What Is the CIPP Certification?

The Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) certification is a global credential designed for professionals who deal with data privacy laws and manage compliance with local regulations. It proves your knowledge of federal and state privacy standards as well as compliance management within the United States’s complex legal frameworks.

As businesses collect more and more data, data governance and privacy have become more essential than ever. In fact, according to the 2024 TrustArc Global Privacy Benchmark Report, roughly two-thirds of executives and managers see an increased demand for privacy professionals worldwide [1]. 

If you’re interested in a role in data privacy, discover what the CIPP certification is and how it may open new compliance career opportunities.

What is a CIPP certification?

The CIPP certification is an industry-recognized credential that proves your expertise in data privacy laws, information security standards, and data regulations. The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) conducts the certification and offers five CIPP concentrations, each focused on a specific region. They include: 

• US Private Sector (CIPP/US)

• US Government (CIPP/G

• Asia (CIPP/A)

• Canada (CIPP/C)

• China (CIPP/CN)

• Europe (CIPP/E)

Each concentration focuses on the local laws and regulations in each region as well as broad global concepts around data privacy practices. This typically includes jurisdictional laws, enforcement models, and legal requirements for data collection. (Unless otherwise noted, this article refers to the CIPP/US exam.)

CIPP certification requirements

You can register for the exam and earn the CIPP certification before you earn a degree, hold another certification, or have job experience. However, since the exam dives extensively into more advanced data protection practices, it may be helpful to have some foundational knowledge of your local data protection laws or experience in compliance management.

CIPP certification cost

The exam fee for all CIPP certifications is $550 [2]. The certification has an additional $250 Certification Maintenance Fee (CMF) for your certification to become active, which is waived if you are an IAPP member.

Benefits of CIPP certification

The CIPP certification is a well-established credential and widely recognized standard in showcasing data privacy skills and expertise. The certification provides an authoritative endorsement of your knowledge to potential employers and may allow you the opportunity to move up in your career or receive a pay raise. 

The skills you’ll gain can typically apply to various fields, whether you’re a lawyer, data professional, or in compliance management. Some key benefits include:

• Advance your career: A data privacy certification may help you qualify for new roles even if you’re not directly involved with data privacy law. Since it is a relevant, industry-recognized credential, many employers consider it a global benchmark in data management practices. 

• Prove your expertise: A CIPP certification demonstrates your expertise in various data privacy standards and regulations. Potential employers can see you’re well-versed in data management, state privacy laws, and the US privacy environment as a whole.

• Raise your salary potential: The CIPP certification can potentially improve your salary prospects as you search for new jobs and promotions. Professionals who hold CIPP certification typically earn an average base salary of $149,000 per year, based on data from Payscale [3].

Who should get CIPP certification?

Anyone working directly or indirectly with personal data, information security, risk management, or data privacy regulations may benefit from the CIPP certification. This often includes compliance analysts, data privacy practitioners, and data protection lawyers, among others. 

However, the certification isn’t designed for one specific role. If you want to advance your understanding of the legal frameworks around data privacy and advance your information security expertise, the certification may be beneficial.

Some fields that look for the CIPP certification include:

• Compliance and risk management 

• Information security and auditing

• Data collection and privacy protection

• Data protection law

How to get CIPP certification

To receive the CIPP certification, you must pass the two-and-a-half-hour exam and pay all necessary fees. Exam scores are on a scale of 100 to 500, with a passing score of 300 and above [4].

You may take the computer-based exam at home with online proctoring or at one of the 6,000-plus testing locations worldwide [5].

What’s on the CIPP exam?

The CIPP exam includes 90 multiple-choice questions, 75 of which count toward your score. The other 15 questions are unscored and analyzed for future use; however, you will not know which questions are scored and which are not [4]. 

The CIPP exam is regularly updated to stay up to date on data laws at the federal and state levels. However, according to the IAPP, the subjects covered in the United States exam as of 2025 include [6]:

• The foundations of US privacy and data protection

• Privacy and data protection laws in the US

• The general US legal framework, including definitions and sources of law

• Enforcement of US privacy and security laws

• Information management in the US

• Government access to privacy-sector information

• State-level data privacy laws

• Regulations around telecommunications and marketing, such as the Telemarketing Sales Rules (TSR) and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)

• Regulations around health care privacy, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

• Children's privacy regulations, such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and select state laws

• Financial privacy regulations like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Gramm-Leach-Bililey acts

• Workplace privacy regulations

Training for the CIPP exam

The IAPP recommends allocating at least 30 hours of study time before taking the CIPP certification exam [5]. However, how much time you dedicate to each subject area of the exam depends on your prior knowledge and experience. The IAPP recommends several study options to understand the exam, train, and test your knowledge.

Review the CIPP body of knowledge and exam blueprint.

The IAPP offers a complete study guide, which outlines the knowledge needed to complete the exam successfully and includes an in-depth outline of what’s included in the test. These resources are useful to gain a basic understanding of the test itself and help you map out a study strategy. Review both to determine what areas you’ve mastered already and where you might need more study time.

Review the CIPP textbook.

IAPP study materials include a textbook on US privacy law and practices that it says is the “authoritative reference” for the exam. Much of what is on the exam will be in this book, so you can use it as a primary resource as you begin studying and use the textbook to focus on any areas you want to improve on. You can use the textbook to create flash cards, review key concepts, and study more deeply on topics that are new to you.

Take training courses.

If you learn better in a group setting, the IAPP and others offer training opportunities to build and test your CIPP skills. IAPP holds asynchronous online, in-person, live online, and group training courses dedicated to CIPP certification content. 

If you want to improve your foundational knowledge of data privacy, several institutions also offer data privacy and compliance courses on Coursera. For example, Privacy Law and Data Protection from the University of Pennsylvania identifies relevant regulations and methods for protecting privacy.

Take practice exams.

The IAPP has an official practice exam you can purchase for $55 to test your knowledge. It’s in the same format as the official exam, and the content closely matches what you’ll see on test day. If you prefer not to pay for the practice exam, a few sample questions are also available on the IAPP study guide to help you get a feel for the question types.

Maintaining the CIPP certification

The CIPP certification is valid for two years after you complete the certification. To maintain your status as a CIPP holder after that time, you must pay the Certification Maintenance Fee (CMF) and complete 20 hours of continuing privacy education (CPE). If you are a member of IAPP, you do not need to pay the CMF [7]. 

What jobs can you get with the CIPP certification?

Roles that may benefit from the CIPP certification range from data privacy and compliance lawyers to information security analysts. While the certification isn’t strictly required to work in any one field, some employers might want it for specific job roles. 

Some jobs that list the CIPP certification as a required qualification on job sites include:

• Information security analyst

• Data privacy legal counsel

• Compliance and privacy manager

• Information governance officer

• Compliance testing manager

Prepare for the CIPP certification on Coursera

The CIPP certification is an industry-recognized credential that tests your expertise in data privacy laws, standards, and regulations. Discover more about data governance and data fundamentals from industry experts on Coursera with the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate. This beginner-friendly Professional Certificate offers 12 courses on key data concepts, including data privacy, cleaning, and analysis.