Freshman
for students who have not enrolled in college course work after high schoolRunning Start & Other Credit
Regardless of number of college credits earned while in high school, all students entering Western directly after high school graduation (excluding summer courses) are considered freshmen for admissions purposes. Freshmen entering with college credit are eligible for freshman scholarships and granted advanced standing and major course access when appropriate.
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Running Start and Other College Credit
College credit earned through the Running Start program in the state of Washington or any other college or university will be evaluated according to our general transfer guidelines. Western produces a list of all transferable courses, as well as general education and major preparation equivalencies, for each community college and public university in the state of Washington available on the web or by contacting the Office of Admissions.
Advanced Placement
Western grants credit for College Board Advanced Placement (AP) exams completed with a score of three 3 or higher. Credits are granted upon receipt of official scores (AP Transcript) from the College Board according to the following equivalency chart. If you did not designate that Western receive a copy of your scores at the time of your examination(s), then you will need to order a copy to have sent directly to Western using either of these two methods:
- Complete the right half of your AP Grade Report and send it to the address below; or
- Send a letter with your name, sex, birth date, AP number, the year(s) you took the AP Exams, and the name, city, and state of the college(s) to receive your transcript.
Send your written request and a check made out to AP Exams ($15 for each transcript) to:
- AP Services
- PO Box 6671
- Princeton, NJ 08541-6671
Western's AP code is #4947. To contact AP Services by phone, call (609) 771-7300.
NOTE: Unless otherwise indicated, credit awarded is considered elective, contributing to the total number of credits required for graduation (180 quarter credits). For more information on General University Requirements (GUR), see Western's GUR worksheet (PDF).
| Department | Subject Examination | Minimum Score | WWU Courses - GUR (# of credits) |
| Art | Studio Art: Drawing | 3 | Art electives (4 credits) |
| Studio Art: 2D or 3D Design | 3 | Art electives (4 credits) | |
| Art History | 3 | Art electives - Humanities GUR (4 credits) | |
| Biology | Biology | 3 | Biology 101, 102 - Lab Science GUR (8 credits) |
| Chemistry | Chemistry | 3 | Chemistry 121, 122 - Lab Science GUR (10 credits) |
| Computer Science | Computer Science A/AB | 3 | Computer Science 141 - Quantitative & Symbolic Reasoning (Math) GUR (4 credits) |
| Economics | Microeconomics | 3 | Economics 206 - Social Science GUR (4 credits) |
| Macroeconomics | 3 | Economics 207 - Social Science GUR (4 credits) | |
| English | English Literature & Composition | 3 | English electives - Humanities GUR (4 credits) |
| English Literature & Composition | 4 | English electives - Humanities GUR (4 credits) and English 101 Communication Block A waived | |
| English Language & Composition | 3 | English electives - Humanities GUR (4 credits) | |
| English Language & Composition | 4 | English electives - Humanities GUR (4 credits) and English 101 Communication Block A waived | |
| Environmental Science | Environmental Science | 3 | Environmental Science 101 - Non-Lab Science GUR (3 credits) |
| Geography | Human Geography | 3 | Environmental Studies 204 - Social Sciences GUR (4 credits) |
| History | U.S. History | 3 | History 103, 104 - Humanities GUR (10 credits) |
| European History | 3 | History 113 - Humanities GUR (5 credits) | |
| World History | 3 | History electives - Humanities GUR (5 credits) | |
| Mathematics | Calculus AB or BC* | 3 | Math electives - Quantitative & Symbolic Reasoning (Math) GUR (5 credits) |
| Statistics | 3 | Math 240 - Quantitative & Symbolic Reasoning (Math) GUR (4 credits) | |
| *Students may receive credit for either AB or BC, but not both unless recommended by Mathematics Department after placement | |||
| Languages | Language or Literature exam in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Spanish* | 3 | 101 (5 credits) |
| Same as above, minus Italian* | 4 | 101, 102 (10 credits) | |
| Italian Language & Culture | 4 | 101 (5 credits) and electives (5 credits) | |
| *Students may receive credit for either language or literature, but not both | |||
| Music | Music Theory | 3 | Music electives (3 credits) |
| Physics | Physics B | 3 | Physics 114 - Non-Lab Science GUR (5 credits) |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | Physics 161 - Lab Science GUR (5 credits) | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | Physics 162 - Lab Science GUR (5 credits) | |
| Political Science | U.S. Government & Politics | 3 | Political Science 250 - Social Sciences GUR (5 credits) |
| Comparative Government & Politics | 3 | Political Science 291 - Social Sciences GUR (5 credits) | |
| Psychology | Psychology | 3 | Psychology 101 - Social Sciences GUR (5 credits) |
International Baccalaureate
Western Washington University will grant credit for appropriate higher level International Baccalaureate (IB) subject examinations passed with a score of four (4) or above according to the chart below. A student may earn up to 15 credits per exam for a maximum of 45 total credits. Higher level subject exams may earn a student General University Requirement (GUR) credit or elective credit, according to the following chart. Not all subject exams earn credit. The departments of Art and Modern and Classical Language do not grant credit for IB exams, but may use the exam results for purposes of program placement and/or course waivers. Students who have passed higher level exams in subjects not listed on the chart will need to consult with the Registrar's Office, such exams will be considered on an individual basis to determine eligibility for elective or GUR credit.
To earn credit, students must have an official Transcript of Grades sent directly from International Baccalaureate to Western's Office of Admissions. Email transcripts.ibna@ibo.org and provide your name, birthdate or candidate reference number, high school, and the year the exams were taken, and ask that your scores be sent directly to Western's Office of Admissions.
| Subject Exam | Score | WWU Credits |
| Biology | 4 or higher | BIOL 101 - Lab Science (4 credits) and BIOL elective (11 credits) Satisfies Natural Science GUR |
| Chemistry | 4 or higher | CHEM elective (15 credits) Satisfies Natural Science GUR |
| Economics | 4 or higher | ECON elective (10 credits) Social Science GUR and ECON elective (5 credits) |
| English | 4 or higher | ENG 101 - Communication Block A GUR (5 credits) and ENG elective Humanities GUR (10 credits) |
| Geography | 4 or higher | EGEO elective (5 credits) Natural Science non-lab GUR
and EGEO elective (10 credits) Social Science GUR |
| History The Americas |
4 or higher | HIST elective (10 credits) Humanities GUR and HIST elective (5 credits) CGM Block B GUR |
| History European |
4 or higher | HIST elective (10 credits) Humanities GUR and HIST elective (5 credits) CGM Block A GUR |
| History World |
4 or higher | HIST elective (10 credits) Humanities GUR and HIST elective (5 credits) CGM Block A GUR |
| Mathematics | 4 or higher | Math elective (5 credits) Quantitative & Symbolic Reasoning GUR |
| Physics | 4 or higher | PHYS elective (15 credits) Satisfies Natural Science GUR |
| Psychology | 4 or higher | PSY elective (5 credits) Social Science GUR |
Cambridge International Exams
Western Washington University will grant up to 15 credits per A Level exam and up to 7.5 credits for AS Level exams with passing grades of A-E. A maximum of 45 credits total will be awarded. Students should submit official results to the Office of Admissions for determination of transfer credit. Credit is awarded on a case by case basis; not all exams earn credit.