Penn State will not lower its standards for accepting Advanced Placement (AP) credits, despite a 6.6 percent increase in the number of Pennsylvania students taking the tests over last year.

Pat Smith, director of Communications and Customer Services at Penn State, said that individual departments make decisions based on a review of courses, which means that for each major, different qualifications are necessary. He said the number of students who take or pass the exams does not affect Penn State's decisions regarding AP credit transfers.

According to a Feb. 8 CNN report, the percentage of students passing AP exams increased last year nationwide, and scores have remained consistent throughout the United States.

According to College Board, the overall increase in the number of exams taken was 7.9 percent, and there was an 8.2 percent increase in the number of exams receiving a score of three or higher.

Penn State requires that students receive a score of three or higher in 15 courses for credit to be awarded. Sixteen courses require a four or five to be accepted for credit, and a five is needed for two courses to be awarded any credit, according to the Office of Admissions.

However, some individual college departments may or may not accept credit for these courses.

Liberal Arts academic adviser Richard Brungard said Penn State has such high standards for AP scores because a large number of students apply each year, and most high school courses are not equivalent to college classes.

Jonathan Merritt, director of academic advising and division of undergraduate studies program coordinator for Earth and Mineral Sciences, said university admissions consults with each department for opinions on how to accept AP scores. He said the AP exams do not tend to accurately represent a student's ability because most students who enter Penn State struggle with the difficulties of college courses compared to AP courses.

Because of the increasing number of students taking the exams, some students wonder if there is any compensation for their efforts. "I was pissed that I even took them and wasted $80," said Sarah Bryan (freshman-business), who took classes through her local community college at her high school.

Many students said it is surprising that the English department does not award credit for the AP English language exam, no matter how high the score, Smith said. The department still asks students to schedule English 30 (Honors Freshman Composition) if a score of four or five is achieved.

Smith said Penn State feels the standard study of English language and basic writing is too important to omit from a student's college education.

Jenna Mullin (sophomore-mathematics) said her AP courses were more difficult than many of the college classes she has taken and feels scores of three or higher should be accepted. Out of the six AP courses that she took, Mullin received credit for only two. However, she took a few classes at a local college while she was still in high school to receive credit for her extra work.

Jeff Lucci (freshman-engineering) said he agreed with Penn State's policy behind accepting only certain scores.

"It's good that [Penn State] accepts threes and fours because some colleges accept only fives," he said.

Although not all AP credits transfer to Penn State, Smith said the benefits for students who take the AP exams include obtaining a deeper understanding of certain topics as well as preparation for college classes.

He said many students take AP courses because of parent and family involvement, interest in the subject and the need to challenge themselves.