— Beginning Monday, the University of North Carolina System said all 16 of its campuses will give credit to students who earn a score of "3" or higher on Advanced Placement exams, except in cases when a course has been granted an exception by an institution’s board of trustees.

Prior to the change, AP score acceptance policies varied across UNC System institutions. For example, at 10 universities, students could get credit for scoring a "3" on the U.S. history AP exam. At the remaining six universities, a "4" was required for credit. A score of "3" on the English Literature and Composition exam was the cutoff for credit at nine institutions, while two institutions required a score of "5."

"Our new AP Credit Acceptance policy is vital to the UNC System’s ongoing work to put higher education within reach of every qualified North Carolinian,” UNC System Interim President William Roper said in a statement. “This new policy will encourage more high school students across the state to get a head start on their college careers. It will make completing a UNC System education, at any one of our institutions, faster and more affordable.”

The University's new AP credit policy will "dramatically increase the return on the state’s investment," according to UNC, which said the state spent more than $12 million on AP exams in 2016-17 alone. In that same year, UNC System students missed out on 13,950 course credits under the existing policy. Under a uniform policy, the UNC System would have granted credit for 40 percent more courses that year.

Data shows that students from rural counties and those from families earning less than $60,000 per year could receive credit for up to 45 percent more courses than they did under the current policy, according to the UNC System. After Monday, students and the state will save on tuition and appropriations that previously went toward the cost of University courses that cover material students have already learned, UNC said.

"Each year, the state of North Carolina invests millions of dollars to cover the cost of AP exams for students in the hopes that those credits will shorten the path to a college diploma," Andrew Kelly, UNC System senior vice president of strategy and policy, said in a statement. "This change is significant because it will encourage high school students to earn their first college credits before they even set foot on campus, making a degree more affordable and helping more students graduate in a timely fashion."