Illinois licenses registered nurses through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), and first-time test takers apply through the Department's testing vendor, Continental Testing Services (CTS). Everything below comes from the CTS RN examination instructions, IDFPR's RN application guide and the Department's RN continuing education FAQ, checked October 18, 2026. Fees change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Study aid, not legal advice. Your state board of nursing has the final word on your license, and its rules and fees change. Built by an RN. Headed In LLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), Pearson VUE or any board of nursing; their names appear here only to point you to the real thing. NCLEX and NCLEX-RN are registered trademarks of NCSBN.
NCLEX-RN, registered with Pearson VUE: $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027)
Board fee
$98 for the exam route, applied for through Continental Testing (IDFPR's RN guide); the license fee comes with your results letter; all fees non-refundable
Background check
Live Scan by an Illinois-licensed vendor, receipt no more than 60 days old when you apply; out of state, form OOS-FP
Nurse Licensure Compact
Not in the compact: single-state license
Renewal
Every two years; licenses expire May 31 of even-numbered years. Renewal fee: check with IDFPR
Continuing education
20 hours each renewal, including 1 hour each of implicit bias and sexual harassment prevention; none for the first renewal
Authorization to Test
From Pearson VUE once CTS approves you; valid six months, no extensions
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Board of Nursing
Two applications: apply online to Continental Testing Services and pay its fee, and register with Pearson VUE and pay the NCLEX fee. IDFPR's RN guide lists the exam route at $98. The CTS application is good for three years. Nurses already licensed in another state do not use this route; they apply to IDFPR by endorsement.
Education proof: Illinois schools send an official roster (good for 90 days), an official transcript or form ED-NUR; out-of-state graduates send form ED-NUR or an official transcript. Graduates of programs abroad send a credentials evaluation and, if English is not their first language, an English test.
Fingerprints: Live Scan by an Illinois-licensed vendor; send CTS the receipt with its transaction number. Out-of-state residents send form OOS-FP. The receipt or form must be no more than 60 days old when you apply. CTS does not supply fingerprint cards.
Authorization to Test: once your fee and documents are in, CTS screens you; when you are approved and registered with Pearson VUE, Pearson emails the ATT. It is valid six months, with no extensions. Ask CTS about status only if it has been more than 10 business days since everything arrived.
Results and license: results usually come 7 to 10 days after the exam, and CTS mails an Official Results Letter with how to apply to IDFPR and the fee. Do not apply to IDFPR before that letter. Apply within one year of passing or you test again.
Retakes: wait for your results letter, reapply to CTS and register again with Pearson; you can sit the NCLEX once every 46 days. Illinois graduates who do not test within 180 days of graduating, or who fail a second time, must finish an NCLEX prep class (or free remediation from their school) before testing again.
Renewal: every two years; RN licenses expire May 31 of even-numbered years. Each renewal needs 20 hours of approved CE, with 1 hour of implicit bias awareness and 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention, 1 hour of cultural competency every six years, 1 hour on Alzheimer's and dementia if you care for adults 26 and older, and mandated reporter training every six years if you work with children. These hours count toward the 20. Your first Illinois renewal needs no CE. IDFPR's pages did not list the renewal fee; check with IDFPR.
Illinois is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, and NCSBN shows no pending compact legislation. Your Illinois license is single-state, and a multistate license from another state does not let you practice in Illinois: you need a Illinois license, by exam or by endorsement.
An associate degree, bachelor's degree, diploma or entry-level master's program approved by a board of nursing, with an NCLEX program code. Your school confirms you graduated.
Apply to the board
The license comes from the state board, not the exam. Apply, pay the board fee and do the background check the board asks for.
Register with Pearson VUE
The NCLEX-RN registration fee is $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027), non-refundable. Your registration stays open 365 days while the board decides your eligibility.
Get your Authorization to Test and sit the exam
When the board makes you eligible, Pearson emails your Authorization to Test (ATT). Test within its dates: they cannot be extended. The NCLEX-RN runs 85 to 150 questions in up to five hours, and it stops when the computer is 95% sure you are above or below the passing standard.