When entering high school students start to hear about AP and DC classes and the benefits of taking them, but what’s the difference? Both are great options for students who want to get ahead or students that want a better GPA.

AP, meaning advanced placement, are college classes that will give students college credit if they choose to take the AP test. AP classes also add extra points to a student’s GPA. For example, in an AP class, a student might have an 85 but it’ll go to their GPA as a 100 because they obtain 15 quality points for taking a college-level class.

DC stands for dual credit, and when a student does DC they are enrolled in both the high school class and the college class, which is through Lone Star College. Because they’re enrolled in both, they don’t have to take a challenging test at the end to get the college credit, all they have to do is pass. DC also gets quality points and also get college credit.

The main difference between these two is that if a student wants college credit in an AP class, they have to take the AP test. These classes are both great options for any student who wants to earn college credit but it mainly depends on how the student wants to earn the credit.

Those who tend to do well on high-stakes tests might prefer AP. Those who are more into daily work might pick DC.