Direct comparison
CITI vs. Institutional Training
How CITI Program’s third-party courses differ from institution-built compliance training, and why most research institutions require both together.
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Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | CITI Program | Institutional Training |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Third-party, subscription-based online training platform | In-house modules built and run by the institution’s own IRB/HRPP or compliance office |
| Who administers it | CITI Program (a division of BRANY, owned by four NYC academic medical centers) | The subscribing institution itself |
| Content scope | Standardized curricula: HSR, RCR, GCP, Animal Care and Use, COI, biosafety, export control, information security, research security | Local IRB workflow/forms, institution-specific reporting lines, campus systems, department/lab-specific safety protocols, FWA-specific policy |
| Delivery format | Fully online, self-paced modules | Varies — online modules, live sessions, workshops, or mentoring components, often used to add the face-to-face element some federal requirements call for |
| Cost model | Institutional subscription (most researchers access it free via their institution); independent learners can pay per course | Built into institutional overhead, not separately billed to the researcher |
| Portability across institutions | Tied to the learner’s own CITI account; transfer of a completion depends on the receiving institution’s acceptance-window policy, not automatic | Not portable — specific to the institution that built it; a researcher must complete the new institution’s version regardless of prior training elsewhere |
| Satisfies NIH’s RCR requirement alone? | No — NIH requires a substantial face-to-face/live-discussion component; CITI’s online course alone is not sufficient | Often supplies the live/discussion component that, paired with CITI, completes an NIH-compliant plan |
| Satisfies NSF’s RECR requirement alone? | Generally yes — NSF leaves delivery method to institutional discretion and typically accepts CITI’s online course | Not required for NSF purposes beyond what the institution chooses to add |
| Typical role | Base-layer, standardized training most institutions require as a floor | Supplemental layer addressing institution-specific policy and content CITI can’t cover |
Common questions
FAQ
Can an institution use only CITI and skip its own training entirely?+
Some do, for narrow purposes, but most research institutions layer institution-specific onboarding or supplemental modules on top of CITI because CITI’s standardized courses can’t cover local IRB workflows, reporting lines, or institution-specific policy. A small number of institutions (Penn’s IRB is one documented example) have approved their own in-house course as a full alternative to CITI for a specific requirement, but this is the exception rather than the norm.
Does completing CITI at one institution transfer automatically to a new one?+
Not automatically. CITI completions are tied to the learner’s own account, and a researcher typically adds the new institution as an additional affiliation, but whether the new institution accepts the existing completion without a retake depends on that institution’s own acceptance-window policy — commonly one to several years, but set individually, and not every institution accepts another institution’s completion report at all.
Does CITI alone satisfy NIH’s RCR training requirement?+
No. NIH requires a minimum of eight contact hours with a substantial face-to-face or live-discussion component (NOT-OD-10-019, NOT-OD-22-055); a plan built entirely on CITI’s online RCR course does not meet that requirement on its own. CITI’s course is typically one component of a broader institutional RCR plan that also includes a live discussion, workshop, or mentoring element.
Going deeper
