Want a faster, cheaper degree at UNC System schools? Score a 3 or higher on AP exams.

Colleges and universities in the University of North Carolina System are now giving credit to students who earn a 3 or higher on Advanced Placement exams.

The new policy is meant to increase access, affordability and degree completion.

“Our new AP Credit Acceptance policy is vital to the UNC System’s ongoing work to put higher education within reach of every qualified North Carolinian,” UNC System Interim President William Roper said in a news release. “This new policy will encourage more high school students across the state to get a head start on their college careers. It will make completing a UNC System education, at any one of our institutions, faster and more affordable.”

With this change, the UNC System anticipates more students will enroll in AP courses and that high schools will offer more robust course options. Research shows that when students earn college credit in high school they are more likely to graduate college and do it more quickly, the system said.

“This change is significant because it will encourage high school students to earn their first college credits before they even set foot on campus, making a degree more affordable and helping more students graduate in a timely fashion,” said Andrew Kelly, UNC System senior vice president of strategy and policy, in the news release.

Each year more than a million high school students across the country opt to take AP classes, which are higher-level courses that culminate in a nationwide final exam. The exams are scored from 1 to 5 and are administered by The College Board, a nonprofit organization. Students typically take AP courses because it’s attractive on a college application, and many colleges and universities offer credit for scores of 3 and higher.

The UNC System’s new plan particularly benefits students from rural counties and low-income families by offering more “access to success,” according to the UNC system. Their data shows that students from rural areas and families earning less than $60,000 per year could get college credit for up to 45 percent more courses.

The rule applies to all 16 UNC System universities, but an institution’s board of trustees can make exceptions for certain courses. Still, this should make the application process more predictable for students and more uniform across the system.

Previously, for example, at 10 UNC universities, students could get credit for scoring a 3 on the popular U.S .history AP exam, but at six others they needed a 4. And at nine institutions a score of 3 on the English Literature and Composition exam was accepted, while two others required a 5 for credit.

The state of North Carolina pays millions of dollars each year to cover the cost of AP exams for students, an effort that began in 2014. The goal was to make it cheaper and quicker to get students to their graduation day with a diploma in hand. The next year, the number of AP test-takers in the state jumped 19 percent, according to the College Board.

The UNC System hopes this move will have a similar impact and that it will increase the return on investment for the state.

The state spent more than $12 million on AP exams in 2016-17 year, and students missed out on 13,950 course credits. If this new policy were in place, the UNC System would have granted credit for 40 percent more courses.

Now, according to the UNC System, students and the state will save on tuition and appropriations that was previously spent on university courses that cover material students have already learned. And as students are educated at North Carolina schools more efficiently, they will enter the workforce sooner and will be better prepared for careers and able to contribute to the state’s economy.

This story was originally published July 2, 2019 at 11:31 AM.