Assistant Dean Of Admissions at Stanford University, Debra Von Bargen, offers her view of the value of an IB education from as both a parent and college admissions professional.

College Credit

The value of an IB education is in the preparation and skills students gain.  

Even if a university does not take IB Exams for college credit, it does not mean that the university does not value an IB education.  Students who engage in IB classes are seen as desirable candidates by universities.  IB Research has shown:

• IB students in the US are significantly more likely to attend a "selective" or "highly selective" university than non-IB students.

• Minority and low income IB students from Chicago Public Schools were shown to go on to university at significantly higher rates than a matched control group of their non-IB peers of similar academic ability. 

• Surveys of university admissions staff in the US, the European Union (EU) and Australia show that these professionals are both familiar with IB and hold it in very high esteem compared to other qualifications. 

Each college and university decides what amount of college credit/advanced standing is given for IB an exam. The amount of credit ranges from none at all to full sophomore standing. Examples of recognition by Northwest  schools are listed below, but please consult each institution prior to applying.

Beginning with the class of 2021, all public institutions in the state of Oregon must grant college credit to ALL SL or HL subjects with a score of 4 or higher.

Oregon State University: Awards credit to students who score 4 or above on standard and higher level IB exams. OSU also grants additional benefits for students who complete the full IB diploma with a score of 30 or higher including Sophomore standing and a renewable annual scholarship of $3000. 

Examples of Private University Policies:

Lewis and Clark College: 4 semester hours of credit for Higher Level exams with scores of 5 and 8 semester hours for scores of 6 or 7; 16 credit hours for IB Diploma recipients; 24 credit hours for IB Diploma recipients who have a total score of 36 or better.

Pacific Lutheran University: Full IB Diploma students earn 30 semester hours;  DP Course students earn 4 semester hours for every higher level course with a score of 4 or higher.

All public universities in the state of Washington grant college credit to ALL SL or HL subjects with a score of 4 or higher.