How to Become a Teacher in Illinois: Tests, Fees and Routes

By the Transforming Education editorial team. Every fact on this page was checked against the source linked beside it on November 7, 2026.

No degree yet: the traditional route

For high school students, college students and anyone without a bachelor's degree. You earn the degree and the teacher preparation in one program.

Professional Educator License (PEL) through an Illinois-approved program

Candidates for a Professional Educator License complete an Illinois-approved educator preparation program, including coursework and field and clinical experiences, and pass the Illinois Licensure Testing System content test for their endorsement area. The program entitles the candidate, who applies and pays the application fee through the Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS). The license must then be registered before it is valid for employment.

1. Enroll in an Illinois-approved educator preparation program from the ISBE Directory of Approved Programs.
2. Complete the program coursework and the required field and clinical experiences.
3. Pass the ILTS content test for your endorsement area.
4. Create an ELIS account and apply for the PEL, paying the application fee by card.
5. Have official transcripts sent directly from your institution to ISBE and submit any supporting documents.
6. Register the license in ELIS once it is issued; it is not valid for employment until registration fees are paid.

Source: isbe.net

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

For people who already hold a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education.

Alternative Route to Licensure (Educator License with Stipulations, Alternative Provisional Educator)

Career changers with at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution can complete an ISBE-approved alternative licensure program instead of a traditional one. Applicants need an undergraduate major, or at least 9 semester hours of coursework, in the content area. During the program they hold an Educator License with Stipulations endorsed for Alternative Provisional Educator (ELS-APE) and serve a one- or two-year residency as a paid teacher of record or co-teacher with a mentor, then are recommended for the Professional Educator License.

1. Confirm you hold a bachelor's degree and an undergraduate major or at least 9 semester hours in the content area.
2. Find an alternative program in the ISBE Directory of Approved Programs (filter by Alternative) and apply for admission.
3. Receive the ELS-APE license and begin a residency as a teacher of record with an assigned mentor teacher.
4. Complete the methods and any remaining content coursework during the residency.
5. After the first-year evaluation by the program and principal, complete a second residency year if required.
6. Apply for PEL entitlement in ELIS when your preparation program directs you to.

Source: isbe.net

Changing careers into teaching in Illinois

If you already have a bachelor's degree and some years in another job, start with the alternative route described above. It is built for people who did not study education. The 6 programs below are on the state's approved list, and 3 of them say their coursework is online.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in Illinois was $79,990 in May 2025, according to the BLS OEWS state estimates. If your background matches a subject on the state's shortage list, that list is further down this page.

State-approved alternative certification programs

Programs shown are a selection from the state's approved list, checked November 7, 2026. "Online" reflects what the program or the state says about its coursework; teaching practice is always in a real school. The full, current list is on the agency's approved-program page.

Licensed in another state

For teachers who hold a license from another state and want to teach in Illinois.

Professional Educator License for out-of-state applicants

Illinois evaluates out-of-state educators, including those from U.S. territories, for a Professional Educator License and considers every area listed on a valid, comparable out-of-state license. Applicants apply in ELIS, send official transcripts showing at least a bachelor's degree, and submit their license, ISBE Form 77-41B and test scores. Applicants who do not hold a valid, comparable license need their college or university to submit ISBE Form 77-41A instead, and ISBE may request more documentation.

1. Create an account in the Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS).
2. Apply for a Professional Educator License in your ELIS account.
3. Have official transcripts showing a bachelor's degree or higher sent directly from the college or university to ISBE.
4. Send ISBE a copy of your valid out-of-state license, ISBE Form 77-41B and copies of your test scores.
5. If you do not hold a valid, comparable license, have your college or university submit ISBE Form 77-41A directly to ISBE.
6. Upload a PDF of your out-of-state license under the Images tab in ELIS.

Source: isbe.net

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

Illinois uses ILTS for teacher licensure. The table lists the core tests by license area, with the qualifying score and fee exactly as the source publishes them. Which tests you take depends on the license area you are seeking, so check the full list for your subject before you register.

Scores and fees change. Confirm both on the testing company's page before you register.

Fees, background check and license validity

Background check

Not published by the state; check with the agency.

Your first license

License: Professional Educator License (PEL). It is valid for 5 years. The license is not valid for employment until it is registered in at least one region ($10 per year), paid for its entire period of validity. Most licenses follow a five-year renewal cycle. Source

Renewal

The Professional Educator License must be renewed every five years, and all endorsements renew with it. Teachers and school support personnel complete 120 hours of professional development in each renewal cycle; administrators complete 100 hours plus Administrator Academy requirements. The registration fee is $10 per year, or $50 for the five-year cycle. Requirement: 120 professional development hours every 5 years. Source

Teacher pay in Illinois

Elementary teachers in Illinois earned a median of $75,320 a year in May 2025, $11,350 above the national median of $63,970. Half of teachers in each occupation earn more than the median and half earn less. What you earn in a given district depends on its salary schedule, your experience and any graduate credits.

Annual wages, cross-industry estimates, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 state tables, retrieved through the BLS Public Data API on November 7, 2026. Special education teachers are shown separately; our guide to the online master's in special education covers the add-on and initial-license options.

Teacher shortage areas, 2026-27

Illinois reported these subject areas to the US Department of Education as teacher shortage areas for the 2026-27 school year.

• Administrative (statewide)
• Art and Music Education (statewide)
• Career and Technical Education (statewide)
• Early Childhood (statewide)
• English as a Second Language (statewide)
• General Shortages (statewide)
• Health and Physical Fitness (statewide)
• Language Arts (statewide)
• Mathematics (statewide)
• Science (statewide)
• Social Studies (statewide)
• Special Education (statewide)
• Support Staff (statewide)
• World Languages (statewide)

Source: US Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas report, retrieved November 7, 2026.