International Baccalaureate (IB)

What the IB is

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a 2-year academic curriculum designed to prepare students for university anywhere in the world. It's taught at around 3,000 international schools globally, including several in Korea (SFS, SIS, KIS, Dulwich College Seoul, some others). A student in the IBDP takes 6 subjects across 6 subject groups (languages, sciences, mathematics, individuals-and-societies, arts, and a second language), three at Higher Level (more content, more work) and three at Standard Level.

On top of the 6 subjects, every IB Diploma student must complete three "core" elements:

• Extended Essay (EE): a 4,000-word independent research paper on a topic of the student's choice
• Theory of Knowledge (TOK): a yearlong epistemology course culminating in an essay + oral presentation
• CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service): 18 months of documented extracurricular involvement

Final IB grades are determined by a mix of external exams (taken in May of senior year) and internal assessments (projects graded by the school and moderated by the IB).

How US universities read IB scores

US selective universities consider the IB Diploma roughly equivalent to 6–7 AP courses with external rigor. Strong IB scores carry real weight in US admissions:

• 38–45: extremely competitive at HYPSM-level schools
• 34–37: competitive at top-20 private universities
• 30–33: competitive at top-50 US universities
• 24–29: meets the Diploma threshold but may be below selective admit range
• Below 24 or Certificate-only: US schools can still admit but will need strong grades and other factors

A critical distinction: US admissions readers care about final predicted grades (for early applications) and actual final scores (released in July, after most US decisions are made). The IB Predicted Grades your counselor submits in the fall are what actually affect your admissions outcome.

IB vs AP for Korean international students

Korean international school students often ask whether IB or AP is "better" for US admissions. The honest answer: US admissions committees respect both equally and understand both curricula. The right question isn't "which is better" but "which fits my school and learning style."

Students who thrive on long-form writing, interdisciplinary connections, and structured research projects tend to excel in IB. Students who prefer discrete content areas, more standardized exam formats, and flexibility in course selection tend to do better with AP.

The one place IB has a concrete advantage: internationally, outside the US. If you might apply to universities in Canada, UK, Europe, or Asia alongside US schools, the IB Diploma is more portable than AP.

Predicted Grades (important for Korean IB students)

Because actual IB scores are released in July — after most US admissions decisions are finalized — Korean IB students apply based on Predicted Grades, which their IB teachers assign in the fall of senior year. These predictions carry the full weight of real scores in admissions decisions. If your predicted score is 40/45, that's the number admissions committees react to.

Make sure your counselor and teachers understand the US application timeline and submit predicted grades accurately and on time. A late or missing predicted grade report is one of the most damaging procedural mistakes an international IB student can make.