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CIP 2020

What is the CIP?

The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) provides a taxonomic scheme that supports the accurate tracking and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity. CIP was originally developed by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1980, with revisions occurring in 1985, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020. Information on the 1985, 1990, 2000 and 2010 CIP can be accessed on the resources page under the section heading Archive and Historical. On the 2020 CIP Website, you can view both the 2020 CIP and the 2010 CIP. The default option is to view the 2020 CIP, which is the most recent version of the CIP. To view the 2010 CIP on this webpage, look for the Change Year Box, click on the down arrow and select 2010.


CIP Wizard Users can view a list of CIP codes used by a postsecondary institution for their last three years of Completions data and how these codes map on to the latest version of the CIP. Users can also generate custom reports by selecting specific CIP codes to see how they map to the latest version of the CIP.