To get an audiology license in Illinois, you need a graduate degree in audiology from a program the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) has approved, supervised clinical experience, a passing score on a recognized national audiology examination, and an approved application with the required fee. The Illinois audiology license requirements sit in the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act, and the details on degree type, clinical hours, and timing decide whether your application goes through cleanly or gets sent back.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 225 ILCS 110 – Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act
Who Qualifies
You must be at least 21 years old and hold a graduate degree in audiology from an IDFPR-approved program. The degree standard depends on when the degree was conferred:
- Degree conferred on or after January 1, 2008: a doctoral degree in audiology, typically the Doctor of Audiology (AuD).
- Degree conferred before January 1, 2008: a master’s degree in audiology.
The statute refers to “a program approved by the Department” rather than naming any specific accrediting body. The IDFPR evaluates the academic program when it reviews your application, so confirm your program’s approval status with the Department before you assume the degree satisfies the requirement.
Supervised Clinical Hours
Applicants must document at least 1,500 clock hours of supervised professional experience in audiology.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 225 ILCS 110/8 – Qualifications for Licenses to Practice Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology
The Act builds in an alternative for AuD holders. If you have a Doctor of Audiology degree, you can submit evidence of that degree instead of separately documenting 1,500 hours, because AuD programs generally incorporate supervised clinical hours into the curriculum. A different type of doctoral degree in audiology does not automatically qualify for that substitution; you would need to document the hours on their own.
The National Examination
You must pass a national examination in audiology theory and practice that the IDFPR recognizes.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 225 ILCS 110/8 – Qualifications for Licenses to Practice Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology The Praxis Audiology exam administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the exam most widely used for this purpose, and the passing score accepted by ASHA and most state licensing boards is 162 on the current scale. The IDFPR sets its own standard for a passing result, so verify the currently accepted score with the Department before you sit for the exam.
How to Apply and What It Costs
The IDFPR handles audiology applications through its online CORE system. You submit the application along with documentation of your degree, your supervised experience (or your AuD evidence), and your exam scores. Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions and your examination scores generally need to be sent to the Department directly from the source.
Application fees are nonrefundable:
- Initial license by examination: $90
- License by reciprocity: $100
Once you file, you have three years to complete the application. If it is still incomplete after three years, the IDFPR denies it, keeps the fee, and you start over under whatever requirements are in effect at that time. That three-year clock is stated for reciprocity applicants specifically, but treat it as the working deadline whichever path you use.4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 225 ILCS 110/13 – Licensing Applicants from Other States
Reciprocity if You’re Licensed Elsewhere
If you already hold an audiology license in another state, U.S. territory, or foreign country, Illinois can issue you a license without requiring you to retake the national exam. The IDFPR evaluates the application under one of two standards:
- The other jurisdiction’s requirements were substantially equal to Illinois’s requirements at the time you were originally licensed.
- The other jurisdiction’s requirements, combined with the education and professional qualifications you have earned since, are substantially equal to Illinois’s current requirements.
Reciprocity applicants must submit verification of their current license, including status and disciplinary history, directly from the other licensing authority. The fee is $100, and the same three-year completion window applies.3Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Section 1465.75 – Fees
What the License Lets You Do
An Illinois audiology license covers the nonmedical identification, measurement, testing, habilitation, and rehabilitation of hearing and vestibular disorders. Activities within the scope include diagnostic evaluation of hearing or vestibular function, training patients on hearing aids and other amplification devices, fitting and dispensing hearing instruments, and basic speech and language screening consistent with audiology training.5Justia Law. Illinois Code 225 ILCS 110 – Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act
Hearing instrument dispensing is included in that scope. Licensed audiologists are classified as “hearing care professionals” under the Illinois Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Act, so you can fit and sell hearing aids without holding a separate hearing instrument dispenser license.6Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 77 Section 682.100 – Definitions Because of that dispensing authority, audiologists pay an additional $45 Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Fee at each renewal.
Renewing Your License
Illinois audiology licenses expire on October 31 of odd-numbered years no matter when the license was originally issued, and renewal opens during the month before expiration.7Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Section 1465.70 – Renewal
To renew, you must complete at least 20 clock hours of continuing education during the two-year cycle. Two constraints inside that 20-hour total catch people off guard: no more than 10 hours can come from programs sponsored by hearing instrument or auditory prosthetic device manufacturers, and at least 2 hours must cover ethics or legal requirements related to audiology practice.8Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 225 ILCS 110/11 – Renewal of Licenses Qualifying activities include workshops, seminars, conferences, and formal coursework. Keep your own records; the IDFPR can audit compliance at any time.9Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Section 1465.85 – Continuing Education
The renewal fee for audiologists is calculated at $50 per year, so the biennial renewal is $100. Add the $45 Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Fee and the total comes to $145 for a standard two-year renewal cycle.3Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Section 1465.75 – Fees
If you miss the renewal window, restoration costs $50 plus all lapsed renewal fees. The longer the license has been expired, the more the back fees add up.3Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Section 1465.75 – Fees
Practicing Without a License
Practicing audiology in Illinois without a license, or while a license is suspended or revoked, is a Class A misdemeanor. A second or subsequent offense is a Class 4 felony, and the IDFPR will seek a permanent injunction against continued practice. The IDFPR can also impose a civil fine of up to $5,000 for each instance of unlicensed practice, separate from any criminal consequences.10Justia Law. Illinois Code 225 ILCS 110/29 – Violations
After You’re Licensed: Billing Registrations
An Illinois license lets you practice, but it does not by itself let you bill federal payers. Those are separate registrations that the state application does not handle.
Every audiologist who transmits health information electronically needs a National Provider Identifier (NPI) from CMS. The quickest route is the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) online portal, though the CMS-10114 paper form or an Electronic File Interchange organization submission are also available. When you apply, you select a healthcare provider taxonomy code that matches your specialty.11Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. How to Apply for an NPI12Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Find Your Taxonomy Code
To bill Medicare Part B for diagnostic services, you have to enroll separately as a Medicare provider through the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS). Individual practitioners use the CMS-855I form, typically along with an Electronic Funds Transfer authorization (CMS-588) and a Medicare Participating Physician or Supplier Agreement (CMS-460). A state license and an NPI do not by themselves make you a Medicare provider; skip this step and Medicare claims will be denied.13Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare Enrollment Applications