Find out which Advanced Placement, British-patterned education, and International Baccalaureate courses are eligible for first-year credit at UBC.
More on After you’ve applied:
If you are eligible for credit for a first-year course, please consult an academic advisor at UBC before registering for second-year courses. You may choose to refuse the first-year credit and take the course anyway.
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Advanced Placement
If you got a grade of 4 or better on approved Advanced Placement exams, UBC will grant you first-year credit. The table below is not exhaustive, so credit may be granted for courses not shown.
| High school subject | UBC course granted (including credits) |
| 2-D Art and Design | VISA_O 102 (3)
When AP Studio Art: 2-D Design and AP Studio Art: Drawing are taken together, credit is granted as VISA_O 102 (3), VISA_O 103 (3), and VISA_O 1st-year level (3). |
| 3-D Art and Design | VISA_O 104 (3) and VISA_O 105 (3) |
| Art History | ARTH_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Biology | BIOL_O 1st-year level (6), with exemption from BIOL_O 116, BIOL_O 117, BIOL_O 122, and BIOL_O 125 |
| Calculus AB or subscore of AB in Calculus BC | MATH_O 100 (3) |
| Calculus BC | MATH_O 100 (3) and MATH_O 101 (3) |
| Chemistry | CHEM_O 121 (3) and CHEM_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Chinese Language and Culture | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Comparative Government and Politics | POLI_O 220 (3) |
| Computer Science A | COSC_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Drawing | VISA_O 102 (3) and VISA_O 103 (3)
When AP Studio Art: 2-D Design and AP Studio Art: Drawing are taken together, credit is granted as VISA_O 102 (3), VISA_O 103 (3), and VISA_O 1st-year level (3). |
| Economics: Macroeconomics | ECON_O 1st (3) not for credit in Economics Specialization |
| Economics: Microeconomics | ECON_O 1st (3) not for credit in Economics Specialization |
| English Language and Composition | ENGL_O 112 (3) and ENGL_O 1st-year level (3)
When AP ENGL Language/Composition and AP ENGL Literature/Composition are taken together, credit is granted as ENGL_O 112 (3) and ENGL_O 1st-year level (9). |
| English Literature and Composition | ENGL_O 112 (3) and ENGL_O 1st-year level (3)
When AP ENGL Language/Composition and AP ENGL Literature/Composition are taken together, credit is granted as ENGL_O 112 (3) and ENGL_O 1st-year level (9). |
| Environmental Science | EESC_O 101 (3) |
| French Language and Culture | FREN_O 122 (3) and FREN_O 123 (3) |
| German Language and Culture | GERM_O 200 (3) and GERM_O 210 (3) |
| History: European | HIST_O 116 (3) and HIST_O 126 (3) |
| History: United States | HIST_O 111 (3) and HIST_O 211 (3) |
| Human Geography | GEOG_O 128 (3) and GEOG_O 129 (3) |
| Italian Language and Culture | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Japanese Language and Culture | JPST_O 201 (3) and JPST_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Latin | LATN_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Music Theory | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Physics 1 | PHYS_O 112 (3) |
| Physics 2 | PHYS_O 122 (3) |
| Physics C (Electricity and Magnetism) | PHYS_O 121 (3) |
| Physics C (Mechanics) | PHYS_O 111 (3) |
| Precalculus | MATH_O 125 (3) |
| Psychology | PSYO_O 111 (3) and PSYO_O 121 (3) |
| Spanish Language and Culture | SPAN_O 201 (3) and SPAN_O 202 (3) |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | SPAN_O 2nd-year level (6), with exemption from SPAN_O 202 |
| Statistics | STAT_O 121 (3) |
| United States Government and Politics | POLI_O 1st-year level (3) |
| World History | HIST_O 1st-year level (3) |
British-patterned education
If you studied British-patterned education and got a final A-Level grade of A or B in most academic science, math, and arts subjects, UBC will grant you first-year credit. If you got an A or B on an A-Level-examined subject not listed in the table below, UBC will determine your first-year credit on a case-by-case basis.
| High school subject | UBC course granted (including credits) |
| Accounting | COMM_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Art and Design | VISA_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Biology | BIOL_O 1st-year level (6) with exemption from BIOL_O 116, BIOL_O 117, BIOL_O 122, and BIOL_O 125 |
| Business Studies | COMM_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Chemistry | CHEM_O 121 (3) and CHEM_O 123 (3) |
| Economics | ECON_O 101 (3) and ECON_O 102 (3) |
| French | FREN_O 122 (3) and FREN_O 123 (3) |
| German | GERM_O 210 (3) and GERM_O 2nd-year level (3) |
| Islamic Studies | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Literature (English) | ENGL_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Mathematics | No credit |
| Mathematics (Applied) | No credit |
| Mathematics (Further) | MATH_O 100 (3) and MATH_O 101 (3) |
| Physics (AS Level) | PHYS_O 111 (3) |
| Physics (A-Level) | PHYS_O 111 (3) and PHYS_O 121 (3) |
| Psychology | PSYO_O 111 (3) and PSYO_O 121 (3) |
| Sociology | SOCI_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Spanish | SPAN_O 201 (3) and SPAN_O 202 (3) |
International Baccalaureate
If you completed the International Baccalaureate diploma, all Higher Level and some Standard Level IB courses will be considered for first-year credit. The table below is not exhaustive, so credit may be granted for courses not shown.
| High school subject | Minimum IB score | UBC course granted (including credits) |
| Arabic A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Arabic A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Arabic B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Afrikaans A or B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Afrikaans A SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Burmese A or B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Burmese A SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Biology HL | 6 | BIOL_O 1st-year level (6), with exemption from BIOL_O 116, BIOL_O 117, BIOL_O 122, and BIOL_O 125 |
| Business Management SL | 5 | COMM_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Business and Management HL | 5 | COMM_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Chemistry HL | 6 | CHEM_O 121 (3) and CHEM_O 123 (3) |
| Chinese A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Chinese A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Chinese A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Chinese A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Chinese B: Mandarin HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Classical Languages: Greek HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Classical Languages: Latin HL | 5 | LATN_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Computer Science HL | 6 | COSC_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Design Technology HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Digital Society HL | 6 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Dutch B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Economics SL | 5 | ECON_O 1st-year level (3)
Not for credit toward Economics specializations. |
| Economics HL | 5 | ECON_O 1st-year level (6)
Not for credit toward Economics specializations. |
| English Language and Literature A HL | 5 | ENGL_O 1st-year level (6) |
| English Literature A HL | 5 | ENGL_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Film HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Filipino B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| French A SL | 5 | FREN_O 122 (3) and FREN_O 123 (3) |
| French B HL | 5 | FREN_O 122 (3) and FREN_O 123 (3) |
| French Language and Literature A HL | 5 | FREN_O 222 (3) and FREN_O 223 (3) |
| French Literature A HL | 5 | FREN_O 221 (3) and FREN_O 2nd-year level (3) |
| Geography HL | 6 | GEOG_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Georgian A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Georgian B: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Georgian A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Georgian A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| German A SL | 5 | GERM_O 200 (3) |
| German A HL | 5 | GERM_O 200 (3) and GERM_O 210 (3) |
| German B HL | 5 | GERM_O 110 (3) and GERM_O 200 (3) |
| Global Politics HL | 5 | POLI_O 1st-year level (6) |
| History HL | 5 | HIST_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Icelandic A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Icelandic A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Icelandic A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Icelandic A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Indonesian A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Indonesian A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Indonesian A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Indonesian A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Indonesian B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Islamic History HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Italian A SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Italian A or B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Japanese A HL | 5 | JPST_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Japanese B HL | 5 | JPST_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Japanese A SL | 5 | JPST_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Korean A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Korean A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Korean A SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Korean B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Lao A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Lao A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Lao A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Lao A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Malay A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Malay A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Malay A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Malay A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Math Analysis and Approaches SL | Not applicable | No credit |
| Math Analysis and Approaches HL | 6 | MATH_O 100 (3) and MATH_O 101 (3) |
| Math Applications and Interpretations SL | Not applicable | No credit |
| Math Applications and Interpretations HL | 6 | MATH_O 1st-year level (3) Exempt MATH_O 100 and MATH_O 116 |
| Mongolian A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Mongolian A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Mongolian A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Mongolian A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Norwegian A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Norwegian A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Norwegian A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Norwegian A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Persian A: Literature HL or B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Persian A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Philosophy SL | 5 | PHIL_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Philosophy HL | 5 | PHIL_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Physics HL | 5 | PHYS_O 1st-year level (6)
With a minimum grade of 6, credit will be granted as PHYS_O 112 (3) and PHYS_O 122 (3). |
| Physics SL | Not applicable | No credit |
| Polish A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Polish A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Polish A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Polish A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Psychology HL | 5 | PSYO_O 111 (3) and PSYO_O 121 (3) |
| Punjabi A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Punjabi A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Punjabi A or B: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Punjabi A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Russian A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Russian A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Russian A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Russian A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Slovak A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Slovak A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Slovak A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Slovak A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Social and Cultural Anthropology HL | 5 | ANTH_O 100 (3) and ANTH_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Spanish B HL | 5 | SPAN_O 201 (3) and SPAN_O 202 (3) |
| Spanish Language and Literature A SL | 5 | SPAN_O 301 (3) |
| Spanish Language and Literature A HL | 5 | SPAN_O 302 (3) and SPAN_O 2nd-year level (3) |
| Spanish Literature A SL | 5 | SPAN_O 308 (3) |
| Spanish Literature A HL | 5 | SPAN_O 320 (3) and SPAN_O 2nd-year level (3) |
| Sports, Exercise, and Health Science HL | 5 | SCIE_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Swahili A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Swahili A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Swahili A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Swahili A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Swedish A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Swedish A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Swedish A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Swedish A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Systems Transformations SL | Not applicable | No credit |
| Thai A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Thai A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Thai A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Thai A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Thai B HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Theatre HL | 5 | THTR_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Theory of Knowledge | A or B | PHIL_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Turkish A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Turkish A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Turkish A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Turkish A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Ukrainian A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Ukrainian A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Ukrainian A: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Ukrainian A: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Vietnamese A: Language and Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Vietnamese A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Vietnamese: Literature HL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (6) |
| Vietnamese: Literature SL | 5 | ARTS_O 1st-year level (3) |
| Visual Arts SL | 5 | VISA_O 102 (3) |
| Visual Arts HL | 5 | VISA_O 102 (3) and VISA_O 103 (3) |