California Postsecondary Education Commission -- Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

This glossary contains terms found in Commission publications, on this website, and in the education community. Several subsets of this glossary are available; click on the description in the menu to view them.

Definitions of Institution Codes

View another subset of the Glossary.

ATP Code

The American Testing Program (ATP) Code or College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) Code is a 6-digit number that is used by standardized tests such as SAT and ACT. The first 2 digits indicate the state; all California schools start with "05". The ATP Code is a 4-digit number for higher education institutions.

Carnegie Classification Code

A classification system created by the Carnegie Foundation. This classification, which dates back to 1970, currently includes 3,600 colleges and universities in the United States that are degree-granting and accredited by an agency recognized by the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. According to the 1994 classification, there are 10 categories that are based on the highest level of offering, the number of degrees conferred by discipline, and the amount of federal support for research received by the institution. The new system of classification was created in 2000. (Data Element Dictionary)

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CCC College ID

The 3-digit code used by the California Community College Chancellor's Office to identify the reporting college in data submitted to the Chancellor's Office.

CDS Code

The CDS (County-District-School) code system is an administrative convenience designed to provide the California Department of Education (CDE), the Department of Finance (DOF), and postsecondary institutions with a basis for tracking schools. The CDS code is a unique identifier that allows schools to be easily sorted and tracked in databases. This 14-digit code is the official, unique identification of a school within California. The first two digits identify the county, the next five digits identify the school district, and the last seven digits identify the school. A CDS code is a number assigned to a school. CDS codes are not assigned to programs. Evidence that the entity is a school rather than a program is provided by the governing board action approving formation of the school and board action establishing the school. Governing boards can act only by a majority vote at a public meeting (Education Code §§ 1011, 1013, 1040, 35163, 35164; Government Code § 54950 and following (the Brown Act)).

CEEB Code

College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) Code (aka ATP Code) is a 6-digit number that is used by standardized tests such as SAT and ACT. The first 2 digits indicate the state; all California schools start with "05". The CEEB Code is a 4-digit number for higher education institutions.

College Board Code

College Board Code (aka ATP Code or CEEB Code) is a 6-digit number that is used by standardized tests such as SAT and ACT. The first 2 digits indicate the state; all California schools start with "05". The College Board Code is a 4-digit number for higher education institutions.

COSAR Code

Refers to California State University (CSU) Chancellor's Office Systemwide Administrative Reporting Code. This is the 6-digit school code portion of the 14-digit County-District-School (CDS) Code.

CPEC Code

Each higher education institution in California is assigned a 6-digit code by the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC). The first digit, which is a letter code, refers to the Segment; the other 5 digits refer to a specific institution.

Dunn & Bradstreet Number

Refers to Data Universal Numbering System. This 9-digit number is assigned by the Dunn & Bradstreet Information Corporation to any entity providing products, goods, or services.

Federal Unit ID

A Federal Unit ID number is a 6-digit identification number assigned to institutions that are in the Postsecondary Education Participants System (PEPS). This system is maintained by the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) which tracks the eligibility status of postsecondary institutions. This number is an unique identification assigned to postsecondary institutions surveyed through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS).

FICE Code

FICE code is a 6-digit code maintained for historical purposes. This identifier was originally created by the Federal Interagency Committee on Education (FICE) to distinguish postsecondary schools that qualified as institutions of higher education from other postsecondary institutions. As of 1997, this code is no longer maintained.

Institution Code

It also refers to CPEC Code. The institution code is a combination of Segment code, which is a letter code and the institution ID which is a 5-digit number code.

OPE ID

The OPE (Office of Postsecondary Education) ID is used by the Department of Education for federal student financial aid eligibility purposes. It is an 8-digit number. The first 6 digits of the OPE ID identify the main campus. The last 2 digits represent branch campuses or additional locations. For the main campus the last 2-digits will always be "00".

Record ID

A unique identifier of a school/institution in the Crosswalk table.

School Code

Refers to the 7-digit school code portion of the 14-digit County-District-School (CDS) Code.

Segment Code

The Segment Code is a part of the 6-digit CPEC Code. The first letter of the CPEC Code denotes the Segment. The University of California campuses start with "A", the California State University campuses start with "B", the California Community Colleges start with "C", other public institutions start with "D", the Independent colleges and universities start with "E", and outside institutions start with "G". (Data Element Dictionary)

System Code

The System code is an elaboration of the Segment code. (Data Element Dictionary)

A: University of California
AS: UC systemwide office
B: California State University
BS: CSU systemwide office
C: Community Colleges
CD: Community Colleges District Office
CS: Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
D: Other Public Colleges and Universities
P: State-approved institutions
W: WASC-Accredited Non-Public institutions