Are AP courses college level courses?

AP courses are designed to be college-level courses, but whether they are *actually* college-level depends on the specific course, the teacher, and the student's experience. They cover college-level material and are often taught with a similar rigor, but they're still taught in a high school setting. The key difference is the lack of the full college experience outside of the classroom (independent learning, peer interactions in a college setting, etc.).