Illinois offers multiple pathways to licensure. Choose from the options below or use this interactive tool to determine your best route to licensure in Illinois.
Option #1 - Reciprocity: Did you complete an approved out-of-state educator prep program & become licensed in that state? Is your out-of-state license current? Use this checklist to transfer your teaching license into Illinois.
*Effective January 1, 2026, Illinois will continue to offer reciprocity for all endorsements listed on a valid, comparable out-of-state license; however, ALL applicants must also successfully pass the applicable Illinois content area test(s) to qualify. (Register here: ILTS.) Content test scores must be submitted directly from ILTS/Pearson to be accepted. (This requirement is effective January 1, 2026, and applies to all applications received on or after this date.)
Option #2 - ISBE Form 80-02: Did you complete an approved out-of-state program but did not become licensed in that state? To qualify, you must:
Have a bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
Have student teaching or equivalent experience
Have completed coursework addressing methods of teaching exceptional children, reading methods, content area reading, & methods of teaching English learners
Pass the associated licensure tests: all test scores are valid indefinitely. There are different required tests depending on the teaching area. If out-of-state test scores were completed, copies of the test scores must be submitted with the ISBE 80-02 form.
Option #3 - Illinois Educator Preparation Program: Please work closely with the institution to ensure their specific requirements are met. Here is a tool you can use to find which Illinois institutions offer approved preparation programs.