Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement (AP) courses at Evanston Township High School offer students the opportunity to take college-level classes while still in high school. These courses challenge students academically, strengthen college applications, and provide the potential to earn college credit through AP exams.

ETHS proudly offers 37 AP courses—one of the largest selections in the state—giving students broad opportunities to explore advanced coursework across subjects like English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, Art, and Computer Science. Students can choose AP courses that align with their interests, goals, and college plans. Our goal is to ensure that every student who is ready for the challenge has the opportunity to participate and support to succeed in AP.

Overview

There are 37 AP courses offered at ETHS. See a full list of AP courses and exams in our Course Catalog.
AP courses taught by ETHS teachers during the regular school day.
AP Exams take place each May and are scored on a scale of 1-5. Learn more about AP Exam scores.
Taking the corresponding AP Exam and getting a qualifying score is the only way students can earn college credit or advanced placement through the AP Program.
AP Exams require a fee set by the College Board.
Most colleges grant credit, advanced placement, or both for AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. See which colleges give credit for which scores.

What is AP?

AP stands for Advanced Placement—a nationally recognized program that gives high school students the opportunity to take college-level classes in a variety of subjects. These challenging courses are taught by ETHS teachers using curriculum guidelines from the College Board. AP classes move at a faster pace than standard high school classes and often include college-level readings and assignments. They are designed to prepare students for the expectations of college academics.

At the end of each AP course, students take an AP Exam in May. The exam is scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Many colleges and universities offer college credit or advanced placement to students who score a 3 or higher on an AP exam, but the policies vary by institution. Exams are graded by the College Board, not ETHS, and results are sent to students in the summer.

Students will earn a grade in their AP course just like when they take any other course. Taking an AP course will help a student’s transcript stand out, but it won’t earn them college credit without qualifying exam score. Students who successfully complete an AP course will receive a 1.0 increase to their grade.

State law requires public colleges and universities in Illinois grant course credit to students for AP Exams with a score of 3 or higher. To explore how colleges award credit for AP scores, use the AP Credit Policy Search tool.

Why take AP?

By earning college credit in high school and skipping introductory courses, students can save time and money as they work toward a college degree.

Challenge yourself with college-level coursework in high school
Earn college credit (depending on your AP Exam score and college policy)
Strengthen your college applications with rigorous courses that show academic readiness
Explore a subject you love in more depth
Develop skills that will help you succeed in college

Eligibility for AP Courses

All ETHS students are eligible to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Our commitment is to expand access to AP and to foster an inclusive environment where all students can succeed in rigorous academic experiences.

AP courses are designed for students who are academically prepared and eager to challenge themselves. If you're interested in taking an AP course, talk to your school counselor or current teacher. They can help you understand the expectations and whether any recommended prerequisites will help you feel confident and prepared.

AP Courses at ETHS

ETHS is proud to offer 37 AP courses. View the full list of courses and descriptions in the Course Catalog. For more information about AP courses, please contact your counselor.

AP Exams at ETHS

Students enrolled in AP courses are expected to take the corresponding AP Exam in May. Exams may include multiple choice, essays, problem-solving, portfolio submissions, or audio recordings depending on the subject. Students take the exams in a proctored setting at ETHS. Taking the corresponding AP Exam and getting a qualifying score is the only way students can earn college credit or advanced placement through the AP Program.

Your AP teacher will provide detailed information about the format of your specific exam and help you prepare throughout the school year. Most AP Exams are taken online using the Bluebook digital testing application:

Fully Digital Subjects: Students must complete multiple-choice and free-response questions in Bluebook, with all responses automatically submitted at the end of the exam.
Hybrid Digital Subjects: Students complete multiple choice questions and view free-response questions in Bluebook. They handwrite their free response answers in paper exam booklets that are returned for scoring.
Some exams will continue to follow their traditional formats (e.g. AP Art and Design).

Fully Digital Exams	Hybrid Digital Subjects
AP African American Studies AP Art History  AP Comparative Government and Politics  AP Computer Science A AP Computer Science Principles   AP English Language and Composition   AP English Literature and Composition   AP Environmental Science  AP European History   AP Human Geography  AP Latin  AP Psychology  AP Seminar   AP United States Government and Politics  AP United States History   AP World History: Modern	AP Biology   AP Calculus AB  AP Calculus BC  AP Chemistry  AP Macroeconomics   AP Microeconomics  AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based   AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based  AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism  AP Physics C: Mechanics  AP Precalculus  AP Statistics

Fully Digital Exams

Hybrid Digital Subjects

AP African American Studies
AP Art History 
AP Comparative Government and Politics 
AP Computer Science A
AP Computer Science Principles  
AP English Language and Composition  
AP English Literature and Composition  
AP Environmental Science 
AP European History  
AP Human Geography 
AP Latin 
AP Psychology 
AP Seminar  
AP United States Government and Politics 
AP United States History  
AP World History: Modern

AP Biology  
AP Calculus AB 
AP Calculus BC 
AP Chemistry 
AP Macroeconomics  
AP Microeconomics 
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based  
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based 
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism 
AP Physics C: Mechanics 
AP Precalculus 
AP Statistics

Traditional Exam Formats

While most AP Exams are fully digital or hybrid digital, some exams will continue to follow their traditional formats. These exams will be administered on paper or follow a portfolio or audio submission process, as in past years. This includes the following subjects:

AP 2-D Art and Design
AP 3-D Art and Design
AP Drawing
AP Chinese Language and Culture
AP French Language and Culture
AP German Language and Culture
AP Italian Language and Culture
AP Japanese Language and Culture
AP Music Theory
AP Research
AP Spanish Language and Culture
AP Spanish Literature and Culture

Your AP teacher will share more details about what to expect and how to prepare.

AP Exam Schedule 2026

AP Exams are administered at ETHS each year in May according to a schedule set by the College Board. All exams are given on campus during the school day and students will receive specific details, including testing location and time, in advance via their ETHS school email.

Early testing or testing at times other than those published by the College Board is not permitted under any circumstances. Late-testing dates are available if students cannot test during the first two weeks of May.

A full schedule of exams will be posted here once released by the College Board.

Important Reminders:

Students must arrive on time and bring their Student ID.
Bring a fully charged chromebook and charger for exams that are fully digital or hybrid.
There are no make-up exams except in cases of documented emergencies or approved late testing dates set by the College Board.

AP Course Fees & Exam Registration

Students enrolled in an AP course are required to pay a registration fee to take the AP Exam in May. While payment is made to ETHS, the AP Exam fee is set and collected by the College Board. AP students at ETHS are automatically registered for the corresponding AP Exam.

The exam fee will appear in the student’s account. For information about how to make a payment, visit the Pay Fees page.

2026 Exam Fees

Description	Cost Per Exam
AP Exam (Standard Fee)	$99 per exam
AP Exam (Reduced Fee)	$15 per exam (for students who qualify for financial assistance)
Late Order Fee	$40 per exam (for students who register after deadline)

Financial Assistance Available

At ETHS, we believe that cost should never prevent a student from taking an AP Exam. Financial assistance options are available through both the College Board and ETHS to help reduce or cover exam fees. Our goal is to ensure every student can participate in AP Exams without financial stress.

College Board Fee Reductions: Eligible students can apply directly to the College Board for reduced exam fees.
ETHS Support: ETHS also provides additional financial support and subsidies for families who qualify.

For assistance with AP Exam fees, please contact the ETHS Testing Coordinator.

Refund Policy

Students who drop an AP course on or before a specific date in 2026 (TBD) will receive a full refund. After this date, no refunds will be issued for dropped courses or for students who do not take the AP Exam.

AP Exam-Only Registration

Students may choose to take an AP Exam even if they are not enrolled in the corresponding AP course at ETHS. This option is available for students who are self-studying or interested in subjects not offered as AP classes at ETHS.

To register for an AP Exam without being enrolled in the class:

Complete and submit an AP Exam Registration Form to the ETHS Testing Coordinator in N110 by November 1.
The AP Exam fee will be added to your student account once your form is processed.

Make your payment online or in-person at the Business Office (H108). For information about how to make a payment, visit the Pay Fees page.

Financial Assistance Available

At ETHS, we believe that cost should never prevent a student from taking an AP Exam. Financial assistance options are available through both the College Board and ETHS to help reduce or cover exam fees. Our goal is to ensure every student can participate in AP Exams without financial stress.

College Board Fee Reductions: Eligible students can apply directly to the College Board for reduced exam fees.
ETHS Support: ETHS also provides additional financial support and subsidies for families who qualify.

For assistance with AP Exam fees, please contact the ETHS Testing Coordinator.

Late Testing

The College Board has specific guidelines for late testing. Occasionally, circumstances make it necessary for students to test late. To preserve the security of AP Exams, alternate versions of the exams are used for late testing. All students who participate in late testing at a given school must take these alternate exams on the scheduled late-testing dates at the scheduled times.

Students requesting to take an AP exam late must submit a written request to the ETHS Testing Coordinator by a 2026 date to be determined. The Testing Coordinator will notify students about the status of their late testing requests.

Late-testing exams will only be ordered with prior written approval from the Testing Coordinator and will be administered after the regular AP Exam schedule has ended.

When the cause of late testing is beyond the control of the school and the student, there’s no additional fee—most reasons for late testing don’t incur a fee. Some reasons may require an additional $40 per exam late-testing fee. Scores for late-testing exams may be delayed by up to one month, with results arriving as late as August.

How AP Exams are Scored

AP exams are scored on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. AP Exams are graded by the College Board, not ETHS, and results are sent to students in the summer. The College Board assigns a composite score based on your performance.

Score meanings:

5: Extremely well qualified
4: Well qualified
3: Qualified
2: Possibly qualified
1: No recommendation

Many colleges and universities offer college credit or advanced placement for scores of 3 or higher, but policies vary, so it’s important to check with the schools you’re interested in. State law requires public colleges and universities in Illinois grant course credit to students for AP Exams with a score of 3 or higher. To explore how colleges award credit for AP scores, use the AP Credit Policy Search tool.

Learn more about how AP Exams are scored at apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores.

teamASAP

teamASAP's mission is to help ensure that ALL students have access to Advanced Placement courses and to create a community that supports positive and successful experiences in those courses.

It believe that every ETHS student should have the opportunity to successfully complete at least one Advanced Placement course in an area of interest.

Visit the teamASAP website for more information.

In This Section

Overview

What is AP?

Why take AP?

Eligibility for AP Courses

AP Courses at ETHS

AP Exams at ETHS

Traditional Exam Formats

AP Exam Schedule 2026

AP Course Fees & Exam Registration

2026 Exam Fees

Financial Assistance Available

Refund Policy

AP Exam-Only Registration

Financial Assistance Available

Late Testing

How AP Exams are Scored

teamASAP

Additional Resources

Contact Information

Links & Resources