International Baccalaureate (IB) Credit

Introduction       

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP) is a challenging curriculum offered to high school students around the world between the ages of 16 to 19. The curriculum is designed to prepare high school students for the transition into advanced post-secondary coursework.

High school students who participate in the IB program either complete a few IB courses, earning an IB certificate of completion for each course, or students can earn the full IB diploma. Students who complete the full DP program, may do so over the span of 2 years during their junior and senior years to earn the IB Diploma.

Students may also choose to take as few, or as many courses they wish and their high school allows. In such cases, students do not earn the IB diploma, but instead earn course credits and a series of IB scores referred to as Diploma Programme Course Results (DPCR). Moreover, students who attempt to earn the IB Diploma, but do not meet the diploma requirements also receive DPCR credit.

Course subjects are offered at two different levels: Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL). SL and HL courses differ in scope, but are assessed in the same way. Standard Level subjects take up to 150 teaching hours, with Higher Level consisting of 240 teaching hours.

Students select IB courses from six different subject areas, and usually take 3 SL courses and 3 HL courses for a total of six IB courses.

Costs for these exams will vary by IB school.​

Assessment       

The grading scale for each IB course ranges from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). Grades are earned based on the extent in which students master course content and demonstrate skills in critical thinking, presenting information, evaluating and constructing arguments, and conducting research. Written examinations are completed at the end of each course and are the foundation for final grading. 

To earn the IB Diploma, students must earn at least 24 points and complete the extended essay. The maximum points a student may earn in the full IB Diploma program is a total of 45 points. The highest possible point breakdown would consist of six courses each with a maximum score of 7 each, and 3 additional points for completing a core course. The optional core course offers students the opportunity to engage in an independent research project, further enhance their critical thinking skills, or participate in a service learning project.

IB Scores                           

The International Baccalaureate (IB) organization provides an official transcript of the student’s results for the IB Diploma Program. Transcripts are sent directly to colleges and universities. Official scores are not released to students directly. The IB organization releases exam results twice a year on the following dates:                                                   

• July 5th for students who complete the IB exam in May
• January 2nd for students who complete the IB exam in November    

Students who are interested in sending their official IB results to City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), for an evaluation of credit, must have the IB scores sent to the CCC campus they plan to enroll at. Official IB scores may be delivered to CCC through option 1 or 2 below:       

1. Both the student and IB coordinator, at the student’s high school, arrange to have the IB scores delivered to one of the City Colleges of Chicago. All requests must be submitted by the coordinator at the high school where the student is taking IB coursework. These requests are sent to the IB organization and the scores are later released by the IB organization to CCC electronically with no cost to the student. Free scores may be requested only one time while the student is enrolled in high school.        
2. Additional IB results may be requested by the student at www.ibo.org at a cost of $17.00 per transcript.
   Students may submit an online request for an IB replacement score here: https://rrs.ibo.org/replacement_orders/index.cfm          

Replacement scores must be sent to the CCC campus the student intends to enroll at. Once the request is submitted and paid for by the student, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization will deliver the official scores to CCC. Students may elect to have the IB transcript sent to a campus as a paper transcript, or they may also request for electronic delivery.      

Recognition of IB for college credit at City Colleges of Chicago                      

Each student must be admitted at CCC in order for IB scores to be properly evaluated and processed in the system. IB scores cannot be processed if there is no CCC student record.  

City Colleges of Chicago use official IB scores to award college credit to students in the form of credit by assessment. IB scores are official only when results are delivered by the IB organization directly to a CCC campus. Copies, printouts, scanned or emailed results delivered by students to CCC are considered unofficial. Unofficial IB results will not be accepted for an evaluation of credit.

Guidelines for awarding college credit for IB are based upon CCC faculty review of the IB course curriculum and an evaluation of learning outcomes. Faculty recommendations have established the course equivalencies for awarding college credit at CCC.

The recognition of IB credit at City Colleges of Chicago may differ from other two year colleges and four year universities. Each college and university establishes their own IB credit policies and procedures.

The IB course equivalency grid below demonstrates the credits awarded based on the IB subject and corresponding score. Each of these courses fulfill degree requirements at CCC in the form of general education coursework or elective credit.

For more information about the IB organization and their IB diploma program please visit www.ibo.org. For general questions on IB credit acceptance at City Colleges of Chicago, please contact the Office of the Registrar at any of the CCC campuses.   ​​​​​