What is the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)?

The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) is a standardized coding system used to organize and identify educational programs and courses. Maintained by the U.S. Department of Education, it serves to collect, compare, and analyze data on higher and technical education in the United States in a consistent way.

In the context of EB-2 NIW, the CIP appears as a useful tool for situating your area of training or research in an objective manner. By linking your qualification to a recognized code, you help demonstrate the specialty and level of your work and connect it to fields that the United States treats as strategic, such as science and technology.

• Standardizes the identification of areas of study and research.
• Helps position your specialty in a clear and comparable way.
• Makes it easier to connect your background to fields of national interest.

The CIP is a categorization reference, not a visa requirement. To use it effectively in your argument and confirm the details, it is worth consulting official sources and, if needed, aligning your case strategy with a specialist.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.