How to Fill Out and Submit the ED-PC Form: Illinois LPC Licensure

The Illinois ED-PC form is the education certification you submit with your Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). You fill in a short applicant section at the top, send the form to your graduate program, and a designated school official verifies your degree, credit hours, and coursework in the 13 core counseling areas Illinois requires. The completed form comes back to you, and you submit it with the rest of your license application through the IDFPR online portal or by mail.¹

Who Needs to Submit an ED-PC

Every applicant for an Illinois LPC (profession code 178) or LCPC (profession code 180) license must include the ED-PC, with one exception: if you hold a current National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential from NBCC or a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential, you can send a photocopy of your certification certificate in place of the ED-PC. Everyone else needs the form.²

If your graduate counseling coursework spanned more than one institution, you need a separate ED-PC from each school. One form per school, no exceptions.²

What You Fill In as the Applicant

Your section sits at the top of page one. Once you finish it, you forward the entire form to your school. The applicant fields are:¹

Last, first, and middle name, matching the name on your license application
Date of birth
Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
Street address, city, state, and ZIP
Profession — check Licensed Professional Counselor (178) or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (180)
Maiden or given surname, if the name on your diploma differs from the name on your application
Name of institution attended
Date of graduation or completion
Your signature and the date

If your name changed after graduation, put your prior surname in the maiden/given surname field and include proof of the name change (marriage certificate, court order, or similar) as a separate document with your application. IDFPR requires this documentation whenever names don’t match across your paperwork.²

What Your School Fills In

The bulk of the form is completed by a designated official in your graduate program. This person certifies that the details match your institution’s official records, signs the form, and either affixes the school seal or has the signature notarized if no institutional seal is available.¹

The school official’s fields cover:¹

Institution name, address, and department (Fields A–C)
Your specific program or concentration, major area of study, and enrollment status — full-time, part-time, or co-op (Fields D–F)
Total credit hours earned, with the unit type specified (semester, quarter, or other); non-standard units must show a conversion to semester hours (Field G)
Start and end dates of attendance (Field H)
Completion and graduation status with dates (Field I)
Degree awarded — M.A., M.S., Ph.D., Psy.D., etc. — plus the date requirements were met and the date the degree was conferred (Fields J–L)
An explanation if you finished on an accelerated timeline (Field N)
Program accreditation status: CACREP, CORE, or APA at the time you completed it (Field O)
The coursework table (Field P), with a row for each of the 13 core areas showing course title, course number, credit amount and unit, and year completed

The completed form comes back to you. Your school does not send it to IDFPR directly.¹

The 13 Core Coursework Areas

The coursework table is where most applications succeed or stall. You need at least one graduate-level course (3 semester hours or 4.5 quarter hours) in every one of these areas:³

Human Growth and Development
Counseling Theory
Counseling Techniques
Group Dynamics, Processing and Counseling
Appraisal of Individuals (Assessment)
Research and Evaluation
Professional, Legal and Ethical Responsibilities
Social and Cultural Foundations
Lifestyle and Career Development
Practicum/Internship
Maladaptive Behavior and Psychopathology
Addictions/Substance Abuse
Family Dynamics

A single course cannot cover two areas, even if the content overlaps. IDFPR treats each area as a distinct requirement.³

Total credit hours matter too. Through June 30, 2026, you need at least 48 semester hours (or 72 quarter hours). Beginning July 1, 2026, that minimum rises to 60 semester hours (or 90 quarter hours). If your program required between 39 and 47 semester hours, you may make up the difference with additional coursework at a regionally accredited counseling program, but only if you apply before June 30, 2026.³

The practicum/internship line has its own yes-or-no: did you complete at least 700 clock hours on-site, including at least 280 hours of direct client service? The school official has to answer this, and a “no” from a non-CACREP graduate is likely to delay the application.¹

If Your Program Was CACREP-Accredited

Graduates of programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) at the time of completion satisfy the education requirements on the strength of the accreditation itself. The individual course list no longer controls your eligibility.⁴ You still submit the ED-PC. Your school official checks “Yes” at Field O and completes the coursework table, but a gap in the 13 areas won’t sink the application the way it would for a non-CACREP graduate. Programs accredited by the Council for Rehabilitation Education (CORE) or the American Psychological Association (APA) get the same treatment.¹

Submitting the ED-PC With Your License Application

The ED-PC is a supporting document, not a standalone filing. It travels with the rest of your LPC or LCPC application. IDFPR encourages online applications: create an account on the IDFPR portal, select the LPC (178) or LCPC (180) application, and upload the completed ED-PC with your other documents. The application fee is $150 for new LPC and LCPC applicants.⁵

If you file by mail, send the application, the ED-PC, and every other supporting document to IDFPR with your fee paid by check or money order. Cash is not accepted.⁵

A complete package also includes:²

The PHQ personal history questionnaire, required of every applicant
An official exam score report sent directly to IDFPR by the testing organization
The VE-LCPC supervised experience verification, with the supervisor’s original signature (LCPC applicants only; photocopies are not accepted)
The CT certification form from your first state of counseling licensure and the state where you most recently practiced (endorsement applicants)
A course-by-course foreign credentials evaluation from a recognized service such as ECE or WES (international graduates)

Mistakes That Slow the Form Down

A handful of ED-PC errors account for most of the delays IDFPR sends back:

The school neither affixed an institutional seal nor had the official’s signature notarized. One or the other is required.¹
A row in the 13-area coursework table is blank on a non-CACREP form. IDFPR will pause the file to request supplemental coursework.
Credit hours are reported in quarter hours or another non-standard unit with no conversion factor to semester hours.
The name on the ED-PC doesn’t match the name on the application, and no proof of the name change is attached.
The applicant took coursework at two schools but submitted only one ED-PC. A separate form is required from every institution.

Once your license is issued, you won’t need the ED-PC again. Renewal in Illinois runs on continuing education, not re-verification of your degree, so this form is a one-time hurdle at the start of your counseling career.⁶

1
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. ED-PC Certification of Education Professional Counselors
2
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Licensed Professional Counselor Application Instructions
3
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Part 1375
4
Illinois Counseling Association. Counselor Education
5
Illinois Counseling Association. Counselor Licensure Application
6
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. CE Fact Sheet for LPC and LCPC