Any student is eligible to take an Advanced Placement course who, in the judgment of a given department, is likely to contribute noticeably to and benefit significantly from the work of the class and earn a grade of at least 3 on the end-of-year national exam. Selection is based on critical thinking dispositions (including attitude, intellectual curiosity and work ethic), grades, PSAT scores (as appropriate), and counselor and teacher recommendations.

Culver's intensive block schedule emphasizes depth over breath and the three-term commitment typical of AP programming means that Culver students will take fewer AP classes than their peers at other schools. Even Culver's top students, who matriculate at the nation's most competitive colleges and universities, are unlikely to have more than two AP courses in a given year. Interest in and access to the program have grown dramatically over the past decade, with average scores close to 4 and 3-out-of-5 graduates passing at least one Advanced Placement exam.

In 2012, the Academies administered over five-hundred exams in twenty-five subject areas.