Nothing could be more frustrating than working hard all year for an Advanced Placement class, passing the AP exam and the college refusing to accept the scores. What’s the purpose of taking a challenging class that uses a lot of time, effort and extra work only to not receive credit for it, even after passing with a three?

Before, colleges have denied passing scores of three, requiring a four or five to receive credit; however, they can’t deny credits for the scores of three anymore.

A new law, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, requires any public colleges and universities within Texas to accept the passing AP score of three for credit. This law gets credits out of the way and saves students money because they aren’t paying for the college course in a college setting.

Some college professors disagree with this ruling, arguing the students won’t be prepared for their classes, even with a passing AP result.

At the University of Texas, student testing services coordinator Mellanie Patterson expressed her concern to a DailyTexan reporter.

“Those courses are rigorous, and we want to make sure students are prepared to take those courses.” Patterson said. “If they are scoring a one or three, in some instances, they are not very prepared.”

If scoring a three isn’t enough preparation for the next level, then why does CollegeBoard consider it a passing grade?

Students work hard to receive credit, and passing should be enough. Dual credit courses taken at high school through a partnership with another college allow students the same things that AP courses do, except it’s easier. As someone who has taken both AP and dual credit courses, I can say dual credit classes require less work and are overall easier because all students have to do is pass the class. With the AP courses, your credit relies on passing one test. Anything you do all year in an AP class can be for nothing if you have an off day when you have to take the exam.

If dual credit courses are accepted for being “passed,” then I think AP courses should receive credit for being “passed” as well.

This law will be a great boost to get students ahead and save kids a lot of trouble with student loans and student debt, something that already gives high school seniors nightmares. If a student passes, they should be prepared. It’s as simple as that.