INTERATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB) EXAM CREDIT
College of Marin will grant credit for International Baccalaureate exams. A score of 5, 6, or 7 on a Higher-Level exam is required to grant credit for Cal-GETC, IGETC or CSU Breadth Certification. An acceptable IB score for Cal-GETC or IGETC equates to either 3-semester or 4-quarter units for certification purposes.
Students who have earned credit from an IB exam should not take a comparable college course because transfer credit will not be granted for both.
Please see a counselor about using IB exam scores and credits to meet graduation and/or transfer requirements.
To receive credit, students must:
- Have successfully completed 12 units of residency at College of Marin
- Have an official copy of their test scores sent to Enrollment Services
The following chart shows how IP Exams can be applied to the general education patterns at College of Marin starting in Fall 2025:
| International Baccalaureate Exam (IB) | Cal-GETC AREA | COM Local GE |
|---|---|---|
| IB Biology HL | 5B | 5 |
| IB Chemistry HL | 5A | 5 |
| IB Economics HL | 4 | 4 |
| IB Geography HL | 4 | 4 |
| IB History (any region) HL | 3B or 4 | 3 or 4 |
IB Language A: Literature HL (Any language except English) | 3B | 3 |
IB Language A: Lang & Lit HL (any language except English) | 3B | 3 |
IB Language A: Language & Literature HL (any language) | 3B | 3 |
| IB Language B (any language) HL | N/A | N/A |
| IB Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches HL | 2 | 2 |
| IB Mathematics: Applications & Interpret HL | 2 (select UCs only) | 2 |
| IB Physics HL | 5A | 5 |
| IB Psychology HL | 4 | 4 |
| IB Theatre HL | 3A | 3 |
For detailed information on Cal-GETC, review the Cal-GETC Standards 1.3
For students who started prior to Fall 2025 (and maintained catalog rights), the following chart shows how IB Exams can be applied to IGETC, CSU Breadth and the previous version of COM's local GE:
| International Baccalaureate (IB) | IGETC AREA | CSU Breadth AREA | COM Local GE AREA |
|---|---|---|---|
| IB Biology HL | 5B | B2 | A |
| IB Chemistry HL | 5A | B1 | A |
| IB Economics HL | 4 | D | B |
| IB Geography HL | 4 | D | B |
| IB History (any region) HL | 3B or 4 | C2 or D | C or B |
| IB Language A: Literature (any language, except English) HL | 3B and 6A | C2* | C* |
| IB Language A: Language and Literature (any language, except English) HL | 3B and 6A | C2* | C* |
| IB Language A: Literature (any language) HL | 3B | C2* | C* |
| IB Language A: Language and Literature (any language) HL | 3B | C2* | C* |
| IB Language B (any language) HL | 6A | N/A | N/A |
| IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL | 2A | B4* | E* |
| IB Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations HL | 2A (select UCs only) | B4* | E* |
| IB Physics HL | 5A | B1 | A |
| IB Psychology HL | 4 | D | B |
| IB Theatre HL | 3A | C1* | C* |
*Score of 4 is acceptable for CSU Breadth credit and COM’s local GE pattern