ProfessionalVendor-neutralIAPP· issued from US

CIPP/US

Certified Information Privacy Professional / United States

US federal and state privacy-law expertise.

Official page at IAPP ↔ Compare with another cert

Exam fee

$550

Ongoing

$250/yr AMF · 10 CPE/yr

Study time

40–80 hrs

Delivery

Online proctored

Validity

2 yrs (renewal cycle)

› Quality score

27.5 / 40

Four-axis SecProve rubric, each 0–10. SecProve editorial assessment — each axis carries a written justification so you can push back on any single call without dismissing the whole score.

Blueprint rigor

How well-defined and rigorous the exam blueprint is.

Body of knowledge organised by US federal regimes, sector-specific laws, state laws, and workplace privacy. Clear, well-scoped blueprint.

9.0/10

Practical evidence

Hands-on labs / written reports vs pure MCQ.

Pure MCQ. No applied case work.

0.0/10

Currency & upkeep

How aggressively content is kept current with the field.

Refreshed regularly to reflect new state laws (CPRA, VA, CO, CT, UT) and federal rulemaking.

9.0/10

Market recognition

How often this signal actually moves a hiring decision.

The most-held IAPP credential and the de-facto US privacy cert. Frequently required on DPO/privacy-counsel job specs in North America. [Holders: 45k, 2024-12]

9.5/10

› Market signals

public, citable inputs to the recognition score

Holders worldwide

45,000

as of 2024-12 · source

› Built for these roles

Privacy Engineer (US)Privacy CounselCCPA / CPRA Compliance LeadPrivacy Program Manager

› Exam format

90 multiple-choice questions over 2.5 hours, English. Online proctored via IAPP/Pearson. Covers US federal privacy law, sector-specific regimes (HIPAA, GLBA, COPPA), state laws (CCPA/CPRA), and workplace privacy.

Passing score

300/500 (scaled, ~70%)

Retake policy

Fee: $375 per attempt

Wait: 30d between attempts

30-day wait between attempts. IAPP member discounts available.

› Recertification

20 CPE credits over two years (avg 10/yr) plus the $250/yr IAPP membership fee that bundles certification renewal.

› 3-year cost of ownership

Exam (1×)

$550

AMF (3×)

$750@$250/yr

Total

$1300

Excludes study materials, training, retake risk, and lost-wage opportunity. Use as a floor estimate.

Recognition

GlobalUSCA

Exam languages

› Core domains covered

The 1 domain this cert is centrally about. Passing the exam demonstrates working knowledge of each.

A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection

Data classification, encryption-at-rest/in-transit, DLP, tokenization, privacy-by-design, plus the regulatory stack (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA) that sets the bar.

› Also touched

Present in the blueprint but not the primary focus — you’ll be introduced but shouldn’t expect depth.

A1Governance, Risk & Compliance

Risk frameworks (NIST RMF, ISO 31000, FAIR), policy development, audit, regulatory compliance, third-party risk.

C7AI Governance & Risk

EU AI Act compliance, NIST AI RMF, AI risk assessment, model cards, algorithmic auditing, AI incident response.

› Prerequisites

Experience

Legal, compliance, or privacy-program background preferred. The US privacy stack is fragmented across federal sector laws and 15+ state laws — heavy reading.

Knowledge assumed