When selecting a high school, the curriculum’s strength is often at the top of a family’s list of priorities. Two of the most recognizable advanced curricula are Advanced Placement (AP) courses and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.
AP vs. IB: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
History and Current Trends
Both the AP and IB programs were established in the mid-20th century with the goal of establishing a strong, standardized secondary curriculum. However, the motivation behind them is different. Founded in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland by progressive educators, the IB Diploma Programme focuses on critical thinking and multiple perspectives as a contrast to the memorization and teacher-centered educational trends of previous decades. On the other hand, the AP program was founded in 1952 in response to Cold War concerns that American students were “falling behind.” The idea was to create college-level courses in eleven subjects that could be offered to high school students as a standard curriculum.
Both programs have grown over the years. The National Center for Education Statistics notes that AP courses are more commonly offered in U.S. schools, with 76% of U.S. high schools offering at least one course in the 2023-2024 school year, and each high school offering an average of 10 courses. The IB Diploma is more popular abroad. Only 5% of U.S. high schools use it, but it’s offered at more than 5,800 schools in 160 countries.
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Curriculum Differences
Both the AP and IB curricula offer robust options and college-level courses, and many colleges will give a student credit or the ability to place out of intro-level courses for successfully passing the exam. One main difference between the AP and IB curriculum is that the AP curriculum is centered around course selection and flexibility. Students can take up to 39 different courses, ranging from 2D Art and Design to Computer Science, and can choose to take anywhere from one AP course to several in any year in high school.
IB, on the other hand, asks students to select 6 courses that they commit to taking for their final two years of secondary school. Students must select one course from five distinct subject areas to be taken at one of two levels (higher level or standard level). The sixth course can be an arts course or a second course from one of the five areas. Because of this, the curriculum is more standardized and cohesive.
The IB Diploma also requires students to take a Theory of Knowledge course and complete an Extended Essay on a research topic of their choice. These two requirements push students to think critically about different ways of knowing and practice in-depth research. In 2014, the College Board, which runs the AP program, introduced AP Capstone to compete with this aspect of the IB Diploma. The AP Capstone program consists of an AP Seminar course and an AP Research course. AP Capstone has not been as widely picked up by high schools, and less than 3,000 schools that offer AP courses include AP Capstone as an option.
Pros and Cons
Proponents of the IB Diploma cite that it is a more holistic approach to education because subjects are not taught in isolation. The focus on interdisciplinary work connects learning across subjects, and the curriculum aims to develop a global mindset and cultural awareness among students. For most courses, there is a written assessment at the end of the course which is the main component of a student’s score in each course.
The AP curriculum is touted as more flexible, allowing students to take courses in areas of strength. This allows even average students to show that they are attempting to add rigor to their curriculum. For top students, the AP curriculum gives them the option to take more than the six courses the IB offers and show their strength in a variety of subjects. AP exams, given each May, are part multiple choice, part free response, and stronger standardized test takers may excel on these assessments.
AP AND IB: COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
College admissions officers will be well-versed in both the AP and IB curricula and see value in both options. They will view any student taking either curriculum as attempting to strengthen the rigor of their courseload, which is highly valued in college admissions. If a student opts for the IB Diploma, it will be important to decide the appropriate higher-level courses. For example, a student interested in STEM should be taking higher level math and science. One drawback of the IB Diploma is that the scores are “predicted.” If your school has a good track record of predicting accurately, then you will be fine. However, there are sometimes high schools that inflate the predicted scores. Those are known by admissions officers, and they will have that in mind when reading your application.
An AP student will need to make sure they are taking an appropriate number of AP courses and tests to be competitive at the schools in which they are attempting to gain admission. However, as mentioned above, they can differentiate themselves by taking a large number of AP courses and tests, as opposed to just the six offered in the IB Diploma.
Ultimately, if a student has the choice between an AP or IB program, they should think about how they learn best and which types of assessments they perform better on, as that will be the best way to shine in the college admissions process.
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