SCUP's Campus Facilities Inventory

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Click here to see a PDF sample of the domestic (US) CFI instrument.

Click here to see a PDF sample of the international CFI instrument.

The Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual has been the standard set of definitions and parameters for describing space in higher education settings since it was last updated in 1992. The National Center for Educational Statistics formed a Working Group in 2003 to review the manual for potential updating. Six SCUP members serve on that Working Group. SCUP anticipates being able to provide input to the revision.

Until a revised manual is available, the CFI will continue to use the standard definitions in the 1992 FICM. For your reference, the links below will take you to PDF files of the various sections of the existing manual. For purposes of background to the CFI survey, you may be most interested in Chapters 4, 5, and Appendix 7.

Entire Manual (161 pages)

Front Matter: inside cover, acknowledgments, table of contents, preface, etc. (14 pages)

Chapter One: Introduction (4 pages)

Chapter Two: Basic Principles, Components, Coding Structures, and Data Elements (16 pages)

Chapter Three: Getting Started (6 pages)

Chapter Four: Building Definitions and Data Elements (11 pages)

Chapter Five: Room Use Codes (49 pages)

Chapter Six: Questions and Answers (5 pages)

Appendix 1: Accessibility Standards (4 pages)

Appendix 2: Taxonomy of Functions (4 pages)

Appendix 3: Coding for Academic Disciplines (2 pages)

Appendix 4: Architectural Features Related to Room Use (2 pages)

Appendix 5: Room Suitability (2 pages)

Appendix 6: Architectural Drawings for Building Areas (14 pages)

Appendix 7: Using Facilities Inventory Data for Inter-Institutional Data Exchange and Reporting (12 pages)

Appendix 8: Major Changes in Room Use Structure from 1973 Manual (3 pages)

Appendix 9: Crosswalk of 1973 and 1992 Room Use Categories (7 pages)

Glossary (6 pages)