美国大学先修课程（Advanced Placement），简称AP课程，是由美国大学理事会（The College Board）在高中阶段开设的、具有大学水平的课程，主要为在美国就读本科的高中生学习或有意向留学其他地区的学生而设，在全世界范围内（包括美国本土）均可授课。

美国大学理事会（The College Board），成立于1900年，是一个非营利组织，同时也是AP课程背后的机构。它由6000多所学校、大专院校和其他教育机构组成。

AP课程共有38门学科，22个专业。由于其课程难度相当于美国大学一年级的基础课程。因此AP成绩可以成功抵扣美国大学入学后对应课程的学分，而且也是美国及世界其他国家（地区）的部分大学录取学生的重要依据。

即学生可选修部分美国大学基础课程，以提前获得美国大学学分，是申请大学时的加分项。

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are college-level courses offered by the College Board at the high school level. They are primarily designed for high school students pursuing undergraduate studies in the United States or for students intending to study in other regions. These courses can be offered worldwide, including within the United States.

The College Board, founded in 1900, is a non-profit organization and the institution behind the AP courses. It comprises more than 6,000 schools, colleges, and other educational institutions.

There are 38 AP courses in 22 majors. Because the difficulty level of these courses is equivalent to first-year university courses in the United States, AP scores can be used to earn college credit for corresponding courses and are also an important criterion for admission to some universities in the United States and other countries around the world.

This means that students can choose to take some basic courses at American universities to earn college credits in advance, which is a plus when applying to universities.

众所周知，需要申请欧美大学的高中生除了需要高中GPA之外，还需要AP科目考试成绩的加码才能提升个人竞争力，有些大学甚至把AP成绩作为硬性的录取指标。

除美国外，AP课程目前已经被加拿大、澳大利亚、英国、德国等主流留学国家所认可，申请的AP课程成绩均可以为其在申请过程中大大加分。全球已有57个国家的近5000所大学承认AP学分，并将其作为招生录取的重要参考条件。

As is well known, high school students applying to universities in Europe and America need not only a high school GPA, but also AP exam scores to enhance their competitiveness. Some universities even use AP scores as a hard admission criterion.

Besides the United States, AP courses are now recognized by major study-abroad destinations such as Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Germany. AP course scores can significantly enhance an applicant's application. Nearly 5,000 universities in 57 countries worldwide recognize AP credits and use them as an important criterion for admissions.