To get a Professional Educator License in Illinois, you need to earn a bachelor’s degree, complete an ISBE-approved educator preparation program, pass the Illinois Licensure Testing System (ILTS) content-area exam for your endorsement, clear a fingerprint-based background check, submit an application through the state’s online ELIS portal for either $100 or $150, and then register the license with your Regional Office of Education before you can start teaching. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) issues the license, and every public school, charter school, and state-operated school in Illinois requires it for teachers, school support personnel, and administrators.
Meet the Education Requirements
Illinois law lists five things you must finish before ISBE will issue a PEL: a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, an approved educator preparation program, passing scores on the required tests, coursework in the identification and instruction of exceptional children (including students with learning disabilities), and coursework in reading methods and reading in the content area.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 105 ILCS 5/21B-20 – Types of Licenses
The preparation program has to be approved by ISBE and offered by an Illinois institution that will formally recommend you for licensure once you finish. That recommendation is called an entitlement, and it matters for two reasons: without it your application will not move forward, and with it your application fee is lower.
Student teaching is built into every approved program. You work in a real school setting under a licensed educator, and your program sets the length and the performance benchmarks. You cannot be recommended for licensure until the program certifies that you have met all of them.
Illinois used to require the edTPA, a performance assessment scored by outside evaluators. That requirement is waived through August 31, 2029, under Public Act 104-0128.2Illinois State Board of Education. Educator Licensure Approval Requirements You still have to pass the content-area test, but the edTPA is off the table for now.
Pass the ILTS Content-Area Test
Every candidate has to pass at least one Illinois Licensure Testing System exam matched to the endorsement they want. The tests cover subject-matter knowledge in fields like elementary education, mathematics, English language arts, and special education.3Illinois State Board of Education. Testing Most ILTS content exams cost roughly $110 to $122 to register, though the exact fee depends on the test. If you are pursuing more than one endorsement, you need to pass the content test for each one.
A strong academic background in the subject helps but does not carry you through. The exams are aligned to Illinois teaching standards and pull in pedagogy-related material that a general college curriculum may not cover. Preparation materials are on the ILTS website, and your preparation program can point you to the correct test code for your endorsement.
Clear the Background Check
Illinois law requires that a licensed educator be “of good character” and at least 19 years old.4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 105 ILCS 5/21B-15 – Qualifications of Educators In practice, that means passing a fingerprint-based background check that includes both a State of Illinois conviction check and an FBI records check. You pay for fingerprinting yourself, and it usually runs $60 to $75 depending on the vendor. Most candidates complete this during the preparation program because the district hosting your student teaching requires it before you enter the building.
Some convictions permanently bar you from holding an Illinois educator license, including first-degree murder, any Class X felony, and a long list of sex offenses and violent crimes defined in the School Code.5Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 105 ILCS 5/21B-80 – Conviction of Certain Offenses as Grounds for Disqualification Offenses in a separate subsection of the same statute trigger a seven-year waiting period after the sentence ends before you can apply.4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 105 ILCS 5/21B-15 – Qualifications of Educators Other felony convictions are handled case by case, and you can submit character references and other materials before a decision is made.
Gather Your Documents
Have everything ready before you open the online application. You will need:
- Official transcripts sent directly from your regionally accredited institution to ISBE by email at transcripts@isbe.net or by mail. Transcripts you carry or download yourself count as unofficial, even in a sealed envelope, and will not be accepted.6Illinois State Board of Education. Educator Licensure Application Process
- An entitlement notification, if you completed an approved program at an Illinois institution. Your university sends this digitally to ISBE, and it qualifies you for the lower application fee.
- Passing ILTS scores, which are reported to ISBE electronically. You do not need to send these yourself.
- Identification that matches the name on your transcripts. Name mismatches slow processing significantly.
If You Trained Outside Illinois
Out-of-state applicants provide a copy of a valid, comparable out-of-state license and official transcripts showing at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.7Illinois State Board of Education. Professional Educator License Checklist for Out-of-State Applicants School support personnel and administrators generally need a master’s degree or higher. Starting January 1, 2026, all reciprocity applicants must also pass the applicable Illinois content test for every endorsement they are seeking.8Illinois State Board of Education. PEL Teaching Endorsements Upload a PDF of your out-of-state license to your ELIS account under the Images tab.
If you earned your degree outside the United States, ISBE requires a credential evaluation from one of its approved agencies, a list that includes World Education Services, Educational Credential Evaluators, and about two dozen others.9Illinois State Board of Education. ISBE Educator Licensure Out-of-Country Credential Evaluation Sources The evaluation must confirm that your degree is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution. Start this step early because it adds real time and cost.
Apply Through ELIS
All PEL applications go through the Educator Licensure Information System, the state’s online portal for educator credentials.10Illinois.gov. Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) Create an account, select the option to apply for a new Professional Educator License, and work through the data-entry screens covering your personal information, education history, and any prior licenses held in other states.
What you pay depends on how you qualified. Illinois graduates applying through entitlement pay $100. Non-entitlement in-state applicants and all out-of-state or out-of-country applicants pay $150.6Illinois State Board of Education. Educator Licensure Application Process Fees are non-refundable and paid by credit or debit card at submission. Expect a small processing surcharge on top of the base fee.
After you submit, the application sits in pending status while ISBE reviews your transcripts, test scores, and supporting documents. Processing times shift with volume and can stretch to several weeks. Check your ELIS dashboard for status updates or requests for more documentation. When everything clears, the status changes to issued.
Register Your License Before You Start Working
An issued license is not yet a working license. An unregistered PEL is invalid for employment in any Illinois public school, charter school, or state-operated school.11Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 105 ILCS 5/21B-45 – Professional Educator License Renewal Register with the Regional Office of Education or Intermediate Service Center serving the area where you plan to work.
Registration costs $10 per year, so $50 covers a full five-year cycle. Register immediately after issuance, and no later than January 1 of the next fiscal year.12Illinois State Board of Education. Licensure Registration Missing the window puts your license at risk of lapsing, which triggers a reinstatement process with additional fees or coursework.
Pick the Right Endorsement
The PEL itself is a shell. The endorsement attached to it authorizes you for a specific role. Teaching endorsements cover Early Childhood (Birth through Grade 2), Elementary Education (Grades 1â6), Middle Grades (5â8), Secondary (Grades 9â12), Special Education, and PKâ12 specialties like art, music, and physical education.8Illinois State Board of Education. PEL Teaching Endorsements PEL endorsements also cover school support roles such as school counselor, school psychologist, and school social worker, plus administrative endorsements for principals and superintendents.
You can add endorsements to an existing PEL later by passing the relevant content test and, in some cases, completing additional coursework or a preparation program. Adding one does not require a new license application or another registration fee. Special education endorsements like Learning Behavior Specialist I (LBS1) involve substantially more preparation, including additional coursework in specialized instruction, formal assessment, and supervised clinical practica beyond a general teaching endorsement.
Plan for Renewal From Day One
A PEL is valid for five years. To renew it, you must complete 120 hours of professional development during each renewal cycle, regardless of how many degrees or endorsements you hold.13Illinois State Board of Education. Renewal and Professional Development for Educators That is about 24 hours per year if you spread it evenly, though only the five-year total is enforced. National Board Certificate holders need 60 hours.
Every activity has to be logged in ELIS with the activity name, date, provider, and number of hours, and all 120 have to be recorded before you can submit a renewal application.11Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 105 ILCS 5/21B-45 – Professional Educator License Renewal ISBE runs random audits, so keep your own attendance records and completion certificates. Any PEL not renewed lapses on September 1 of the expiration year, and while ISBE sends an email reminder up to six months before that date if it has your email on file, the responsibility for renewing is yours.