The short answer
- 2027 AP scores come out in July 2027. College Board has not announced the exact day yet. Its 2027 access schedule is due in spring 2027.
- Recent pattern: the first full week of July. Scores opened on Monday, July 7, 2025 (College Board newsroom) and Monday, July 6, 2026. Colleges began receiving 2026 scores on July 1, 2026, before students.
- Time of day: College Board does not publish a release hour. For 2026, the release was reported to start at 8 a.m. Eastern in waves, which is 5 a.m. in California and 2 a.m. in Hawaii.
- Two June deadlines come before you see anything: cancel a score by June 15, 2027, and pick your free score-send college by June 20, 2027 (11:59 p.m. ET).
- A 3 is “qualified”, the usual minimum for college credit. A 1 or 2 earns no credit but can be withheld from a college for $10.
AP scores for the May 2027 exams come out in July 2027. That is all College Board has committed to so far: its AP student calendar lists “AP Score Release, July 2027”, and the educator access schedule says the 2027 dates will be posted in spring 2027. The pattern of the last two years gives a strong hint, though. Scores opened on Monday, July 7, 2025 and Monday, July 6, 2026, and colleges started receiving 2026 scores a few days earlier, on July 1. This page will be updated with the 2027 day once College Board announces it.
AP score release dates by year
Every date in this table comes from a College Board page or, where noted, from a secondary source quoting College Board.
| Exam year | Students could see scores | Colleges began receiving | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | July 2027, day not yet announced | Not yet announced | AP student calendar |
| 2026 | Monday, July 6, 2026 | Wednesday, July 1, 2026 | Students: College Board, as quoted by College Transitions. Colleges: AP Central higher-ed portal page |
| 2025 | Monday, July 7, 2025 | n/a | College Board newsroom, June 17, 2025 |
| 2021 (unusual year) | July 21, 2021 for most students | n/a | College Board All Access blog |
Table 1. Verified AP score release dates. The 2021 exams ran over six weeks instead of two, which pushed scores later.
How to read the pattern. Two data points are not a rule, but both recent releases landed on a Monday in the first full week of July, after colleges had a head start. If 2027 follows the same shape, the release would fall in the week of July 5, 2027. Treat that as a guess until College Board posts the date. Its own pages commit only to “July.”
What time do AP scores come out?
College Board does not publish an official hour. For 2026, the release was reported to begin at 8 a.m. Eastern Time and roll out in waves by region, so classmates in the same state did not always see scores at the same minute. Here is what 8 a.m. Eastern means in each US time zone in July.
| Time zone (July) | If release starts 8 a.m. ET | Example cities |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern (EDT) | 8:00 a.m. | New York, Atlanta, Miami |
| Central (CDT) | 7:00 a.m. | Chicago, Dallas, Houston |
| Mountain (MDT) | 6:00 a.m. | Denver, Salt Lake City |
| Arizona (MST, no daylight saving) | 5:00 a.m. | Phoenix |
| Pacific (PDT) | 5:00 a.m. | Los Angeles, Seattle |
| Alaska (AKDT) | 4:00 a.m. | Anchorage |
| Hawaii (HST) | 2:00 a.m. | Honolulu |
Table 2. 8 a.m. Eastern converted to US time zones on daylight saving time (computed). The 8 a.m. ET start is the reported 2026 pattern, not a College Board commitment.
Do AP scores come out at midnight? Nothing from College Board points to a midnight release, and the 2026 release reportedly started in the morning. Refreshing at midnight is unlikely to help. Signing in once before release day, so you are sure your password works, helps more.
Why scores take until July
The last regular 2027 exam is on May 14 and late testing ends May 21. That leaves about seven weeks before a July release, and most of it goes to scoring. Multiple-choice answers are scored by computer. Free-response answers are scored by people at the annual AP Reading. In June 2025, College Board said more than 30,000 AP teachers and college professors were scoring responses from more than 6 million exams (newsroom).
After that, College Board combines the two sections into a composite score and converts it to the 1–5 scale with statistical methods, per its About AP Scores page. Cut points are set exam by exam, so the same raw percentage does not always give the same score in different years. That is why any AP score calculator can only estimate.
How to see your AP scores, step by step
- Before release, sign in once. Use the College Board account you used to join your AP class section in My AP and to register. College Board says not to create a second account, because duplicates can delay scores or make older exams look missing.
- Check your email address. College Board asks you to make sure it has your current email address.
- On release day, sign in and open AP scores. Expect a slow site in the first hours. College Board says AP Services for Students response times are longer than usual during July.
- Missing a score? Some take longer to process, for example after late testing. College Board’s View Your AP Scores page says to contact AP Services if a score has not arrived by August 15.
- Older exams. The AP ID replaced the old AP number in 2020. Scores from exams taken before 2018 are archived and can only be sent by mail or fax.
Sending scores, canceling, withholding: the June deadlines
These rules come from College Board’s Sending AP Scores page. The deadlines fall before you see your scores, so decide in June.
| Action | Deadline (2027) | Cost | Can you undo it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free score send (1 college, university or scholarship program) | June 20, 11:59 p.m. ET | Free | You can change the recipient until June 20 |
| Extra score reports | Any time | $15 per report | Recipient can download within 24 hours or less |
| Cancel a score | Received by June 15 | No fee, exam fee not refunded | No. A canceled score can’t be reinstated |
| Withhold a score from one college | Any time before it is sent | $10 per score per college | Yes. Removing a withhold is free |
Table 3. AP score-send, cancellation and withhold rules.
If you name a college for the free send by June 20, College Board says it should receive your scores by early July. Seniors sending scores for credit should check that college’s AP credit policy before choosing. Your weighted AP grades matter too; the GPA calculator with AP classes shows their effect.
What each AP score means
College Board’s AP score scale table ties each score to a qualification and a rough college course grade.
| AP score | College Board recommendation | Equivalent college course grade |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Extremely well qualified | A+ or A |
| 4 | Very well qualified | A-, B+ or B |
| 3 | Qualified | B-, C+ or C |
| 2 | Possibly qualified | None given |
| 1 | No recommendation | None given |
Table 4. AP score scale. College Board notes that many US colleges grant credit or placement for a 3 or higher, and each college sets its own policy.
A 3 is the usual floor for credit, but selective colleges and some majors want a 4 or 5 for the same course. To see roughly how close you came to the next score, re-enter your practice-test results in the matching calculator, such as the APUSH score calculator or the AP Calculus AB calculator.
Got a 1 or 2? Your options
A low AP score is less damaging than it feels on release day. Work through these if-then cases:
- If the score went to a college with your free send: it is already there. Colleges see only the AP scores you send them, so you can withhold the score from future reports for $10 per college.
- If you are worried about your high school GPA: the AP exam score is reported separately from your course grade, and your school’s GPA uses the course grade. Our cumulative GPA calculator shows what your semester grades are doing to your GPA.
- If you need the credit: you can retake the exam the next May. Check the next AP exam schedule for the date and register through your school by its fall deadline.
- If you suspect a scoring problem: contact AP Services for Students. Don’t cancel a score as a reaction. Cancellation must be requested by June 15, before release, and it is permanent.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No scores on release day | Signed in to a second account | Sign in to the account used in My AP; contact AP Services if needed |
| One exam missing | Late testing or other processing delay | Wait; contact AP Services after August 15 |
| College says it has no scores | Free send not chosen by June 20, or sent to the wrong school | Order a $15 report; it downloads within 24 hours |
| Old exam missing | Exam taken before 2018 (archived) | Request an archived report by mail or fax |
Table 5. Common AP score problems.
While you wait for July
The seven weeks between the last exam and the release are a good time to look ahead rather than refresh. You can estimate each result with the AP exam score calculator, plan next year’s AP classes with the GPA calculator with AP classes, or start SAT or ACT prep. Our guides to what a good SAT score is and what a good ACT score is explain the percentiles behind those numbers.