AP courses are designed to be compatible with first-year university courses. They allow students to prepare for the college workload and develop study skills necessary to be successful in college-level courses. AP courses on high school transcripts show college admissions a student's abilities and experiences in taking academically rigorous courses that are valuable assets to college admissions.

Since AP courses are college equivalent, most high schools offer a GPA boost on transcripts. For example, receiving a B in an AP course is equivalent to receiving an A in a regular high school course. For GPA calculations, students can receive a maximum of 5.0 points, whereas a regular course only has a maximum of 4.0 points. This means doing well in AP courses could in turn give you a GPA higher than 4.0.

Depending on the university and your AP exam scores, you may be eligible to receive college credits. AP exam scores range from 1 to 5. If you score between 3-5, you may be waived from taking some first-year level courses. This allows students to cut tuitions, get ahead in their course requirements, and potentially graduate early or have room to take on an additional major.