AP Capstone™ is a College Board program that equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges. It cultivates curious, independent, and collaborative scholars and prepares them to make logical, evidence-based decisions.
AP Capstone is comprised of two AP courses —AP SeminarandAP Research— and is designed to complement and enhance the discipline-specific study in other AP courses. Participating schools can use the AP Capstone program to provide unique research opportunities for current AP students, or to expand access to AP by encouraging students to master the argument-based writing skills that the AP Capstone program develops.
- Fosters theresearch, argumentation, and communication skills that are at the core of college readiness and essential for lifelong learning
- Provides a setting to build on the knowledge and rigorous course work of AP in aninterdisciplinaryformat
- Offers students a unique opportunity todistinguishthemselves to colleges and universities
- Buildsprofessional excellencethrough participation in an intensive, weeklong collaborative professional development institute
- Offers aflexible curricular content modelwith room for creativity and student input
- Affords schools and districts thedistinctionof offering a rigorous, widely recognized diploma program
- Helps identifystudents who are prepared to enter collegewith the research, writing, and collaboration skills necessary for successful college completion
- Provides consistent,externally validated measuresof student ability
- Demonstrates studentresearch and writing abilitiesthrough a 5,000-word scholarly research paper
AP Capstone was developed in response to feedback from higher education. The two AP Capstone courses, with their associated performance tasks, assessments, and application of research methodology, require students to:
- Analyze topics through multiple lenses to construct meaning or gain understanding.
- Plan and conduct a study or investigation.
- Propose solutions to real-world problems.
- Plan and produce communication in various forms.
- Collaborate to solve a problem.
- Integrate, synthesize, and make cross-curricular connections
FAQs
How many AP classes do you need to pass for AP Capstone? ›
Four AP courses are required for the Capstone diploma, but a student can take more with a guidance counselor's approval.
How much do colleges care about AP Capstone? ›The AP Capstone Diploma is increasingly recognized in admissions by higher education institutions around the world. Many colleges and universities offer credit and/or placement for a qualifying score in AP Seminar, AP Research, or both.
How impressive is AP Capstone? ›AP Capstone is a powerful indicator of college readiness on a student's transcript and helps students stand out to colleges in the application process. Research has found that students who take AP Capstone courses are more likely to persist in college and earn higher first-year college GPAs.
How many AP credits do you need for Capstone? ›Here are the requirements to earn an AP Capstone award: The AP Capstone Diploma is granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on 4 additional AP Exams of their choosing.
Do colleges care about AP Capstone? ›Similar to IB, since AP Capstone is only offered at a select few schools, colleges won't be specifically looking for AP Capstone or favoring it, since not all students have access to it. Still, if you take Capstone, aspects of the program—especially the long research paper—will likely look desirable to most colleges.
Is AP Capstone a hard class? ›There are three AP Capstone difficulty levels: easy, medium, and hard. Easy AP Capstone tasks are those that don't require a lot of effort. Medium AP Capstone tasks may require more insight but still don't require a great deal of knowledge. Hard AP Capstone tasks may require some serious thinking and concentration.
How many people get AP Capstone? ›The program has reached a milestone of over 100,000 students participating during the 2022-23 academic year, representing over 2,500 schools worldwide. Approximately 15,800 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma, and 9,600 students earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.
Is AP Capstone an honor? ›An AP Capstone award signifies to college admission officers that the applicant has the skills, experience, and passion for sustained success in higher education. Colleges recognize AP Capstone students can masterfully: Build evidence-based arguments. Apply research methods.
Does Harvard care about AP Capstone? ›If you want to take the class, take the class. But Harvard, and colleges at that level, will not care if you take the class or not. Again, this is in the context of Ivy League Admissions- what would you recommend dropping? AP Capstone.
Is AP Capstone better than IB? ›Global Recognition: The IB Program enjoys broader global recognition compared to the AP® Capstone program, and is recognized by universities worldwide. While the AP® Capstone program is more familiar to US universities, the IB program is ideal for students aspiring to study outside the US.
What grade is AP Capstone? ›
Current 9th and 10th grade students may select AP Capstone: Seminar as an elective class. Since it is a two-year program, current 11th grade students will not have the opportunity to take both courses in the Capstone program and are therefore ineligible to register for the program.
Is AP Capstone research easy? ›Overview: AP Seminar and AP Research
Students who pass both of these exams in addition to at least four other AP exams will have completed the AP Capstone program. The Capstone program is not an easy undertaking, but for dedicated students who plan to apply to competitive universities, it's well worthwhile.
Yes, AP Capstone Diploma Candidates will receive a stole (student cost) and AP Capstone Certificate Candidates will receive a cord. Those who are in the courses but did not meet CollegeBoard expectations on AP Exams will not receive the recognition items.
Why is AP Capstone more expensive? ›Having taken both exams, they cost more because AP Seminar and Research require evaluators to look at papers. AP Seminar consists of two papers one with a group and another with individual research. Each paper a little more or less 10 pages. To get someone evaluate this paper according to runbric takes more money.
Is 3 AP classes at once too much? ›An Ivy League hopeful might take 3 to 5 AP classes, while if you're aiming for less-selective schools, 2 to 4 would be enough. Senior Year: Take more APs in core subjects and additional subjects, again being careful not to overburden your schedule and to leave time for college applications.
Is 3 AP classes too many? ›College counselors recommend that students strive to take 5-8 AP classes throughout their high school career, especially if they are interested in attending a highly-selective institution such as an Ivy League college. That said, you shouldn't feel pressured to take more AP classes than you can comfortably manage.
Is 3 passing on AP exam? ›But what is a passing AP score? The College Board considers a score of 3 or higher a passing grade. That said, some colleges require a 4 or 5 to award credit. Whether a 3 is a good AP score depends on the colleges you're applying to.