International Standard Classification of Education

The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) is a way to organize and compare education systems around the world. It helps people understand how different countries structure their schools and learning programs.

ISCED is part of a group of important tools created by the United Nations. These tools help countries share information about many topics, including education.

By using ISCED, governments, researchers, and schools can compare things like school levels, training programs, and learning goals across different nations. This makes it easier to see how education systems are similar or different and to learn from each other.

History

ISCED started in the 1970s to help countries compare their education systems in a fair way. The first version, called ISCED 1976, was approved in 1975 and later endorsed in 1976.

A newer version, ISCED 1997, was approved in 1997. It added 7 education levels and categories for different subjects of study. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics created a third version, adopted in 2011. This version expanded to 9 levels and added details about early childhood programs for children under three.

During the work on ISCED 2011, it was decided to study education subjects separately. This work is still happening to create a new classification just for education subjects.

Related materials from the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training and Eurostat offer more details about education categories.

2011 version

ISCED 2011 levels, categories, and sub-categories

The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) helps organize school levels around the world. It groups education into different stages, making it easier to compare systems across countries.

ISCED 2011 includes levels from early childhood education to doctoral studies. Early childhood education covers development and pre-primary learning. Primary education is the first stage of formal schooling. Lower secondary education includes general and professional paths. Upper secondary education continues with general and professional options. Post-secondary non-tertiary education offers additional learning before university-level studies. Short-cycle tertiary, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels cover higher education, each with academic and professional focuses.

ISCED 2011 levels of education
Level	Label	Description
0	Early childhood education (01 Early childhood educational development)	Education designed to support early development in preparation for participation in school and society. Programmes designed for children below the age of 3.
0	Early childhood education (02 Pre-primary education)	Education designed to support early development in preparation for participation in school and society. Programmes designed for children from age 3 to the start of primary education.
1	Primary education	Provides foundational skills in reading, writing, and mathematics and to establish a solid foundation for learning.
2	Lower secondary education	The first stage of secondary education with a subject-oriented curriculum.
3	Upper secondary education	The final stage of secondary education preparing students for higher education or employment. Usually with an increased range of subject options and streams.
4	Post-secondary non-tertiary education	Programmes providing learning experiences that build on secondary education and prepare for labour market entry or tertiary education. The content is broader than secondary but not as complex as tertiary education.
5	Short-cycle tertiary education	Short first tertiary programmes that are typically practically-based, occupationally-specific and prepare for labour market entry. These programmes may also provide a pathway to other tertiary programmes.
6	Bachelor's or equivalent	Provides undergraduate-level academic or professional education.
7	Master's or equivalent	Programmes designed to provide advanced academic or professional knowledge, skills and competencies leading to a second tertiary degree or equivalent qualification.
8	Doctorate or equivalent	Focuses on advanced research leading to a doctoral degree.

1997 version

The 1997 version of the International Standard Classification of Education helps organize different types of learning around the world. It groups education into several areas, such as general programmes, education, humanities, social sciences, science, engineering, agriculture, health, and services.

ISCED 1997 fields of education

The fields of education include basic programmes, literacy and numeracy, teacher training, arts, humanities, social sciences, business, law, life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, computing, engineering, manufacturing, agriculture, health services, and more. Some programmes may not have a specific category listed.

ISCED 1997 levels of education
Level	Label	Description
0	Pre-primary education	Initial stage of organized instruction, designed primarily to introduce very young children to a school-type environment and to develop their cognitive, physical, social and emotional skills. Designed for children from age 3 to the start of primary education.
1	Primary education or first stage of basic education	Normally starting between the ages of 5 – 7, designed to give a sound basic education in reading, writing and mathematics along with an elementary understanding of other subjects.
2	Lower secondary education or second stage of basic education	Designed to complete basic education, usually on a more subject-oriented pattern. It builds upon the learning outcomes from primary education (ISCED level 1) and aims to lay the foundation for lifelong learning and human development.
3	Upper secondary education	More specialized education typically beginning at age 15 or 16 years or completes secondary education in preparation for tertiary education, or to provide skills relevant to employment, or both.
4	Post-secondary non-tertiary education	Programmes that straddle the boundary between upper- and post-secondary education from an international point of view. ISCED level 4 programmes, considering their content, cannot be regarded as tertiary programmes. They are often not significantly more advanced than programmes at ISCED level 3 but they serve to broaden the knowledge of participants who have already completed a programme at level 3.
5	First stage of tertiary education	Tertiary programmes having an educational content more advanced than those offered at ISCED levels 3 and 4. These programmes may be academically based or practically oriented / occupationally specific. Entry to these programmes normally requires the successful completion of ISCED level 3A or 3B or a similar qualification at ISCED level 4A. All degrees and qualifications are cross-classified by type of programmes, position in national degree or qualification structures and cumulative duration at tertiary.
6	Second stage of tertiary education	Tertiary programmes leading to the award of an advanced research qualification, e.g. Ph.D. These programmes are therefore devoted to advanced study and original research and are not based on course-work only. It typically requires the submission of a thesis or dissertation of publishable quality which is the product of original research and represents a significant contribution to knowledge.

Comparison between versions

This section shows how different versions of the International Standard Classification of Education are different. It helps us see how we organize and compare education systems around the world has changed over time. The table below shows these differences clearly.

Key differences between ISCED 1997 and ISCED 2011
ISCED 2011	ISCED 1997
Level 0: Early childhood education (01 Early childhood educational development)	None
Level 0: Early childhood education (02 Pre-primary education)	Level 0: Pre-primary education.
Level 1: Primary education	Level 1: Primary education or first stage of basic education.
Level 2: Lower secondary education	Level 2: Lower secondary education or second stage of basic education
Level 3: Upper secondary education	Level 3: Upper secondary education
Level 4: Post-secondary non-tertiary education	Level 4: Post-secondary non-tertiary education
Level 5: Short-cycle tertiary education	Level 5B: First stage of tertiary education: typically shorter, more practical/technical/occupationally specific programmes leading to professional qualifications.
Level 6: Bachelor's or equivalent	Level 5A: First stage of tertiary education: largely theoretically based programmes intended to provide qualifications for gaining entry into more advanced research programmes and professions with higher skills requirements.
Level 7: Master's or equivalent	Level 5A: First stage of tertiary education: largely theoretically based programmes intended to provide qualifications for gaining entry into more advanced research programmes and professions with higher skills requirements.
Level 8: Doctorate or equivalent	Level 6: Second stage of tertiary education (leading to an advanced research qualification).