College Board to launch two new Advanced Placement courses

lhe 2025 College Board India Forum in Mumbai brought together senior leaders from MIT, Oxford, Princeton, NUS, NMIMS, and dozens of Indian institutions, marking one of the strongest global turnouts the event has seen.

- Simple Vishwakarma

The fifth edition of the forum focused on the future of admissions, digital transformation, and students’ changing expectations in an Al-powered world.

This year, the College Board announced it would introduce two new AP courses, AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity from 2026. The courses fall under a new initiative called AP Career Kickstart, which will contribute to bringing career-relevant learning to high school students far earlier. With financial literacy and digital security fast becoming life skills, these new offerings signal a new turn: blending academic rigour with real-world readiness. India’s presence in the AP and SAT ecosystem keeps growing at a rapid pace.

Meanwhile, India’s presence in the AP and SAT ecosystems continues to grow rapidly. The number of Indian schools offering AP programmes has doubled in just one year, AP sections have grown by 65%, student enrolment is up by 9%, and more than 50 Indian universities now accept SAT scores.

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Rushi Sheth, Vice President for the College Board’s International Division, said the Mumbai edition reflects the Board’s expanding engagement beyond Delhi. “This is our fifth India forum, and we’re excited to bring it to Mumbai after two years in the capital. It reflects our commitment to Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities because more educators and students are gaining access to SAT and AP programmes,” he said, adding that next year’s forum will be held in Bengaluru.

Admissions in focus

The Mumbai forum, Sheth explained, was designed to move beyond the usual conversations around global mobility. “Everyone attending already understands the value of global exposure. What they really want are deeper conversations,” he said.