The Benefits of Taking an APⓇ Class Over the Summer

February 19, 2025

Between earning early college credits, impressing colleges with your application, and learning something new, taking an online summer AP class is a worthwhile endeavor for any high school student looking to continue their education upon graduation.

For high school students looking to get a jump on college credits, the question “Can you take an AP class over the summer?” often comes to mind. In this article, we’ll answer that question and go over the many benefits of taking an Advanced PlacementⓇ (AP) course over the summer. We’ll also introduce you to Holston Academy’s wide variety of online AP classes students can take over the summer and during the school year.

Can I take an AP class over the summer?

If you’ve ever wondered, “Can you take AP classes over the summer?”, the answer is yes! There are a few ways students can enroll in an online summer AP course. Options include online schools like Holston Academy, local community colleges, or even dual enrollment classes.

The benefits of taking an online summer AP course? Flexibility, for one. Taking an AP online course over the summer allows you to work around your schedule. This is especially convenient if you have a summer job, are taking other summer courses, or are traveling. Additionally, online summer AP courses give you the freedom to work independently, an important skill to master by the time you get to college.

One of the most important things to consider when enrolling in an online summer AP course? Ensuring the school is accredited! If you’re unfamiliar with accreditation, here’s a quick breakdown:

  • The accreditation process ensures that schools meet high-quality educational and operational standards.
  • Accreditation shows schools, colleges and universities worldwide that credits were earned through rigorous, standards-based curriculum.
  • A school that has received accreditation has gone through a review of their internal processes and systems by an external party to show they meet a high standard of education.
  • To maintain accreditation status, schools are held accountable to proving their continuous improvement and student achievements.
  • Students attending accredited schools can be confident that the credits they earn from their courses will be recognized by other high schools, colleges, and universities.

Holston Academy is accredited by Cognia and WASC and approved by the NCAA and the University of California a-g program. Anyone taking single courses with Holston Academy receives an official transcript upon completion of their course.

Why take summer AP courses?

The question should probably be, “Why wouldn’t you take summer AP courses?”. There are tons of benefits to taking online summer AP courses. Let’s look at a some:

  • You get college credit in high school. When you successfully complete an AP course while still in high school, you earn college credits to put toward your degree. That means you could have a lighter workload to manage in college. This is important since college courses are more demanding than a typical high school course. Additionally, it potentially saves you money since college courses tend to cost more than AP courses in high school.
  • AP courses look great on college applications. College admissions teams aren’t only looking at GPAs and extracurricular activities. They want to see whether students challenge themselves and want to learn and grow. Taking summer AP courses in high school demonstrates to universities that you are up for the challenge–especially when they see you’re taking time out of your summer to learn and earn credits.
  • It allows you to focus on one class. Rather than lumping it in with the rest of your fall or spring school and activities schedule, taking an online summer AP course allows you to dedicate all your focus and attention to the individual class.
  • You can lighten your workload for the upcoming school year. Much like taking an online AP summer class allows you to get a jump on college credits, it also counts toward your high school credits. Taking an AP course or two over the summer could mean one or two fewer classes during the school year.
  • You have the opportunity to take classes not offered at your school. Does your school offer a AP Music Theory course or AP US Government and Politics course? Enrollment in an online summer AP course is an opportunity to learn about topics not available at your school.

So, there are quite a few reasons why it makes sense to take an online summer AP course. Now let’s look at what Holston Academy has to offer!

Discover our online AP courses

At Holston Academy, we offer part-time enrollment for students looking to take accredited online AP courses over the summer. Whether you want to get ahead, challenge yourself, or enroll in advanced classes not available at your school, our AP courses for high school students are the perfect opportunity to do so. And upon completion of our AP courses, you will be prepared to take your AP exams.

We offer more than two-dozen of the best online AP courses, including many that aren’t available in most schools. Some of the more popular AP classes at Holston Academy include our AP Biology summer course, AP Statistics summer course, AP Computer Science Principles summer course, and AP Calculus AB summer course. Students also love our AP Art History course, our various history courses like AP European History and AP Modern World History, and our selection of world language AP courses such as AP Chinese, AP French Language and Culture, and AP Spanish Language and Culture.

Plus, when you take an online summer AP course with Holston Academy, you also have the option of adding tutoring and AP exam prep to ensure you pass with flying colors.

Between earning early college credits, impressing college admissions officers with your application, and learning something new, taking an online summer AP course is a worthwhile endeavor for any high school student looking to continue their education upon graduation. Holston Academy’s AP online course catalog offers some amazing options. Check out our catalog and give us a call at (833) 784-4414 for more information.

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