Illinois licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation. Applications are online in IDFPR's CORE system, and the approved exam is the NPTE. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. PT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), CAPTE, the PT Compact Commission or any state board; NPTE and FSBPT are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
Illinois at a glance
Physical therapist (PT)
PT assistant (PTA)
Exam
NPTE-PT (225 questions, 5 hours), $485 to FSBPT
NPTE-PTA (180 questions, 4 hours), $485 to FSBPT
Board fees
$100 application (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340.57), non-refundable
$100
Law exam
None listed in the qualifications sheet
None listed
Background check
No fingerprint step listed in IDFPR's qualifications sheet; check with IDFPR
Same
Work before the exam
Letter of authorization to test: practice "license pending" with a PT on site
Same
PT Compact
Not a member. A PT Compact bill has been introduced but not enacted; you need a full Illinois license. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Illinois, step by step
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Physical Therapy
Apply in CORE: IDFPR's online licensing system, with the $100 fee (the same for PTs and PTAs) and a certification of graduation from your program director bearing the school's seal. PTA applicants need at least an associate degree.
Testing before graduation: students in an approved PT or PTA program may apply to take the NPTE up to 120 days before graduation with a certification from the program.
Letter of authorization to test: once IDFPR finds you eligible except for the exam, it issues a letter that lets you practice under supervision, with a licensed PT on site. You may not start working "license pending" until you have the letter, and you lose that right if you miss your authorized test date. Take the exam within 60 days of approval, or by the next test date.
The NPTE: register and pay through FSBPT; IDFPR names the NPTE as Illinois' approved exam for both PTs and PTAs.
Licensed elsewhere? Illinois is not in the PT Compact (a bill has been introduced), so you apply by endorsement with an active license from another state.
Every state licenses physical therapists and PT assistants on the NPTE, with the same passing score everywhere (600 on a 200-800 scale): a CAPTE-accredited degree, your state board's application, then NPTE registration with FSBPT ($485 plus Prometric's sitting fee), which your board approves before FSBPT sends your Authorization to Test. The PT exam is 225 questions in 5 hours and the PTA exam 180 questions in 4 hours, both on fixed dates four times a year; you may test 3 times in 12 months and 6 times in a lifetime (FSBPT NPTE Candidate Handbook). The full walk-through: How to get your PT license.